12/11/2011 17:33 CEST - Paris Masters

Roger Federer - 12.11.2011

Q. Another Masters, and the first player, I think, to reach all nine Masters finals. Is that  right?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know. I don't even know if I did reach the nine.

Q. It is. You are. You are. That and the way you played today must be doubly gratifying, I would have thought.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, especially, like you said, the way I played today was really nice. And then on top of that, you know, kind of especially kind of the last two days, right, getting the 800th win and today making my first final and being the first player to do all of those nine Masters Series Masters 1000 is what they're called today.
So it's nice. I thought the match was tough. I took advantage of maybe Tomas being a touch slow maybe in the first couple of games, because once, you know, that machine is warmed up he's a very dangerous player.
I think he actually did really well to hang in there, because I did have more chances than him to maybe even go up two breaks in the first and in the second. But it was only at the very end where I was really able to make the big difference.
But I really played great today. I didn't give Tomas much. I was able to play aggressive and serve good, so it was overall a wonderful performance.

Q. Tomas was just saying that in his opinion this was the Roger Federer of old, the way you played today. What would you say about that comment? Do you feel that way?
ROGER FEDERER: Um, well, I'm happy the way I played. I mean, I have a great record indoors. It's usually where I play very good, very steady. I don't give away much.
I thought also he played extremely well and I was reacting more to his play the last few times we played instead of, you know, being more proactive myself.
But it was easier said than done, because he is a very powerful player. But today I just felt like I was reading his serve; I was playing well from the baseline; and that's not something I was doing so well in the previous matches.
So definitely had something to do, you know, with if you feel that way you clearly also play better. But I guess it's a nice comment. I take as a compliment, because the Roger Federer of old, he lost sometimes five matches a year and won 90 or 80. I'll take that as a compliment. (Smiling.)

Q. Were you particularly pleased with your serving today? Because you looked absolutely impregnable on the serve.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, that's what's nice when you're serving well. You know, you hit clutch serves, you hit all the corners well, which wasn't the case yet in Basel.
I even had a game where I served three straight double faults. That's not something that's gonna happen any time soon again.
So I'm very happy with my serve location, with the pace. This week it's harder to use the kick serve so you serve a bit different.
But it's feeling good, no pain, and I'm happy with how I'm feeling.

Q. Looking ahead to tomorrow, will you be nervous with it being your first final here?
ROGER FEDERER: Normal. Normal nervous. I don't know what that is, but I'm always excited before finals. I won't be more nervous if it's Jo or John.
For me, it's another final I think maybe my 99th. I'm not sure. Yeah, it's something that's always very exciting, even though I've played so many already.
I think my experience is going to control my nerves a bit. I hope I get off to a good start. That's what I'm nervous about.

Q. Looking back, how important was that decision of yours to take a little bit of time away and, as you said, rest and recuperate? I mean, it's all about getting it right, getting the momentum shifts right in the season.
ROGER FEDERER: I guess so, yeah. I mean, now in hindsight you can say I'm a very smart guy, right? But if I don't get out of the blocks quickly in Basel, you know, it's tough.
But basically, with the plan I set, I hope to peak around Paris and London. That I won Basel was a bonus; that I'm playing really well here, it's not that much of a surprise, but I'm very happy that it's the case.
But to make it really, really, you know, sort of a good swing, I hope I can win tomorrow. Because that's going to be a major difference of playing a finals or winning, especially with the points the way they're distributed at this point.
They have changed the points system a bit. The winner actually gets way more a ton more points than, let's say, a semis or quarters, which is still a good result. But it doesn't get rewarded so much anymore, which is a bit unfortunate, I think.

Q. You were just touching on the aspect of nerves. When you get nervous, what actually happens? Do you just want to be on your own? Do you go quiet? What happens when you get nervous?
ROGER FEDERER: Um, well, when I do get nervous I am alone on the tennis court, so there is no one to lean on the shoulder and say, Cuddle me a bit, you know, so I have to get through it myself. (Smiling).
And I don't get very nervous in the rest of my life, because there's no need to. But it's something that is sort of in your DNA, having to cope with that from an early age on.
You can ask a 12 year old junior, you know, who goes and plays a tournament. He's nervous when he has to face break point or when he's about to lose a match. You get a little bit iffy, uneasy. You start taking the right decisions, your pulse starts going, you sweat maybe a bit more.
You hit balls in the frame a bit more. The motion is not so fluid anymore. Sometimes you get lucky; sometimes you don't. But you try to control it, and sometimes you don't control the outcome, anyway, because the opponent does have a big say in tennis.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. Do you believe you are playing the best tennis of your career here in Bercy, right now?
ROGER FEDERER: Yes, I think. Let's say it: Yes, I do. (Laughter.)
It doesn't make any difference, but I think I'm more consistent now. I'm able to play several matches in a row, which I had a problem with before.
This is the first time now I've played several matches and I was able to prove myself.
But last year the surface was so fast; it was a bit more difficult. It was difficult to assess your level of game. But I played well last year, too.
I'm happy that I played well here two years in a row.

Q. Was it the perfect match today? Does a perfect match exist?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know if it exists because it all depends on the opponent. You can only play as good as your opponent lets you.
But I believe today I made right choices. Certain moments I didn't take risks; others I did take more risks. I mixed it up a lot, and I always chose the right moment to do something. That's a major difference in tennis, if you are able to feel what you have to do at what time. I think I did that perfectly today.
As I said yesterday, I needed to play differently against Berdych. It's not possible to play the same way against him, otherwise he's going to win points from the baseline, which was not the case before.
So it was up to me to make some changes, and I succeeded.

Q. Do you know who won the French Open and Bercy at the same time? One player did it only.
ROGER FEDERER: The same year?

Q. Not even the same year.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, Agassi. I think I read that somewhere. I heard his name, so I thought it.

Q. So this might be in your mind, doing that.
ROGER FEDERER: I'm surprised that one player did that, in fact. But I don't believe he will be the last one. I'm not talking about me. I think this is gonna change. I might have a chance tomorrow.
But everybody understood how it was extraordinary for me to win the French Open. I will always remember that great moment.
And in a way, it keeps going here in Bercy because it's the same city and I believe it's the same fans, so it inspires me a lot.

Q. Of course we don't know who your opponent will be, but can you talk about Jo and John? One of them will be your opponent tomorrow in the final.
ROGER FEDERER: Against John I played twice. I'm not sure. I played him in Shanghai, I think, last year. I was surprised the way I was able to return his serve. Then I played him in the US Open. He took a set.
But with a serve like his, if you do something wrong on one of your serve games, you lose the set. I believe John has not won that match yet.
And Jo, well, I have no particular problem playing against him. I'm not afraid of him. I would be afraid of him in the first round, but in the final, when I feel good, I'm not so afraid, although he serves well and he puts pressure on your serve.
But if I play against him, I hope I will be able to keep my serve, hold my serve, and then I'll have to do something good on my return games.
Now, indoors is a perfect surface for him. He proved it already. So I played him several times this year, four times I think Montreal, US Open, Wimbledon, Doha and our matches are always explosive.
We like to dictate the point from the baseline. It will be great to play him in this final in Bercy. He will have the crowd behind him and France behind him. I think he won here once.
In fact, he has more experience here in Bercy. It might be an advantage for him. I always like to play against him.
I didn't win all those four matches, but it's always a pleasure to play against him.

Q. How do you explain that with all your wins and everything you've achieved in your career you were never in the final here before?
ROGER FEDERER: It's because it's the last tournament of the year. It's not because it was not a priority, but it was always difficult to schedule this tournament, because this is not a time when you are at your peak tennis wise or physically wise.
So you try it, and either it works or not. And also, in the beginning I had difficulties, and after that I was injured. Now that I'm giving it a chance, it's going better for me.
It's just because the schedule is tough to organize, because I like to play in Basel. I have to play there, and I had to play another Masters Series. It was Madrid, or Stuttgart a long time ago, and Paris came last. I was always tired. Maybe that's it.
But now it's been two years that it's going better. Well, it was not that bad, because I can't say I didn't know how to play tennis when I came here, but now I think again I'm in a position of maybe being able to win the tournament, which I was not in a position to be before.

Q. So you worked it out so you can have a chance to win it? Before you didn't?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, it was not on purpose. After the break we were playing in Australia on grass and we had to play in the whole American tour. There was a week in Shanghai. I had to watch out because of possible injuries.
It was extremely important for me to have a long break before the year after, especially when there were Olympics.
Now I took that break here, because I knew I had to do something about all these little pains I had. I struggled with my back. I remember playing against James Blake and having problems.
I knew that all the efforts I was putting into it were going to be paying off, and I hope these efforts will also pay off at the beginning of next year.