Shanghai, China: Write off Roger Federer at your own peril is the buzz among the top players at the ongoing Shanghai Rolex Masters here, along with a word of intent from the Swiss ace himself.
In cyclone-ravaged east China for this week’s event, Federer is out to get his campaign back on track and hoist his sagging image in the world of tennis.
To drive home his point, Federer, who has slipped to seventh in the ATP Tour world rankings, gave the example of Rafael Nadal’s astounding return from knee surgery this year, when the Spaniard has won ten singles titles including two Grand Slams.
“I think he’s had an unbelievable comeback. One year ago people were saying he might never play tennis again, and now he’s world No.1. That’s how quick things can go in tennis. You write off a player a little bit too fast,” Federer had earlier said after his US Open fourth round exit to another Spaniard, Tommy Robredo.
More rested and relaxed now, the 17-time Grand Slam winner knows his priorities for the near future. “London [the ATP World Tour Finals] is definitely on my mind. It was the goal at the beginning of the season to qualify for it as I consider it the absolute best of the best tournament out there and I want to be part of that. So it’s extra motivation for me to play well and be part of that great tournament,” Federer said.
Looking further ahead, the 31-year-old has tentatively decided his schedule, but much depends on the calculations behind the world rankings as Federer does not have too many points to defend. “There are a few things that can be adjusted as one always needs to be flexible. I always knew that this year, after a very tough year in 2012, was going to be a bit more quiet. I probably expected myself not to be as successful and as busy playing matches and tournaments,” he said.
“However, my mindset now is that next year is going to be a great year again where I’m not going to have that many points to defend, especially at some very key moments where I consider myself a favourite. And for that reason I’m really looking forward to 2014 already.
“Now that the four slams have passed, you reflect a little bit. But I’m really focused on finishing strong. That was the main idea behind another strong couple of weeks. Otherwise I could have maybe played an extra week last week [in Beijing]. But I really thought right now what I need is a really solid block of practice. I didn’t want to focus too much on what happened the last two months. It’s one of those things you just want to move on from,
“I think my game’s been coming back, which has been very important. Now it’s about staying positive and working hard every single day. That’s been the mindset. Then, as we move along, I’ll go more into details, what I would like to adjust in my game, in my mindset.”
