Swiss street named in Roger Federer's honour

Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer has inaugurated a street bearing his name before 1,500 admirers in Biel, canton Bern.

The “Allée Roger Federer” now connects the national centre for Swiss Tennis at the Tissot Arena sports complex with the Champs-de-Boujean in the town in northwest Switzerland.

“I am very moved. I never thought I would see a street named after me,” Federer declared on Thursday, smiling and very relaxed.  “I hope that we will see future champions on the Allée Roger Federer. Thanks a million.”

The current world number three cut the red ribbon during a brief ceremony in the presence of municipal authorities, before signing autographs.

The idea to name a street to honour Roger Federer was launched in 2010. For the Biel authorities, the goal was to commemorate the connection between the city and the tennis star, who completed part of his junior training in the region.

"For Roger Federer, it is a journey through time," said Mayor Erich Fehr.

On Thursday Federer, who holds 17 Grand Slam titles, also symbolically launched construction work at the site of a new CHF8.5 million ($8.7 million) Swiss Tennis event and training centre, whose opening is scheduled for early next year.

This is not the first time a street has been named in his honour. In 2012, the city of Halle, in Germany, unveiled “Roger-Federer-Allee” in recognition of Federer’s success on the grass at the Gerry Weber Open.

Link - Roger Federer Allee Inauguration photo gallery

Date: 22 April 2016, Source: Swissinfo and ATP

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Federer upbeat despite Monte Carlo loss

Roger Federer thought he had his Monte Carlo Rolex Masters quarter-final match on Friday won on two different occasions, but still sees the week as nothing but positive despite the loss.

Federer stormed through the first set against eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and came within two points of winning the match at 5-4 in the third set. Federer lost 6-3, 2-6, 5-7. But after undergoing left knee surgery in February to repair a torn meniscus, the Swiss star is simply happy to be playing at a high level again.

“I thought I was going to win the match maybe after the first set. I thought I was going to win the match maybe at the beginning of the third. But that doesn't matter really,” he said. “It was a good match. It was nice to play an intense match. I'm happy with how the body reacted. So many good things this week. It's all positive for me.

“Number one, it's good to play a tournament after having had surgery. Number two, it was good to play one match. It was good to have a match with a rest, then to play again. Now it was good to play back-to-back, yesterday and today. Then it was good to play 2 hours 10 minutes today.”

The brief break from the tour has also rejuvenated Federer and left him as motivated as he’s ever been to put in long hours on the court. Even just after his loss, he was already thinking about his practice schedule.

“The pre-tournament stuff I was able to do, I trained really hard. My fitness coach was here. We practised well on the tennis court, as well. It's been a really good past couple of weeks now for me, so I'm very happy,” said Federer.

“I hope my knee and my body are going to be okay the next couple of days. If I'm good, I might go practise tomorrow as well just to get the body into a rhythm of playing four days straight at a very intense level. If I feel like I need a break, the team tells me to rest, I'll do that tomorrow.”

Perhaps the most encouraging sign for Federer is that this is only his first tournament of the clay-court season. Although he’s unsure of his tournament schedule leading into Roland Garros, the World No. 3 expects to be in peak form by the time he arrives in Paris.

“I'm returning a lot better. It's better than other beginnings of the clay-court season,” he said. “I don't know if it's because of the new racquet. I'll have to keep that and my serve will come as I play more matches.”

Date: 15 April 2016, Source: ATP

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Federer breezes into Monte Carlo QFs

Roger Federer showed improving fitness during his comeback week after February knee surgery, with the four-time Monte Carlo Rolex Masters finalist rolling smoothly into the quarter-finals over Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday.

The 34-year-old third seed is only two and a half months removed from the procedure he underwent after tweaking his knee off court after a semi-final loss at the Australian Open.

Federer said that his second win in three days in the Principality has left him feeling that his fitness is approaching 100 per cent.

"As long as I can go into a match feeling like I'm all right and not thinking about the knee, it's all good.

"Even if it would flare up and I couldn't play tomorrow, I have a lot of information out of this tournament. I'm getting closer to the peak in the sense of maximum movement against the best players on a tough surface.

"Everything that's going on right now at this tournament is great. I can rest for the next couple of weeks anyway.

"Even if I get a setback of a couple of days that the knee is not well, you rest it, take up training, take as much time as you need. I feel like I'm in a great place right now.

"As the match progressed, I felt better and better," Federer said. "Once I made the break, I was able to relax a little more. I'm happy with what I did. He's a good player."

The third-seeded Federer swept past Bautista Agut in 69 minutes, winning 73 per cent of his service points and breaking serve three times. He improved to a 5-0 head-to-head record over Bautista Agut, who has made a strong start in 2016, compiling a 20-7 mark and winning titles in Auckland (d. Sock) and Sofia (d. Troicki).

Federer next faces Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the last eight, leading the Frenchman 11-5 in head-to-heads. But Tsonga did beat the Swiss in their last meeting two years ago in the Toronto final. They also met in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals in 2014, with Federer winning that contest in three sets.

''I like his game. I like his power, his capacity to move forward with his forehand,'' Federer said of Tsonga. ''I've seen wonderful matches of him against the best players, and also against me.''

Date: 14 April 2016, Source: AFP, ATP and AP

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Federer dominates on return to action

Roger Federer made a flawless comeback after two and a half months away, as the Swiss advanced over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday to power into the third round of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.

Beating Garcia-Lopez in the second round is nothing special for a 17-time Grand Slam champion with 88 career titles. But it was more about relief than anything else for Federer, who had arthroscopic surgery on February 3 for torn cartilage in his left knee.

Federer had been due to make his comeback from knee surgery at the Miami Open, but was forced to withdraw from the event at short notice due to a stomach virus.

"The knee felt really good, like in practice. Felt like I didn't have to worry about it. I could just go freely," Federer said. "I think in a way it was a perfect match. It was close in the beginning, then I was able to go on a roll. Points were cut short by virtue of me serving better and returning better, getting second serves, taking advantage of that fact. At the end, again, I had to fight for it. I went through different phases in the match. Also emotionally, I was excited and tense in the beginning, just because it's a first round. It's my first match back. So it was nice to go through all these emotions."

The 34-year-old Federer is a four-time finalist at the Monte Carlo Country Club, finishing runner-up from 2006-08 (l. to Nadal) and again in 2014 (l. to Wawrinka). The Swiss is chasing his 25^th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown.

"I think I got what I needed. So we'll see how I feel tomorrow, tonight, the next day," Federer said. "Sometimes after a match, you can feel it for two days. At this point I'm pretty confident I'll feel fine."

Federer was gifted the first break of the match in game six when Garcia-Lopez followed up two double faults with a loose backhand that floated long.

The third seed threatened to give up the initiative when falling 15-40 down in the next game, but saved both break points - the second with a sweetly struck backhand winner - before holding with an ace.

An increasingly attacking Federer served out the opening set with the minimum of fuss and there was to be no way back for Garcia-Lopez, who cut a frustrated figure as his hopes of victory rapidly disappeared.

Having been dominated throughout set two, the Spaniard surprisingly broke to love when his rival first attempted to serve out the match.

However, Federer got the job done in his next service game to set up a third-round tie with Roberto Bautista Agut.

Date: 12 April 2016, Source: AFP, ATP, Omnisport and AP

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Modest hopes for Federer ahead of injury comeback in Monte Carlo

Roger Federer was giving absolutely no guarantees about his form as he prepare for his first competitive match in more than two months at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner will be starting afresh in the second round on the Monte Carlo Country Club clay after his early February knee operation.

“I am rested mentally and physically. I believe you can add everything to the back end of your career, in terms of being fresher mentally and being able to train harder. Whatever rest it is, it ends up in a canister you can draw from,” said the Swiss, who underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery for a meniscus tear after his semi-final showing in Melbourne.

“Tommy Haas, for instance, has been injured for more than three years in his career, and he is still on tour because mentally he is fresh and he still loves it.”

After hitting for nearly a week at the seaside venue overlooking the Mediterranean, the Swiss said that next week will be key for deciding his further schedule ahead of the French Open - the second major of the season.

“I don't think about the Roland Garros title. I believe I can do it; every event at the Grand Slam gives me another opportunity to do that,” the 2009 Paris champion added.

“I've been training super hard on clay, I'll be able to decide better about playing any of the Masters 1000 tournaments which come later (Madrid and Rome next month) - one, two or even none.

“Everything is flexible, you are automatically entered in Masters 1000 events, there is nothing I can do about that. Everyone thinks I've entered Madrid and Rome.

“It's bad spin when you pull out and people think you've let the tournament down. But I know I can always add a Madrid or a Rome to my calendar.”

The 34-year-old Federer had been slated to return at the Miami Open, but was forced to pull out due to illness.

“I’m happy to say that I’ve recovered well from the virus in Miami,” Federer said on Sunday during his pre-tournament press conference at the Monte Carlo. “At first, I was concerned that it might be something that would last a while, but I was feeling better three days later. I arrived in Monte Carlo nine or 10 days ago and I’ve been training on centre court for the past eight or nine days. Things are going well. I’m happy with how I move; how I’m hitting the ball. I’ve played a lot of practice sets.”

The additional preparation has been a boon for the four-time finalist (2006-08, 2014), who is looking to win the Monte Carlo for the first time.

“Monte Carlo is an opportunity for top guys to play more freely, since there is less pressure and it’s a change of surface for everyone,” Federer, who lost to Rafael Nadal in his first three finals and to Stan Wawrinka two years ago. “I’ve played very well in Monaco in the past, but for now my objective is to make my return to play, gain a good feel and go from there.

“My knee hasn’t bothered me, but the big test will be seeing how it reacts in match conditions. There are no easy draws in a Masters 1000, so I am not underestimating anyone. At the same time, I hope no one is underestimating me just because I’ve been hurt.”

As he prepares for the second round against either Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci and Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Federer will be organising his comeback strategy on the fly.

“If I win the tournament, that changes everyhing. If I lose 0-0 in the first match, that changes everything. I'll know more in two weeks and I can decide the week before Madrid if I will go there or not.”

Date: 10 April 2016, Source: AFP and ATP

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