edberg volleys
Hall of Fame
By Paul Newman in Monte Carlo
Roger Federer is returning to competition here at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters after a break of more than 10 weeks following knee surgery, but he is already thinking ahead to the biggest challenges he will face this summer.
The 34-year-old Swiss is hoping that by the time he returns to Wimbledon for his 18th successive appearance at The Championships he will be back to full fitness.
Federer had surgery after tearing his meniscus the day after his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January. His recovery went well and he had hoped to return to action at last month’s Miami Open, but had to pull out due to illness.
At least that misfortune has given him time to prepare here for nearly two weeks at a tournament which comes at a crucial time of the year. For some players there is barely time to draw breath between the start of the European clay-court season here and the climax of the grass-court campaign at the All England Club in July.
There are two more Masters 1000 tournaments on clay next month in Madrid and Rome - though Federer has yet to decide whether to compete in them – and the French Open begins in less than six weeks’ time. After Roland Garros Federer plans to play in the grass-court events at both Stuttgart and Halle before heading to the All England Club.
“For the top guys [Monte Carlo] is maybe an opportunity to play a bit more freely because there is less pressure,” Federer said. “It’s a change of surface for everybody and clay is a big one. If you play the wrong way on clay you pay the price for it. So you have to learn very quickly here, but you have less pressure here because I feel it’s the first one on clay.
Federer will hope to make his 18th successive Wimbledon appearance this summer
“Then for me what’s always been very important is right after Monaco. Just those two weeks I’ve usually taken to get ready for the summer. Then you gear up for whatever comes after that - Paris, the grass tournaments at Halle and Wimbledon. That’s clearly a stretch where you have to be in the best shape because of the five sets.”
Asked whether he thought Wimbledon would be where he would have the best chance of winning his 18th Grand Slam title, Federer said: “I don’t think about it really, because I believe I can do it. It doesn’t matter where it is, because every tournament that I can enter at Slam level gives me that opportunity.
“Clearly I’ve been training super-hard here on the clay and I will do so again after Monaco. Then I’ll decide whether I’m going to play any of the Masters 1000s coming after that – both of them, one of them, or none of them depending on what I think is most important for my mind and my body going forward.
“But I’ve won Paris before and I’ve played so well there over the years as well. Why not there? I definitely think that Wimbledon and the other Slams probably give me a bit of a better chance than the French, but I know that I can play very well on clay as well.”
I believe I can do it. It doesn't matter where it is.
- Roger Federer on winning Slam no.18
Federer has stayed free of injury for most of his career. This is one of the longest breaks he has ever taken during a season, though he insisted that a 10-week absence from the tour was “nothing”.
He added: “If we talk six months maybe then that’s different. And I was in Miami, keeping in touch with the sport. It was six weeks [after my surgery] and maybe at the time the knee wasn’t as good as it is now. But I was winning sets in practice – even if I’m the last to judge by this - with a knee that was still fragile. That shows I wasn’t that far away. But I was injured for six or eight weeks in 2001 between Gstaad and Long Island. And at the end of the season you can also have eight weeks off.”
Federer does not see his recent lack of matches as an issue. “It’s like starting the season, so if you're physically fine and you're fresh mentally - as I am now - there's no reason why you can’t win,” he said.
“Maybe you're lacking a bit in the key moments because your confidence is different. But I have the confidence as I've played well over the past six months. And it's the start of the clay-court season so it’s new for everybody. Here I’ve had lots of time to prepare so I'm really ready for this tournament.”
Had he missed the tour during his absence? “No, not really but I'm also happy to be back,” Federer said. “The goal was to be 100 per cent sure to play here, maybe also in Miami if the knee was already fine. I pushed a lot while training in Dubai to be sure it was worth going to Miami. I wanted to get back on the tour as soon as possible, but unfortunately the virus stopped me playing.”
Roger Federer is returning to competition here at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters after a break of more than 10 weeks following knee surgery, but he is already thinking ahead to the biggest challenges he will face this summer.
The 34-year-old Swiss is hoping that by the time he returns to Wimbledon for his 18th successive appearance at The Championships he will be back to full fitness.
Federer had surgery after tearing his meniscus the day after his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January. His recovery went well and he had hoped to return to action at last month’s Miami Open, but had to pull out due to illness.
At least that misfortune has given him time to prepare here for nearly two weeks at a tournament which comes at a crucial time of the year. For some players there is barely time to draw breath between the start of the European clay-court season here and the climax of the grass-court campaign at the All England Club in July.
There are two more Masters 1000 tournaments on clay next month in Madrid and Rome - though Federer has yet to decide whether to compete in them – and the French Open begins in less than six weeks’ time. After Roland Garros Federer plans to play in the grass-court events at both Stuttgart and Halle before heading to the All England Club.
“For the top guys [Monte Carlo] is maybe an opportunity to play a bit more freely because there is less pressure,” Federer said. “It’s a change of surface for everybody and clay is a big one. If you play the wrong way on clay you pay the price for it. So you have to learn very quickly here, but you have less pressure here because I feel it’s the first one on clay.
Federer will hope to make his 18th successive Wimbledon appearance this summer
“Then for me what’s always been very important is right after Monaco. Just those two weeks I’ve usually taken to get ready for the summer. Then you gear up for whatever comes after that - Paris, the grass tournaments at Halle and Wimbledon. That’s clearly a stretch where you have to be in the best shape because of the five sets.”
Asked whether he thought Wimbledon would be where he would have the best chance of winning his 18th Grand Slam title, Federer said: “I don’t think about it really, because I believe I can do it. It doesn’t matter where it is, because every tournament that I can enter at Slam level gives me that opportunity.
“Clearly I’ve been training super-hard here on the clay and I will do so again after Monaco. Then I’ll decide whether I’m going to play any of the Masters 1000s coming after that – both of them, one of them, or none of them depending on what I think is most important for my mind and my body going forward.
“But I’ve won Paris before and I’ve played so well there over the years as well. Why not there? I definitely think that Wimbledon and the other Slams probably give me a bit of a better chance than the French, but I know that I can play very well on clay as well.”
I believe I can do it. It doesn't matter where it is.
- Roger Federer on winning Slam no.18
Federer has stayed free of injury for most of his career. This is one of the longest breaks he has ever taken during a season, though he insisted that a 10-week absence from the tour was “nothing”.
He added: “If we talk six months maybe then that’s different. And I was in Miami, keeping in touch with the sport. It was six weeks [after my surgery] and maybe at the time the knee wasn’t as good as it is now. But I was winning sets in practice – even if I’m the last to judge by this - with a knee that was still fragile. That shows I wasn’t that far away. But I was injured for six or eight weeks in 2001 between Gstaad and Long Island. And at the end of the season you can also have eight weeks off.”
Federer does not see his recent lack of matches as an issue. “It’s like starting the season, so if you're physically fine and you're fresh mentally - as I am now - there's no reason why you can’t win,” he said.
“Maybe you're lacking a bit in the key moments because your confidence is different. But I have the confidence as I've played well over the past six months. And it's the start of the clay-court season so it’s new for everybody. Here I’ve had lots of time to prepare so I'm really ready for this tournament.”
Had he missed the tour during his absence? “No, not really but I'm also happy to be back,” Federer said. “The goal was to be 100 per cent sure to play here, maybe also in Miami if the knee was already fine. I pushed a lot while training in Dubai to be sure it was worth going to Miami. I wanted to get back on the tour as soon as possible, but unfortunately the virus stopped me playing.”
