Federer sets sights on strong start to season

Doha: January is normally a big month for world No 2 Roger Federer. It is a month that the Swiss player sets his plans in motion for the remainder of the season.

Much of his success over the years has hinged on the start he has made in the season-opening tournaments.

For example in 2003, Federer lost in the quarterfinals to Jan-Michael Gambill at the Qatar Open. He then went on to lose to David Nalbandian in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

However, the next four years saw the Swiss player hit the ground running starting with the Australian Open title (beat Marat Safin) in 2004.

In 2005 and 2006, he was off to possibly the best starts on the ATP Tour after winning the Qatar Open titles both years. In 2007 he started off winning the Australian Open.

However last year was dismal for the Swiss player after he was laid low by an illness that led him to lose in the semifinals of the Australian Open, and he never really recovered from that setback.

This season, Federer is not ready to commit the same mistakes.

"I normally like to start a season strongly. I am excited about this month. It's going to be a long January for me," Federer told media after sailing into the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open here late on Tuesday.

"The basic idea is to play a lot of points and matches and get into the groove by the time I reach the Australian Open. I have prepared a good schedule," Federer stated.