04/05/2011 13:19 CEST - INTERVISTE

Feliciano Lopez (03-05-2011)

Q. Hello Feliciano, how are you? You are very good aren’t you? Belgrado, here you had a difficult match, you are very famous now.
A. Yes, I am very happy how I am playing, the circumstances were not easy, I got here yesterday at 3 in the afternoon and playing against Raonic in the circumstances that we had was not easy, but nevertheless I played very well. When I was losing points, I kept my game up and took advantage of certain moments when he had some weaknesses, especially in the third set and I held until the end the serve.

Q. As you where saying, you had a match that was very difficult and against a rival that had a very good serve. But the importance is the victory and now you are thinking on the next rival?
A. Yes, yes let’s see.. I play tennis and train everyday to play matches like the one tomorrow and against the players like the ones here, the best player in history, it’s really a pleasure. Ity matters that we are all training to play, I'm in a very good moment and I've had a very good season on clay and what matters most is the moment because there are incredible moments in everyone's career and you’ve got to play against Federer and try to face him, I'll try to play as well as I did today and if I do I will have many opportunities and I will play a very different game from what I played today. Today, there were many moments in the match where I didn’t even know where the serves were going and tomorrow I’ll be happy to keep advancing and to play a match against Federer.

Q. In Belgrado how was the atmosphere, because playing against Djokovic…
A. Well yes, because Djokovic in Serbia today is much more than the best athlete, everyone loves him as an idol the whole country has gone crazy since he’s out there and this year even more since he hasn’t lost any matches. It’s incredible how people love him and consider him as a superior Serb. It has been a very good week I’ve won very good players on clay like Monaco, Montañés; with Djokovic I t played a very good match and it’s been very positive the experience in Belgrado. I hope that next year ill be back and that I can beat Novak.

Q. You've played 7 times versus Federer and you’ve never been capable of beating him, does that help you to push yourself to go further?
A. No, well when you play against Federer or Nadal you don’t think on the head to head, I mean on how many times you have played against each other. Federer is from my age group, we have played a thousand matches sometimes he wins them quite easily and other times the matches have been incredible; here in Madrid for example I remember a really good one when we played on the other site I had him quite close but what I said before, I want to enjoy this match and i believe within my range of possibilities, that I serve well. If I’m focused and motivated I can make the match difficult on him and for me to have more of a possibility to win. Federer has been several weeks without playing on clay, since Montecarlo he hasn`t played and it’s his first match here in Madrid but when we talk about a player like him nothing else matters, I think it’s going to be a very difficult match but I am facing it in a good moment.

Q. I just want to remind you, that Federer; in the famous match in New York that you were winning 6-4, 4-1; that match made an impact on Federer. Well I don’t know if in Spain we respect you but clearly he does. With Aynaoui you played an epic match, I mean here with the altitude….
A. Yeah we’ve played many times and with him I have played very well, possibly my best level. Many people believe that my best math in a fast court was that one in New York. Many of my coaches and a lot of my partners always remind me. Against Federer I play very well sometimes, other times hes been a superior player than me. We have also played in Doha, in Wimbledon when he won his first Wimbledon. In Dubai a final I believe. So we have played huge matches and tomorrow all I want to do is face him and make him struggle

Q. After ending your friendship with Pato, I don’t know if you have a new coach or are you looking for one?
A. Yeah I'm working with Alberto this week until Roland Garros and I’m very happy, apart from that he has been a friend of mine basically he was the player that adopted me, when I got out of the federation I was very young, I was only 18 he was very good, very kind to me. He trained with Francis Roig at that moment and they accepted me in the group I trained with them for a year and then when he retired I continue to train with Francis many years after. Alberto has been a very special person, a very good player that I admired very much. Given the situation that I was in he was a companion and a friend and now I'm happy because he’s going to help me this week , he knows my game, we have always been in touch, he has been working on TV recently and he has followed my matches and the others too so I'm happy about it.

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