The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Federer

  • Brisbane International: Federer rallies from first-set loss to win

    Brisbane International: Federer rallies from first-set loss to win

    Roger Federer survived a scare on Thursday before beating Australian qualifier John Millman at the Brisbane International.

    Federer lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the final of this ATP 250 hard-court event 12 months ago, and it appeared he would fail to reach the last eight this time around when Millman took the opening set.

    However, Federer showed his class to battle back and seal his spot in the quarterfinals.The final: 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

    After saving four break points in the opening game, Millman matched Federer throughout the first set. He took the lead when he capitalized on his fourth set-point opportunity in game 10.

    Millman, No. 153 in world rankings, made a fine start to the second, and a break for a 3-1 lead raised hopes of a shock victory.

    Federer took five of the next six games to level the match.

    At 3-2 down in the decider, the Swiss reeled off four games in succession,including two breaks of serve, to overcome Millman and book his place in the last eight.

    He will now take on James Duckworth, who battled back from a set down to oust Jarkko Nieminen 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.

    After losing the first set, home favorite Duckworth had to save two match points when serving at 6-5 down in the second.

  • Federer brands Wimbledon dress code ‘too strict’

    Federer brands Wimbledon dress code ‘too strict’

    Tennis star Roger Federer has branded Wimbledon’s all white dress code “too strict” after it was revealed that officials have ordered players to change underwear they consider to be too colourful.

    The seven-time champion called on the All England Club to “loosen up the grip” on a rule that has been strictly enforced this year, leading to accusations of players even having their underwear checked before matches.

    Earlier this week former women’s world number one Caroline Wozniacki criticised potential underwear checks as “pretty creepy”.

    Players have been forcefully reminded of the tournament’s 10-point clothing and equipment policy.The rules call for “suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white”.

    Speaking after his quarter-final victory over Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka last night, Federer commented: “We’re all white. White, white, full-on white. I think it’s very strict.

    “My personal opinion, I think it’s too strict. If you look at the pictures of Edberg, Becker, there was some colours, you know, but it was ‘all white’.”

  • Federer, Wawrinka hit semis in Wimbldeon warmup event

    Defending champion Roger Federer reached the semi-finals of the Halle grasscourt championships, the Gerry Weber Open, on Friday without appearing on court as quarter-final opponent Lu Yen-Huen of Taiwan withdrew through injury.

    Lu, who had self-deprecatingly announced that he faced a mission impossible against the Swiss former world No 1 when he said: “If I’m 150 per cemt and he’s 100 per cent I think I’d still lose”, pulled out with a recurrence of a back problem.

    Federer, a six-time winner of the tourament, now faces Japan’s world No 12 Kei Nishikori, who beat American Steve Johnson 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), for a place in the final.

    Earlier, Philipp Kohlschreiber fought his way into the semi-finals by edging past fellow German Dustin Brown 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (18/16).

    Kohlschreiber, who was on the losing end of a five-set marathon against Britain’s Andy Murray at the French Open, prevailed after an epic third set tie-break against world No 85 Brown.

    The defeat was a bitter disappointment for Brown, who had knocked out world No 1 Rafael Nadal the previous day.

    Kohlschreiber, the 2011 champion, now plays 69th-ranked Alejandro Falla for a place in the final after the Colombian overcame another German, Peter Gojowczyk, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2).

    Wildcard Gojowczyk also saw his run come to an end in frustrating fashion, having claimed the scalp of third seed Milos Raonic of Canada in the previous round.

  • Federer: I‘ll bounce back in 2014

    Swiss tennis star Roger Federer believes that he can bounce back in 2014 and aims at winning five tournaments. Federer is sure about his comeback and wishes to continue playing good tennis in the upcoming season. Having won only a single title at Halle in 2013, Federer admits that he did not play aggressively enough and was put off by back problems.

    2013 proved to be a pretty disappointing season for the winner of seventeen Grand Slam titles where he was able to bag a single title at Halle, prior to Wimbledon. After winning a record-equaling seventh Wimbledon crown in July 2012, Federer was unable to defend his title this year and was knocked out of the tournament by Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round. He also faced a number of early exits and defeats at the hands of low-ranked players.

    Additionally, Federer suffered a number of back problems which pushed him down to No. 6 on the ATP Rankings.

    “Things weren’t always easy in the last few months. I was playing sometimes in pain and sometimes I shouldn’t have played.

    “My body didn’t give me such problems in the last few weeks and my results (a final and two semi-finals) were a big step. It makes me want more,” Federer said.

    However, the Swiss had a positive approach towards that and said that he did not really care about his rankings since he was just playing tennis because he loved the sport.

    “Some great players have a `I hate losing’ attitude. I’m a guy who loves winning more than I hate losing,” Federer told The Sunday Mail. “Both work, as we have seen over the years from so many players, the ice in the veins sort of guys and the fire in the stomach sort of players.

    “I feel I found the right combination for me to be successful on the tour.

    “In the beginning, maybe I was too nice to be successful. You need to have that fire, that grit, that toughness to be successful for a long time.”

    Federer explained that when he won his first Grand Slam in 2003 he felt that the game was getting away from him for which he needed to develop his mental and physical strength.

    “I was like a rough cut diamond,” Federer said. “That’s how a lot of people saw me. I needed polishing. I came in at a time when Lleyton (Hewitt) was unbelievably successful at a young age. So was (Andy) Roddick, so was (Marat) Safin, so was (Juan Carlos) Ferrero. They were just a bit ahead of me. I don’t want to say I was frustrated, but I didn’t understand why it wasn’t happening for me. I was far enough behind that I was, `OK, let’s push myself a little more.’

    “Day in day out, my mentality improved, always being professional. I understood more and more how important fitness was. I didn’t know why I was lifting weights, when it was going to help me later in a tennis match.

    “The physical strength and the mental strength were the last things to fall into place. The mental part of my game, that was the hardest part for me… the consistency I have been able to have for long, I am quite surprised I have managed to do it for so long.”

    Federer hopes to kick off 2014 with a brilliant start at Brisbane and then come to Melbourne to play the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the Australian Open.

    “This stretch is very important for me and I really don’t want to have any more setbacks,” he said. “I feel very confident about my chances, not only in Brisbane and Melbourne, but also beyond that.”

    The 32-year old has been practicing and hitting in the courts in Dubai and has been discussing his game with Stefan Edberg. Edberg has proposed to become Federer’s coach if Federer asks; after Federer parted with Paul Annacone after 3½ years.