Indian Wells 2019 Pressers & Interviews

Indian Wells 2019 - Media Day  THU Mar 7, 2019

Follow Federer Behind The Scenes On Media Day At Indian Wells 2019

Indian Wells 2019 - R2 Press Conference  SUN Mar 10, 2019

Second Round - Stadium 1 - 1:30 pm  
Roger Federer    d.  Peter Gojowczyk    :  6-1, 7-5   Match Stats 

> Post-Match Interview (Video)

Find Out Who Federer Forgot Was Coming To Watch His Match In Indian Wells 2019

> Tennis Channel Desk Interview (Video)

> Press Conference Transcript

BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 10, 2019

Roger Federer
Indian Wells, California

R. FEDERER/P. Gojowczyk
6-1, 7-5


THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I know your mental game is very strong. Is that something that you're working on constantly, or how important is that for you day to day?

ROGER FEDERER: I mean, it's clearly very important, you know, to feel strong or feel good or not get down on yourself.

But I don't do any work or I don't focus on it, you know. I focus more on, I guess, a good life balance with my family and tennis, how I can juggle all the things in my life, you know.

I know I love tennis. I know I like going out there to play.


Q. So you're not having a mental coach or training in that sense?

ROGER FEDERER: No, not since 20 years, yeah. I had one once, a year or so. Not anymore.


Q. You have talked before about a one-hander or two-hander, maybe it's easier for kids to learn a two-hander. Any update for your children? Two-hander? One-hander?

ROGER FEDERER: Double-handed backhand.


Q. All the way?

ROGER FEDERER: All four. Yeah, I think so.


Q. How come exactly? Why?

ROGER FEDERER: Because it's easier. It's that simple. If they want to change later on, I will teach them that one. But I can't teach them a double-hander as I can't hit that one. So that's somebody else's job.

No, at the end of the day, I think also like with everything in life, you know, you also have your own character. Some people decide to change it at 8, some at, you know, 14, some later, because they find it a good challenge. For now, that's what it is. You know, who cares anyway if they hit a double-hander or not? It shouldn't be in the press.


Q. During stretches of your career you have become known for hitting particular shots, forehand, dropshot.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah.


Q. Backhand down the line. Then you sort of seemed to put it away, and we hardly see it anymore. I was wondering what gives? What goes into the way you select shots?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, interesting question. I'm not sure how -- today I wasn't thinking of doing a SABR, for instance. It wasn't on my mind. It wasn't a priority. Priority was to hit a couple of dropshots. I was able to do that early on to just see how that worked, and it did. And then I don't know why I couldn't do it later on anymore, but I think it had something to do with the opponent.

And very often it has a lot to do with the opponent, what you're able to do, because opponents usually play the way you don't want to have.

You're reacting a lot, but at the end you also have to play to win. You can't just play to -- you know, always enjoy yourself. Every point can't be that way, so you have to be very careful what you're doing.

But there can be a theme when you play a certain player. And, again, certain players it's just easier than against others just because of the way they play.


Q. Wonder if you could comment on the status of Stan Wawrinka? He seems to be getting very close to his best form. How far would you say he's come from last year? What are some of the challenges that lie ahead for him?

ROGER FEDERER: I mean, he came from very far away. Clearly he knew and I knew that he was not ready for the Australian Open, but he still wanted to give it a go. I was just hoping he'd get through the Australian Open uninjured, which he did, which I was happy for him.

I really feel like he's been back at a normal level, let's say, around the US Open. But obviously his ranking was low, he was still maybe missing some fitness, you know, that day-to-day match fitness that you need, mental fitness that you require to bring it every single day. I think he was just missing it a little bit. But I think as the season wore on, he only got stronger, even though at the end he didn't play anymore because he didn't want to take a chance, which I totally understand.

But I think, from what I'm gathering, if he's in no pain or injury-free, I think we will see a great Stan here, down the road, without a doubt, because I know what he can do. I think a lot of Stan. He's got all the different options how to win points. He's a fighter and a winner. Yeah, I hope he's going to be in the top 20, top 10 very soon again.


Q. I know you're probably far too humble to answer this question, but I will ask it anyway. I was asked to look five years into the future where the men's game might be. It was scary to think you might not be playing anymore, Rafa and Novak, and that our game might experience a substantial void. Do you share those concerns? If so, do you plan on staying connected to the sport long term or in a similar fashion to the way John McEnroe has? In a coaching capacity? Will we see you as a part of tennis far beyond your playing days?

ROGER FEDERER: That's hard to answer now that I'm going to be commentator or a coach. I doubt that I will be that, especially, you know, right after I retire. I do have four children, and I like being in Switzerland, and I like probably taking it easy and deciding where I want to go from there.

I have never commentated or coached in my life before, so... and being back on the road for 20-plus weeks is not gonna happen. I have done that enough for the last 20 years. So if I do it, it's in a different capacity, I believe.

I'm also a strong believer the game will be fine. Whatever problems we are facing now on the tour or whatever void you're talking about, we have so many cool events on the tour, maybe Masters 1000s or World Tour Finals, slams, Laver Cup, Davis Cup, ATP Cup, there is so many cool events to attend that it always generates new superstars, either in the local market or internationally.

I think a lot of guys have a very interesting story to tell, but right now they focus -- they choose to focus on still our story, that Rafa is still going, I'm still going, Novak is dominating. All these things, it's very cool. That new wave is coming through. That new wave is inevitably going to win slams and tournaments, and then we will hear more about them.

So I think it will be fine, but I think it will be a transition, no doubt about it, like when Pete and Andre started to go away and we had a lot of different Grand Slam champions at that time, which I thought was quite exciting. But people said, like, Where is the guy that wins all the time? And then when you have a guy winning all the time, then they say, Where are the guys winning separately?

It's never quite right, but I think we will be totally fine.


Q. Many people say one of your greatest strengths is your decision-making, not only on court in a flash but just in big picture. In your career, you have had so many key decisions, going to the Geneva Academy, Lundgren, bigger racquet, scheduling, all that. But if you could focus on two or three key decisions outside of family that have really been important in your career, what would that be?

ROGER FEDERER: I guess I took strong decisions in terms of management, you know, throughout my career. Took strong decisions with coaching. Had some moments where I let go of coaches that were maybe for the outside people not a logical step, you know, but for me really the only step.

I made mistakes, I guess, along the way also in this regard, but still, as a player, you have to believe. It's your career. You know, you've got to go after your gut feeling and heart and go where your heart takes you. We only have one career, so I really tried to make the most of that, but do it the nice way. If I did it, it was always with respect and so forth.

You know, I think I definitely got lucky to have met Mirka so early, too. If you speak professionally speaking, for my life, gave me great consistency. And she was very professional as a player herself, which I can't say of myself early on in my career.

A lot of things went well for me, the people I had around me, friends and family and coaches, and so forth.

Yeah, don't know where to start. I have a lot of people to thank when it all comes to the very end.


Q. Getting back to today's match, that first set went through so quickly and then it really tightened up. Can you focus on that and explain what happened there?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I think I played well in the first set and he didn't, and then things go very quickly. The second set I think he saved some crucial break points, you know, with good serving. I think his serve really picked up.

I think I struggled a little bit with my serving in that second set and that gave him chances. I think because he was serving better, I think he started to swing more freely, and, you know, then it was tough.

I'm really happy I found a way in that second set, actually. It's normal to not quite find your zones sometimes on the serve, or whatever it may be, because the ball flies differently here in Indian Wells than it did in Dubai again. Again, the conditions today are different than they were the last few days. The ball doesn't always exactly drop where you want it to be.

For the first round I actually felt really good. If I maybe would have served a little bit better, I think things would have gone faster. But at the end it was a tough second set, and it's maybe also exactly what I needed. I don't know.


Q. What things would you like to see in the next ATP CEO?

ROGER FEDERER: We need a good leader, clearly. We need, I guess, in my opinion somebody who knows the game. Otherwise, we will lose a year just that person meeting all the people. We have had that in the past. It takes a lot of time.

Yeah, a lot of work ahead of us, to say the least.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports - Tennis

Indian Wells 2019 - R3 Press Conference  TUE Mar 12, 2019

Third Round - Stadium 1 - 7:00 pm  
Roger Federer    d.  Stan Wawrinka   :  6-3, 6-4   Match Stats 

> Post-Match Interview (Video)

Federer Feeling Good In Indian Wells 2019

> Press Conference (R3) (Video)

Roger Federer Post-Match Interview at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open

> Press Conference Transcript

BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 12, 2019

Roger Federer
Indian Wells, California

R. FEDERER/S. Wawrinka
6-3, 6-4


THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.


Q. You continue to have Stan's number. Things went great for you tonight. Talk about how you felt out there.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I think I felt good from the beginning. You know, the breeze picked up a little bit for the evening, I thought, you know, but I didn't feel like it had that much of a play in it.

You know, I think for me the plan worked. I was able to mix up my game, cover my serve, be dangerous on the return. Maybe take some rhythm away from Stan, like I always try to do, but you can't always make it work.

Tonight it worked well, so I think it was a good match for me.


Q. How close is he to being back to the Stan you're used to playing, would you say?

ROGER FEDERER: I think he's right there, you know. I think maybe all he's maybe missing is match play, you know, a higher ranking so he can get some better seeding so he doesn't have to face the toughest guy early on in tournaments.

I think he's right there. Let's be honest, also he had a brutal match against Fucsovics, so maybe also that took a toll away from him.

But I think he's ready to go. I thought he played great already in Cincinnati last year against me. He's played some good matches since. He had a good Rotterdam. Acapulco, he played good from what I saw against Nick and again this tournament, too.

So I think he knows, as well as I, that he's very, very close and it's just a matter of time until he's going to break through again.


Q. He pushed you in Cincinnati, but why do you think specifically you have been perfect against him on hard courts?

ROGER FEDERER: Don't know. Got lucky maybe a few times. Because some matches were extremely close. London, for instance, that was not controlled anymore at the end, how things worked out there. So sometimes you just got to get lucky to keep a streak going like this.

Yeah, in all honesty, I don't feel like I have, you know, dominated him on the hard courts, you know. He had a set and a break against me in Stockholm. He should have beaten me in London. On grass he was a big threat for me at Wimbledon one year. Australian Open was five sets. Cincy, he could have gotten me. There is a lot of matches there. Somehow I was able to squeeze those out.

You know, he also crushed me at the French and in Monaco. So it doesn't mean much to me that record, to be honest.


Q. Next match, Kyle Edmund. Any thoughts about him?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I never played him, and so that's exciting, especially an established player.

I've gotten to know Kyle a little better through Laver Cup in Chicago. He's a great guy to be around. I had once upon a time an appearance with him in London. I think he's a really nice guy. Trains hard. He's got good balance. Very similar backhand to Murray in some ways, also, by the technique of it. And the forehand really goes. You know, he's got some major power there. He can also serve big in the first serve.

I think he's a tough player, and I think top 20 for him is just around the corner.


Q. A question about your return on clay later this year. You said many times you just look forward to playing on clay again. Can you explain what makes playing on clay fun to you and what changes you make mainly?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, the fun part is that I think you can play the angles a bit more. You can open the court more. As much as people think that clay is a slow surface, sure, if it's rainy and stuff, it becomes horribly slow. But when it's a good, nice day, you can play -- almost serve and volley easier than, for instance, tonight.

So I think there is many different ways you can win points on clay, so that makes it really exciting. I mean, sliding and hitting, I know nowadays a lot of guys do it on hard courts, too. I don't do it that much.

So for me I like that aspect of the clay, and it reminds me of my childhood. I grew up on the clay every day in the summer, in the winter. I was always on the clay. So it's a surface that, you know, I connect it together with my childhood.


Q. When you go into a match against Stan, do you change your mindset at all compared to if you're playing Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, or anybody else, considering the record you have had against him and also the fact he's one of your closest friends?

ROGER FEDERER: I mean, I think it depends on where I am in the season, you know, and how much maybe we have trained together, how much time we have spent together.

Like, you know, in the years where we played a lot of Davis Cup or where we would train almost every other week, you know, you also stay in touch more. And then you feel like, oh, this is just like another practice match, just this time around we are playing for points and prestige more.

Whereas, this match, particular one, if I'm talking about this one, I haven't seen Stan all that much, to be quite honest. I haven't practiced with him, I feel like, for some time.

For me, this one was a more easier, more simple, you know, mindset going into the match. The worry was I didn't quite know Stan's level, but I saw quite a bit and was highly impressed with his match against Fucsovics. I thought they played some sick points there.

But, yeah, overall it's not been easy playing Stan. I know he knows that I know, et cetera (smiling). He feels the same way, so that's very awkward sometimes.


Q. I heard last year either you or your wife bought some pieces of art from a local artist, and if that's true, what is it about his art that you like? Two, are you familiar with his back story?

ROGER FEDERER: The back story of?


Q. Of the artist, Nicolas Kontaxis.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, so that was a Mirka decision. Yeah, she was very excited. We knew the doctor. I think the father, is it, maybe of the artist? Yeah, he's a doctor here.

We have had some sick children over the years here sometimes in Indian Wells, and we have seen him plenty, and we started talking about it. Mirka really liked his art.

Yeah, sometimes we go in spells, we're more into art and some months we are not so much into art. It depends how much space you have on the walls at the end of the day, too.


Q. What do you think of his art?

ROGER FEDERER: I actually don't remember that much of it, to be honest, you know. I have to see where we have it or if it's been ordered and all that stuff. I have to check with Mirka back what the situation is, but I remember talking about it here last year.


Q. I know you get a lot of questions about playing as you get older. There has always been revolution and scientific thinking. I saw if you're in your 20s in the 1970s and been running regularly, you still have the same muscles now as a 25-year-old. Is that the kind of thing you tend to be aware of, or where do you place that in the personal experience?

ROGER FEDERER: Say again? Back in the '70s? Give me an example.


Q. If you were in the 1970s, if you were in your 20s and you started doing running regularly and kept doing it, you now still have the same muscles as a 25-year-old. Not everything is the same but your muscles are the same. Is that the kind of thing you would be aware of and that would influence your thinking, or do you base everything on personal experience, personal feeling?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, yeah, I don't quite understand what you're saying so clearly. I'm not aware of it, and I'm not putting a lot of emphasis on that side of the story.

I guess the thing for me which is maybe different than for others is that I have had the same fitness coach for so long that we don't do any more tests or -- I don't know what. Like how they do in soccer, preseason, and they check you out and all that stuff. We just shake hands and go, Nice to see you. What's the plan? He tells me what the situation is, what we're gonna work on, and that's it.

It's all about managing the schedule, managing, you know, the energy and making sure, depending how much longer I want to play, that we adapt my schedule to that.

But in all honesty, I haven't gone into scientific things by any stretch, you know, in my career.


Q. You don't speak that often about women's tennis, but Belinda is on this incredible run. You have known her for a good while. Could you just talk about her and the big picture? Her comeback from all the injuries and how she's really surging now.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, No. 1, I'm very happy for her, of course. It's one of those dream runs everyone wants to get on and win a bunch of matches in a row. It's a wonderful feeling for a player. You work so hard for it to string wins together. When it finally happens, it's very rewarding. So that's nice for her.

I think she's -- yeah, she's a great girl. I think she's worked extremely hard, and I think it's been difficult for her the last few years, you know, fighting through several injuries, you know, and just getting things right I think in the game but also in her head.

I feel like she's really -- was extremely close, I thought, this year in Perth already, you know, but still a little bit too emotional for my liking. I try to just talk to her a little bit about what I thought she needed to take it to the next level.

We talked last year in particular a lot about her team, and I just tried to give her sound advice from somebody who's got no need to -- there is no benefit for me. It's all about her. I think probably she enjoys talking to somebody who really only cares for her well-being.

I'm happy that she was able to turn things around so quickly right after Australia. I thought it was going to take much more time. I'm very impressed by the steps that she's taken by herself and also with her fitness coach and her dad, that it's all working out. I'm just really happy for them.


Q. We're all very excited to see you coming back and playing a little more clay court tennis this season.

ROGER FEDERER: I hope it's going to be more than two matches. We'll see.


Q. More than two tournaments. With regard to the change in the Davis Cup format, does that allow for you to be able to set that week aside and be a part of the brand new format that they're going to roll out this year? Obviously you have a Davis Cup title to your credit now, but will you jump in there and mix it up with those guys this year?

ROGER FEDERER: In the Davis Cup?

Q. Right.

ROGER FEDERER: I can't, because we are not qualified for the finals.

Q. Excuse me.

ROGER FEDERER: No problem. There goes your question. Better research next time, buddy. Not my mistake, I didn't play, or maybe it is my mistake.

Yeah, no, so I don't know what to tell you.

Q. That's a good answer.

ROGER FEDERER: Sorry. I'd like to elaborate more, but I just can't.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports - Tennis

Indian Wells 2019 - R4 Press Conference  WED Mar 13, 2019

Fourth Round (R16) - Stadium 1 - 2:30 pm  
Roger Federer    d.  Kyle Edmund   :  6-1, 6-4   Match Stats 

> Post-Match Interview (Video)

Federer Thrilled With Performance Against Edmund At Indian Wells 2019

> Press Conference (Video)

> Press Conference Transcript

BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 13, 2019

Roger Federer
Indian Wells, California

R. FEDERER/K. Edmund
6-1, 6-4


THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.


Q. Assessment of Kyle, having now been on court with him, being on the other end, what do you think?

ROGER  FEDERER: He didn't have the best start, so that cost him the first set. Second set, it was definitely better. I think he probably struggled throughout a little bit. He never really got going. Conditions are tough with the glare, and the jump of the ball is sometimes hard to find the rhythm and timing.

Being able to belt the ball like he does needs either a good start or good conditions, and he didn't quite find that.

I'm sure I profited a little bit from it, but again, I was able to keep him uncomfortable throughout the match. So that's why I think the last game was big for him. Not to break for me obviously, but for him it could have turned things around. I was relieved I got through that one.

Look, I see what he's got. He's got everything in the game. It's just a matter of keeping improving, keep plugging away, and then he will make big results again. He knows that.


Q. Both here and at the Laver Cup, we hear you say brief shootouts to Rod Laver, but could you talk a little bit more in depth both about his game where he could do it all, serve and volley, come over the ball, and him as a man and his contributions?

ROGER  FEDERER: I mean, look, him as a player, there is not much I can say, because I don't remember seeing him play, really, other than the highlights. So you have probably seen more than me.

Just his, you know, what he went through, from amateur to pros, with all the XOs they played, I think over 150 a year, going from city to city.

Two different days, you know. I enjoy that part of history. And clearly he was ahead of his time. Like most guys who are changing the game, you know, they brought something else to the game, and he was definitely one of those.

And he also was the bridge between different generations. You know, he played Borg at the very end. I think it's nice when you have those kind of players. As a man, he's like all the other great legends of his generation, incredibly humble and a joy to have still around the game today.


Q. When you play guys like Kyle and Hubert next for the first time, how much does that keep it fresh and exciting for you as you progress?

ROGER  FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, look, I enjoy it. I mean, either way, it is the way it is, these draws. You can't, you know, choose who you're gonna play. Shapo would have been fun, too. But Hurkacz, the same thing. He's also up and coming, so that's fun. Kyle, the same thing. I have never played him before other than practice.

It's nice to see what they have in the matches, you know, and really get a sense how much more we will see of them. For me, at a top level, I like it that I'm not playing the same guys every single week.


Q. Just a fun question. One of your coaches recently gave away that you do player impressions.

ROGER  FEDERER: Do I? Okay.


Q. Is that a denial? I was wondering if you do, which ones and if you could be persuaded to show...

ROGER  FEDERER: You mean like as in technique? Oh, not too much, actually. Maybe I think I used to do it more.

When you're in front of the crowd all the time, I don't like doing it, you know. Recently they have been a lot of fun, the crowd. It's usually more in the off-season you do it.

Who do I do? I don't even know. I wouldn't want to tell you, anyway (smiling).

But I'm not the best at it, I don't think.


Q. What you're doing at 37 and to see this week Karlovic at his age and Venus doing what she's doing, what does that say about playing deeper into careers and where the game is right now?

ROGER  FEDERER: Don't know. It's definitely nice to see players -- I think, No. 1, you've got to be happy to be on tour. It's very simple, because usually you're not at your career high, you know, ranking-wise, anymore at that age. So you have to pick on something else that's exciting for you, whatever that may be: travels, match play, whatever, practice, life on the road. So you've got to be passionate about what you do.

It's nice to see -- I feel more guys and more girls are, like, really actually enjoying that part of the tour, which before I felt players were happy to do something else, which is cool, too, you know. I think tennis really provides you with an incredible platform where you learn a lot, you run into a lot of interesting people.

I mean, at the end of the day, you're the boss of your own company, if you like, and you can choose how much you want to train, where you want to play. It will be very different at the time when you retire, most likely, because it will never be quite -- you won't be quite in control unless you run a company, and even then you have a completely different pressure than you have as a tennis player.

So I think players see more and more what actually a privilege it is to be a tennis player, and that's nice to see.

The secret behind, I'm sure, is starting with nutrition and, you know, stretching, massages, sleep, you name it. All these things have gotten more and more professionally done at a young age already. I remember, when I came up, people doing the elastic band, people laughing at them doing it. Now everybody sort of does it. People stopped doing that and doing other things.

Back in the day, all you took is a hot bath, ate a banana on the court. That was it. Nowadays people do all sorts of crazy stuff. It's interesting to see how the game has evolved. I still like it when it's somewhat amateur-like, to some extent, because I don't want it to become all scientific, to be quite honest.


Q. You were saying you hadn't played Edmund before. But a guy you have played a few timings, Nadal, is waiting perhaps the two of you meeting, I guess two matches from now. Are you looking forward to that? Does it make it exciting, too, when you get to play the other top players?

ROGER  FEDERER: Yes, absolutely. I think that's also one of the reasons I'm still in the game is that hopefully when I play the top guys that I'm ready for it. For that, I train hard.

The thing is, is when I'm still quite highly ranked, I don't see them very soon in the draw, so I have to go a long way to get to them. And it's not easy to get to semis or finals of Masters 1000s.

I'm very happy this week. I hope I can get there, but I'm not going to underestimate Hubert.

Yeah, Rafa looked supreme this week. He clearly also goes in as I favorite against Khachanov, but Khachanov played a good match just now against Isner. I think that's also going to be quite a test for Rafa, but same for me with Hubert. I don't think we're looking too far ahead, to be honest.


Q. A tennis nerd question. You seem to have the quietest head, this ability to watch the ball all the way into the strings. Was that something you had to work extremely hard on when you were younger? Is it something you have to maintain throughout the years? Is it something you just built in your formative years?

ROGER  FEDERER: Keeping the head down?


Q. Contact and eyes on the ball.

ROGER  FEDERER: No, I don't know where that comes from, to be honest. I feel like I probably did it even more extreme in my junior years that it almost felt like it was too long, too extreme.

But nobody ever told me to do it or told me to stop doing it. You know, for me, it's the only way to play tennis, and it happens to be that way. So I can't explain how that came about.


Q. Discussion about the GOAT. Do you think it's fair to look at it throughout the history of tennis, or it needs to be in generations? That it's difficult because of the different phases of the sport to actually pinpoint one person as the greatest of all time?

ROGER  FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely difficult overall. You know, I don't think Ken Rosewall was thinking of how many majors he was going to win. You know, I think the future is only going to be reminded even more so of what everybody has achieved. I think players 30 years from now are going to chase much more records than I did early on or Pete did or and so forth.

And because the game was what it was, you know, it's very difficult to compare. To be quite honest, yeah, maybe you could do it in generations. But I think at the end of the day, it's just a fun and interesting debate, nothing more. We will never quite know, because you only get sometimes the chance to be the youngest to win a slam, and you only get a chance later on to be the oldest to win something. What's more difficult? I don't know.

Sometimes you also get unlucky or lucky that a streak broke because of injury, because of some freak accident. Does that ruin everything? I don't know. It's really difficult, anyway, to see all these things.

But what I know is I think any player who is in the conversation is already incredibly proud of that effort.


Q. The other day I asked Belinda if she could choose to be one other person for one day, she picked you.

ROGER  FEDERER: Oh, God, okay. She basically knows already what my day looks like (smiling).


Q. The question is: Who would you want to be for one day?

ROGER  FEDERER: Not a tennis player. Something else. Don't know. Probably a musician, see how it is on the stage. Yeah.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports - Tennis

Indian Wells 2019 - QF Press Conference  FRI Mar 15, 2019

Quarter Final - Stadium 1 - 11:00 am  
Roger Federer    d.  Hubert Hurkacz    :  6-4, 6-4   Match Stats 

> Post-Match Interview (Video)

Confident Federer Reveals What The Key Is For Him In Indian Wells 2019  

> Press Conference (Video)

> Press Conference Transcript

BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 15, 2019

Roger Federer
Indian Wells, California

R. FEDERER/H. Hurkacz

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What do you take from this match today? Do you feel you're playing at your best? What do you think about the possibility of playing Rafa in the next round, if he makes it through himself?

ROGER  FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I think I feel good, you know, playing matches now. Not I haven't in the past, but I think it was another one of those matches where, you know, I think I don't need too many chances to break. I got clear playing patterns.

I'm holding my serve comfortably. I'm in a good place mentally when I go into my service games. I think it showed this week thus far, you know. So I hope I can keep that up. Against Rafa you need it, obviously, if it's against him, but also against Khachanov.

At this stage of the tournament, anyway, you have to bring your best game. Personally, I'm very excited to be in the semis here. Not that I didn't expect it, but it definitely went better than I thought it would.


Q. Without wishing to preempt the results of the second semifinal, if it is to be Rafa Nadal tomorrow, you haven't played him since 2017 and you really dominated the rivalry in that particular year. Do you think 17 or 18 months on that that will be different this year?

ROGER  FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I don't think those five matches matter that much, to be honest. Like you said yourself, a lot of time has gone by, unfortunately maybe for the rivalry for us, or for me. It's always better to keep on maybe playing against him. Even then you might argue that giving him chances may be also not what he needs because he's too good of a player not to figure things out.

He seems to me very good. He's at a higher level than he was at the Australian Open. He seems healthy. When Rafa is healthy, especially in a place like here in Indian Wells where he feels comfortable, he's clearly very tough to play.

But, yeah, a lot has happened in those 18 months, you said it was? Sure, you look back at what I did well there, but you can't just copy/paste and play exactly the same thing again.


Q. We have had Borg, McEnroe, Pete, Andre. What is it that makes this particular matchup, your matchup with Rafa, what makes it so special?

ROGER  FEDERER: Well, I think we are very different, you know, sort of personalities or maybe also player types. The way we go about it is very different, but yet we both find a way to excel.

You know, and also, just that maybe he's very -- the way he came up was very clay-court based, and I was apparently very grass-court based, and we both found our ways also on the other surface.

When he came up, I was already World No. 1. So clearly that adds to the -- him trying to figure things out and getting there himself while I was at the top. I think it all adds to the cool rivalry that we had. And then you add all the foundation stuff we have had, promotional things we have done for the tour, political things, whatever it has been, you know, it's been quite a journey with Rafa side by side.


Q. The last time Rafa played, his previous match he played here was also an 11:00 start like you had today, and he was explaining he had to get up at 6:30. What time did you get up, and what was your routine for this morning?

ROGER  FEDERER: Yeah, 7:00 wakeup, and, you know, went to practice at 8:30. Went back to my house and took a shower. Spoke about the match, had pasta at 9:30, and came over, taped, warmed up and played the game. Yeah, it's a bit different. The good thing is I knew for a day and a half that it was going to be an 11:00 start. So they warned me they're gonna put me at 11:00. I said, Okay. What can I say? You have no choice. I will just get ready. Just have to go to bed early enough. I did.

And also knowing tomorrow anyway is going to be 11:00 or followed by, I think our match is followed by, but still it requires early wakeup because you never know if it's followed by, if a guy is not gonna play, or whatever happens. You've just got to be alert.

And it's a day session end to the tournament now. I think as long as it's not bouncing back and forth, you know, day and night, day and night all the time, I think this is easier.

But it's true, especially if you're playing indoors and you're carrying an injury, 11:00 start is definitely not so easy.


Q. Next week be at a new venue. What will you miss most about Key Biscayne?

ROGER  FEDERER: Everything. It was a great event, a lot of history. You know, it was considered the fifth slam back in the day. We had best-of-five-set matches from the beginning. A lot has changed. I have had some epic battle there. I go all the way back to '98 when I won the juniors there against Coria in the finals, Nalbandian in the semis, for junior World No. 1. It was the first year it was held at Crandon Park.

So I have clearly mixed feelings about the change, but I hope it's all for the better. And I understand the logic behind it, you know, but of course I will miss the place. It's logical, I think, like all the players.


Q. What do you think it will be like playing in a football stadium?

ROGER  FEDERER: I don't know. Never played in one (smiling). I'm sure it's going to be exciting, though.


Q. I know that the Roger/Rafa semifinal is the headline everyone wants to write. But if you play Khachanov, could you tell us about the challenge that would be and what you would expect of that?

ROGER  FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I think his win in Paris was massive for him, you know. Just getting through somebody of Novak's caliber in the finals I think must have given him all the confidence he ever needed for the next coming years, that he knows he can bring it right then.

You know, he's big and strong guy. He obviously can serve well when he needs to. His backhand is strong. His forehand is very extreme grip, but he gets around it very quickly. When he's feeling it, I think he's very tough to play.

That's maybe also why, still, because he's younger and all that, you know, and expectations have risen. Maybe just at the beginning of the year it's not been clicking, but it's just a matter of time until he finds it back again.

And this is maybe exactly the week where he finds it, you know. And he pushed Rafa extremely hard in New York.

So I like how he plays. I played him in Halle. It should have been three sets. He hit a forehand to push me into a third [sic] in '17. So I have a lot of respect for him.


Q. Does it get you as excited to play Rafa at this stage or is it more fun to play a rising player you have never seen before up close, or maybe Djokovic or somebody like that? How do you feel about the adrenaline rush it gives you at this stage?

ROGER  FEDERER: I think a combination. If it was only Rafa, I wouldn't enjoy that as well, like it would be only playing young guys. I think having the mix is the magic, really, for me.

So, you know, playing against young guys to eventually get to Rafa, that's exciting. I'm very happy, and I hope he wins so I do get that chance, you know, to play against him here.


Q. Khachanov has been going through some racquet changes and he's testing out. I was wondering how much difference tiny details in racquet changes can make in your experience?

ROGER  FEDERER: Yeah, it's the extension of the arm, essentially, and your hand. So from that standpoint the question is you always have to ask yourself, is your racquet and your mind going to be aligned at 5-All in the third set at 30-All? Can you hit it into the corner?

Some days you just can't. That's nothing to do with the racquet. But that's why racquet changes need to be taken very seriously and at the right time of the year and with the right mindset, a positive one, not one in frustration.

He did it in a position of strength after a good season. Breakthrough season, essentially. But it's definitely not easy, you know. I never heard anybody say, This was, like, such a simple move for me.

It just takes time, you know. I think it seems like he's back to his old racquet again. But I think it's good to test racquets, test frames, test new technology, because all of a sudden you realize that something is working better for you.

Same with strings, for that matter. There is so much out there in the market that I have always been curious to find out what's out there, because maybe you find some that's better.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports - Tennis

Indian Wells 2019 - SF Press Conference  SAT Mar 16, 2019

Semi Final - Stadium 1 (No match)  
Roger Federer    d.  Rafael Nadal     by Walkover

The official withdrawal announcement...

> On-Court Interview (Video)

Roger came on court to talk to fans following Rafa's withdrawal.

> Road to the Final (Video)  

> Pre-Final Interview (Video)

Federer: Indian Wells Final Is 'A Huge Opportunity'

> Press Conference Transcript

BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 16, 2019

Roger Federer
Indian Wells, California

R. FEDERER/R. Nadal
[Walkover]

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.


Q. You alluded to this out there with the anticipation that the crowd has, media, players. Now that it's going to be a different matchup, how do you go about adjusting your mindset?

ROGER  FEDERER: I mean, you mean for tomorrow?


Q. Yeah, for the final.

ROGER  FEDERER: Well, I mean, it's like you have played, but you didn't, so physically you feel better, you know. And you have, you know, over 24 hours to get ready. So there is nothing really extraordinary happening from now on forward after I have done the press.

But it's just that the last, I'd say, two, three hours have been very different to a normal match day where I have warmed up, ready to go, and then all of a sudden getting a message from Rafa saying, I won't be able to play. I haven't told anybody yet.

And you're like, Okay. Then you wonder, Do I have to do press? Is there anything else I need to do?

And you wonder how you can help out the tournament in a situation like this where fans have paid a lot of money for a ticket. So instead of worrying about forehands and backhands, you're worrying about the health of the tournament, and also what is best for me personally, individually, for the finals tomorrow.

But I think from now on things will calm down because I can actually also speak about who I play now, because up till now I have been watching a bit of the Raonic/Thiem match.

I'm just excited to be in another finals here, to be quite honest. It's not the way I wanted to get there in a semifinals walkover, but, as we know, it's how it goes sometimes in tennis.

Of course I'm also disappointed that that match with Rafa didn't happen, because we are both -- or I was ready to go. And I told him I hope it's nothing serious. So I hope he'll be back strong for the clay.


Q. So this was a total surprise to you? You really didn't have any idea? Because, I mean, yesterday he indicated...

ROGER  FEDERER: I mean, I saw yesterday what had happened, so I knew there was going to be a chance that maybe he won't be 100%. But as a player, you always go in with the mindset he is at 100%, you know. We know overnight things can change sometimes.

When I went to warm up, he was warming up, too, on the outside court. So I knew about that, so my mindset in the practice was not one, well, maybe he's not going to play. It's he's playing and I'm playing and this is happening. It's only when I got back that I found out that he won't be playing. That also disrupts things a little bit, you know.

Yeah, I mean, I saw what happened yesterday and how he was battling with his knee. You know, so I knew that knowing Rafa that the season is still long and there is clay coming up.

You know, the pain he must feel, you know, especially he played with it from the beginning of the match pretty much, I think that's just not worth it taking any chances. If it maybe was the last match of his life, okay, you find a way somehow to just play through it. But this is not this match.

He knows his knees too well that he needs to be smart about his decision-making here.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports - Tennis

Indian Wells 2019 - Final Press Conference  SUN Mar 17, 2019

Final - Stadium 1 - 4:00 pm  
Dominic Thiem     d.  Roger Federer    :  3-6, 6-3, 7-5   Match Stats 

> Roger's Speech (Trophy Ceremony)

"You deserve it" - Roger Federer Dominic Thiem

> Press Conference (Video)

> Press Conference Transcript

BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 17, 2019

Roger Federer
Indian Wells, California

D. THIEM/R. Federer

3-6, 6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.


Q. A tough match. Talk a little bit about what he was able to do in the second set to kind of assert himself against you.

ROGER FEDERER: I thought that the game he broke me I didn't serve very well, so I think he took advantage of that fact. He was downwind, so that helped maybe a little bit.

But credit to him for fighting through that 2-1 game, I believe it was, 1-All game to go 2-1 down or up, and he was able to save that and then break, you know, getting the lead. I think that was a really important five minutes in the match. It was crucial.

I think I must have made some mistakes the way I was gonna serve him, construct the points. But he definitely did well there.


Q. In the third set, 5-5, the game with the two dropshots, what were you thinking then? What was your planning there?

ROGER FEDERER: To win the point, and I didn't. So things didn't go my way. He played them well. It's that simple. I don't know what to tell you.

I thought that the first one hit very well. The second one, if he doesn't pick it up quick, he's not going to be there, but he did. So the second one I should have hit it, but I didn't. So just these little things, you know, that matter today.

You know, again, he did very well when he got up to the ball, stayed calm, made the shot.

And I maybe should have covered the first one, I feel like, but again, you know, he looks good when he gets there, and that's what clay courters can really do.

Yeah, I mean, he stayed cool under pressure there.


Q. Five titles here, a lot of great success. Tough losses in the finals in recent years. Just thin margins? You think it's just the way it goes in the game today? What's your sense?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I think so. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. The return he hits on the return, on the line at 5-Aall, that's the one I needed, and I couldn't produce that. Why is that? I mean, you can start looking, digging so deep, and then you end up getting lost, rather than just saying, like, you know, he played maybe a little bit better when he really had to.

But again, I didn't feel like I played bad, either. I had my chances. I was in the points. I have the easy forehand I was looking for for Love-40. He picks the right side. I picked the wrong side. Is that a difference? Maybe.

That's why I'm not too disappointed. I feel like he had to come up with the goods, and it did feel like to some extent it was in my racquet. You know, just came up against somebody who was on the day, you know, a bit better when it really mattered.

That's how it goes. Sure, it's frustrating and disappointing and sad to some extent, but, look, I have been in these positions so many times that I get over it very quickly.


Q. Do the losses hurt a little bit more now or less? This loss coming so soon after all the celebration of a 100th title.

ROGER FEDERER: Maybe that's why I'm okay with it today, because I felt like I'm actually playing, you know, good tennis. Like, in Australia, I wasn't too down on myself because I feel like my game is there, my body is there.

I think when you feel that way, you know, you take it more, how do you say, positively? I don't know how to explain, but it's just not as dramatic. Whereas, when you're hurt and things are difficult and, you know, that maybe those hurt more. I'm not sure.

You know, at the same time I'm happy for Dominic, winning his first Masters 1000, as well. It's a massive event to win. Like you said, I just got my 100 in Dubai and I had a good week here. Really, there is no reason to get down. Plus there is more to look forward to in Miami.

Look, things are good for me. Just unfortunate today. I needed a better shot from time to time.


Q. You have played an awful lot of tennis in the last couple of weeks and then an awful lot of traveling. Is Miami definitely in the cards? Do you definitely plan for that two weeks?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah. I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm going to Miami tomorrow. The body is perfectly fine. That also always keeps me upbeat, and I feel it's a privilege when I feel this way leaving a tournament.

And like you said, I have been playing every single day for the last three weeks. I can be very happy and proud of that fact.

Yes, the plan is definitely play to Miami for now.


Q. Do you think you can easily pick up the momentum that maybe slipped just a touch here when you get to Miami?

ROGER FEDERER: I'd like to say yes, but then I thought the same last year. I lost early there, too. Now it's totally different. Everybody's got to get used to center court or the conditions at the new site. You know, I'm eager to find out how it's going to be like. I heard it's going to be raining the next few days, so I hope to get some practice in.

Yeah, I feel really good, so why shouldn't I go into the tournament and to the event confident? But then again, we'll see what the draw is like. We will see how I feel in six days. There is still a lot of open question marks.

Right now I feel really good, yeah.


Q. You have a very even temperament on court. How do you channel frustration into something positive when you're out there?

ROGER FEDERER: I guess it is, you know, just accepting a lost point for just a point and not more than that. Can be quite complex sometimes, because every point in tennis feels like it could be a momentum switch.

I think that's what I do very well in my head, you know, how I'm able to, for three seconds, analyze it, maybe be frustrated for myself a little bit, and then right away go into relax mode, go into preparation mode for the next point, and be able to think clear again. I think when you feel that way, yeah, you move on quickly.

Of course days, maybe, I don't know, you feel just more edgy, for whatever reason that is. Maybe you feel the same in your job, I'm not sure, but I think everybody has those days when you're just more edgy. Could be lack of sleep. Could be anything. That's the days it doesn't come natural. You have to sometimes really force yourself to stay calm.


Q. The average speed of Dominic's shot is apparently much higher than that of other players. Do you really notice that, or is it close to someone else or is it by far the fastest someone plays off the ground?

ROGER FEDERER: I mean, not by far, but you could definitely feel like every shot in Dominic's game has got some punch behind it. I think that's why also he did well here this week.

I'm surprised he didn't do better in previous years, because I think it really lends itself to players who can put the pressure on time and time again, and who have a good kick serve. It does go up and it does fly and hard to control, especially once it gets up there.

That's where his secret lies, as well, playing well on the clay. He can hit through heavy conditions, forehand and backhand and that time and time again. I think that for most players is a secret how to achieve greatness on clay. And the best at that is Rafa, obviously.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports - Tennis