Defeated Roger Federer still optimistic, hopes to be 100% fit before Wimbledon

Defeated Roger Federer still optimistic, hopes to be 100% fit before Wimbledon

Roger Federer

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

Roger Federer looked happy after the match and you wondered, did Federer really just lose the match? Reacting to his second round defeat against Nikoloz Basilashvili Federer said that he was already over the loss. He said that the Doha Open was an important step for him, a stepping stone.

For Federer the actual season starts on grass and all this is to get ready for that. Federer also said that if he could reach 100% fitness before Wimbledon, that would be a real bonus. He thinks he needs to play the clay court season if he wants to get match fit and believes he will be playing the French Open. Federer was overall happy to have come so far as to compete in a real match again and happy that his body held up.

Roger Federer on playing in Doha: “That’s an important step forward for me. “I know that I’m still building up, this is a stepping stone.”

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“I might be better earlier, that would be a bonus and that means I’m at 100 percent before Wimbledon,” said Federer when asked if he was targeting the All England Club because that was the earliest he anticipated being back at full strength.

“I’ll just see how much workload the body and the knee still take and what’s the best way to prepare all the way for basically the beginning of the season for me, which is the grass court season,” said Federer when asked about his fitness.

Roger Federer on his overall performance: “I’ve come from so far away that I’m actually happy that I was able to play back-to-back three set matches against top players,” said Federer, a former world number one now down at six in the rankings.

Federer’s best moments on clay

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

Post his second round defeat at Doha, Roger Federer seemed convinced that he needed to play in the clay court season. He thinks it will help him become match fit before the grass court season starts. That would mean competing at the French Open too. But is it worth it for Federer to compete on clay, to participate in the French Open?

Top three moments of Federer on clay at the French Open

  1. Winning the French Open in 2009: Federer beat Robin Soderling 6-1 7-6 6-4 to lift the trophy.
  2. Reaching the French Open Final four times consecutively: Federer achieved that feat in the years2006-09. There are only two other players Rene Lacoste and Rafael Nadal who have bettered that feat.
  3. Defeating Novak Djokovic in the Semi Finals of 2011: In the 2011 French Open Federer beat Novak 7-6 6-3 3-6 7-6. One of the finest performances by Federer on clay.

“What comes before the grass courts are the clay courts. So from that standpoint, I have no choice but to play on clay if I want to play matches,” he concluded.

Also Read: Find Out: Roger Federer leads Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in this ‘ATP Record’