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JRAJ1988
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/may/11/fitness-fears-roger-federer-french-open-italian-open
“I was expecting to lose in straight sets,” Federer said after a typically measured early-round performance to turn back the precocious challenge of the German teenager Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 7-5.
In 18 years on the Tour, Federer has rarely been troubled by physical problems but he has already pulled out of two tournaments since the Australian Open to protect a back problem and a knee that required the first surgery of his career.
Ask what he thought of Federer’s doubts about finishing let alone winning the tournament, Murray said: “Maybe he doesn’t feel his best right now but he knows himself and his body better than any of us, so I take his word for it.”
Federer said: “I only decided after the warm-up that I was going to play. I don’t know how I’m going to feel tomorrow [against Dominic Thiem]. I hope I can play. But I’m literally going practice to practice. Every 15 minutes, I speak to Ivan [Ljubicic] or Severin [Luthi] and say: ‘What else can we do?’
Djokovic, not entirely convincing in subduing Stéphane Robert 7-5, 7-5, said of the Federer conundrum: “He’s still in the tournament.”
And his back problem? Djokovic paused, and said: “The spine is a core, a foundation of every human’s body, and especially athletes. But also it’s vulnerable, especially if you are playing many matches, training, and, having to be adapting to different conditions.
“That’s why we have big teams of people, physiotherapists that are experts in their field. We spend a lot of time on the tables, trust me, before training, before the match, after the match, a lot of time, a lot of time stretching, doing different kinds of exercises for strengthening, prevention.
“I was expecting to lose in straight sets,” Federer said after a typically measured early-round performance to turn back the precocious challenge of the German teenager Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 7-5.
In 18 years on the Tour, Federer has rarely been troubled by physical problems but he has already pulled out of two tournaments since the Australian Open to protect a back problem and a knee that required the first surgery of his career.
Ask what he thought of Federer’s doubts about finishing let alone winning the tournament, Murray said: “Maybe he doesn’t feel his best right now but he knows himself and his body better than any of us, so I take his word for it.”
Federer said: “I only decided after the warm-up that I was going to play. I don’t know how I’m going to feel tomorrow [against Dominic Thiem]. I hope I can play. But I’m literally going practice to practice. Every 15 minutes, I speak to Ivan [Ljubicic] or Severin [Luthi] and say: ‘What else can we do?’
Djokovic, not entirely convincing in subduing Stéphane Robert 7-5, 7-5, said of the Federer conundrum: “He’s still in the tournament.”
And his back problem? Djokovic paused, and said: “The spine is a core, a foundation of every human’s body, and especially athletes. But also it’s vulnerable, especially if you are playing many matches, training, and, having to be adapting to different conditions.
“That’s why we have big teams of people, physiotherapists that are experts in their field. We spend a lot of time on the tables, trust me, before training, before the match, after the match, a lot of time, a lot of time stretching, doing different kinds of exercises for strengthening, prevention.
