Roger Federer is ready to shake off disappointment from his abbreviated grass-court swing preparations and focus on reaching the second week at his favourite Grand Slam, the eight-time former champion told press ahead of Wimbledon.
The former World No. 1 is determined to find positives as he continues to make his way back to full fitness following two knee surgeries. Federer was forced to sit out most of 2020 during his recovery, and Wimbledon will mark his fifth tournament back in action since the start of the year.
But his comeback has not quite gone according to plan. An opening loss at the Gonet Geneva Open was followed by having to withdraw from Roland Garros in the fourth round. At the NOVENTI OPEN, where he has lifted the trophy 10 times, Federer bowed out in the second round after leading Felix Auger-Aliassime by a set.
“I had a mental moment where I was just not happy with how things were going in the match,” Federer reflected in a pre-tournament press conference. “When things derailed mentally for me, I was already down a break in the third. You might argue I would have maybe lost anyway. It was Felix's good play that got me there.
“[But] it was definitely also, there's ways to lose and a standard I set for myself and how I go about things.”
More than the sting of defeat, Federer said, he was disappointed by his own attitude and negativity as the 20-year-old Canadian came back to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Halle. He is determined to not let that happen again as he prepares for Wimbledon, a tournament he has won eight times – more than any other player in the Open Era.
“The good thing now, looking back, is I know it will not happen here because I'm ready, I'm excited, I'm pumped up. I know I can do so much better,” Federer said. “I think I've got to take the positives out of these last few weeks, that I'm actually here at Wimbledon right now and I have a chance. I know if I get rolling, I get into the second week – which is the goal here right now, that I get stronger and stronger as every match goes by – I believe it's very much possible.
“I come here feeling mentally strong rather [than] the last set I played in Halle, which was clearly not the standard I like.”
Ahead of his start against Adrian Mannarino in the first round of The Championships, Federer was joined by a familiar face on the practice courts at the All England Club: two-time champion Andy Murray, who is competing with a wild card as he makes his own comeback after undergoing hip surgeries.
“It was very nice sharing the court again with Andy,” he said. “We were trying to think when [was] the last time we shared a practice court together. I thought it was the Australian Open in 2005 or something. He thought it was maybe Rome in 2006. We didn't do it for a long time.
“I hope he can go deep here, have a nice run. Same for me. I think we always back our chances on this surface. But it was great spending time on the court again with Andy. It's nice to see him out there.”
Federer is the sixth seed at Wimbledon, which will begin on Monday 28 June. The former World No. 1 seeks a record 21st Grand Slam title, a feat which would break his tie with Rafael Nadal and top the list for all-time most major singles trophies.
The former World No. 1 is determined to find positives as he continues to make his way back to full fitness following two knee surgeries. Federer was forced to sit out most of 2020 during his recovery, and Wimbledon will mark his fifth tournament back in action since the start of the year.
But his comeback has not quite gone according to plan. An opening loss at the Gonet Geneva Open was followed by having to withdraw from Roland Garros in the fourth round. At the NOVENTI OPEN, where he has lifted the trophy 10 times, Federer bowed out in the second round after leading Felix Auger-Aliassime by a set.
“I had a mental moment where I was just not happy with how things were going in the match,” Federer reflected in a pre-tournament press conference. “When things derailed mentally for me, I was already down a break in the third. You might argue I would have maybe lost anyway. It was Felix's good play that got me there.
“[But] it was definitely also, there's ways to lose and a standard I set for myself and how I go about things.”
More than the sting of defeat, Federer said, he was disappointed by his own attitude and negativity as the 20-year-old Canadian came back to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Halle. He is determined to not let that happen again as he prepares for Wimbledon, a tournament he has won eight times – more than any other player in the Open Era.
“The good thing now, looking back, is I know it will not happen here because I'm ready, I'm excited, I'm pumped up. I know I can do so much better,” Federer said. “I think I've got to take the positives out of these last few weeks, that I'm actually here at Wimbledon right now and I have a chance. I know if I get rolling, I get into the second week – which is the goal here right now, that I get stronger and stronger as every match goes by – I believe it's very much possible.
“I come here feeling mentally strong rather [than] the last set I played in Halle, which was clearly not the standard I like.”
Ahead of his start against Adrian Mannarino in the first round of The Championships, Federer was joined by a familiar face on the practice courts at the All England Club: two-time champion Andy Murray, who is competing with a wild card as he makes his own comeback after undergoing hip surgeries.
“It was very nice sharing the court again with Andy,” he said. “We were trying to think when [was] the last time we shared a practice court together. I thought it was the Australian Open in 2005 or something. He thought it was maybe Rome in 2006. We didn't do it for a long time.
“I hope he can go deep here, have a nice run. Same for me. I think we always back our chances on this surface. But it was great spending time on the court again with Andy. It's nice to see him out there.”
Federer is the sixth seed at Wimbledon, which will begin on Monday 28 June. The former World No. 1 seeks a record 21st Grand Slam title, a feat which would break his tie with Rafael Nadal and top the list for all-time most major singles trophies.