Federer begins his bid for eighth Dubai title

Roger Federer began his quest for a record eighth title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Benoit Paire in just 54 minutes. It is his 13th appearance in Dubai, and as well as winning seven titles he has twice finished as runner-up.

It was Federer's first match since winning the Australian Open last month, his 18^th Grand Slam title. But the 35-year-old Swiss showed no rust in the rout, winning nearly 70 per cent of his service points and saving all three break points faced. Federer broke Paire twice in the first set as the Frenchman struggled to stay in rallies. The Swiss broke twice more in the second set to earn his fourth win in as many tries against Paire.

“There were some break points to be saved, and, you know, I think I returned very well for a first round. I was able to get my second serves in deep, was able to go into the offensive quickly,” Federer said.

“I'm happy with how I played and I was able to stay aggressive. Didn't have to move that much. It was very quick rallies. So we'll see how that's going to turn out. But obviously couldn't be a better first round for me here in Dubai.”

Federer will meet a Russian in the second round, either veteran Mikhail Youzhny or qualifier Evgeny Donskoy. He improves to 48-5 at the tournament with the win against Paire.

“I have played here for so many years, seen the tournament grow,” Federer said. “And especially after Australia, fans and myself know how special it is for me to be back on the court. It was a nice welcome. Very thankful always.”

He faces a tough road from here, though. Top seed Andy Murray and second seed and defending champion Stan Wawrinka could meet Federer in the semi-finals and final, respectively.

Date: 27 February 2017, Source: ATP and Dubai Championships

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Refreshed and refueled Federer ready for Dubai

Roger Federer returns to court "refueled" in Dubai this week after having not played since he won the Australian Open, his first tour event since being sidelined with knee problems for more than half a season.

The record 18-time grand slam winner is gunning for an eighth title in Dubai as the tournament celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Four weeks on from his incredible five-set victory over Rafael Nadal in the Melbourne final, Federer says he’s ready to step back on the court even though he only just got the all-clear for an inner thigh problem that bothered him during the Australian Open.

“Mentally I’m super-fresh again. I think I refueled the energy tank, on the mental side, being home, spending time with the family, being in the winter in the mountains in Switzerland. It was beautiful to be home in my own house and just enjoy that part,” Federer said.

But the World No. 9 acknowledged that he was not starting the tournament in top shape, with a leg injury having delayed his return to training.

“Physically I had a bit of a problem with my leg, that was bothering me for basically 10 days of the Australian Open, I didn’t have treatment for nothing, so I did an MRI after.”

An MRI following the tournament revealed some damage, but another done a week ago indicated improvement. Federer, having recently said he had not yet begun doing full practices again, is now ramping up.

“There was a bit of an issue, hematoma. I did scan again last Monday before I came and it definitely was better. So since three days now I’m practicing at 100 per cent. I’m a little bit tired because it’s the first time I’m actually pushing myself again, but because it’s fast court, best-of-three , I will be fine.”

Federer opens his Dubai campaign against Frenchman Benoit Paire and has been drawn in the same half as top-seeded Andy Murray. Number two seed Stan Wawrinka is in other side of the draw.

Date: 26 February 2017, Source: Sport360 and Tennis.com

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Becker: "The more Federer wins, the more he will want to play"

Ahead of the Laureus Awards night in Monte Carlo, Boris Becker spoke about the Australian Open final won by Roger Federer over Rafael Nadal in five sets.

"Before the start of the Australian Open, everyone had been asking where do they go? After the tournament they have shown that they go to the very top," Becker said. "They showed some real drive and sent a message to Djokovic and Murray saying they are coming back.

"The way Federer played in Melbourne, it goes on to show that there is more to come and that is true for Nadal also. He is the favourite to win Roland Garros, it's clear that he can aspire to everything. It's good for tennis that Rafa is back."

Commenting on Federer's historical achievement, Becker added, "Winning 18 Grand Slams is huge. Who does that? But Federer made it look so easy and effortless. His elegance and classy way of achieving it is something that not many sportspersons will be able to replicate in future.

"A few months back the question was when will Novak equal and cross Federer's Grand Slam record but now suddenly the question has changed to whether he can do it. I feel both Rafael and Novak may catch Federer but even he is going on. The more Federer wins, the more he will want to play. Tennis at top level is about mentality and not so much about form. The maturity of a player is important."

Date: 18 February 2017, Source: Tennis World USA

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Federer's secret to longevity: Mastering his body & mind

Roger Federer is one of the most important examples in terms of longevity. At 35, the Swiss continues to be competitive and manages to improve despite he is not young anymore and the next generation has come. On Tennis Smash website, Federer revealed the secrets that allow him to be competitive against the best players.

The Australian Open champion shares thoughts on health, fitness and maintaining a fresh mental approach:

You’ve got to love the game, because if you don’t love it, then it’s just going to be too hard. I think that’s kept me going quite easily actually, because I know why I’m playing tennis. Deep down that’s really important.

It’s not easy to win Slams. That means I’ve done something quite extraordinary for many seasons. I play a full schedule from January to November. I will keep on doing that, listening to my body, trying to be smart about what I need to do to play well when I really want to play well. That doesn’t always mean just majors, but obviously it’s a big part of our game.

I always make sure I have enough breaks, enough holidays, build up, tournaments, practice. The whole thing needs to come together. Maybe it’s tricky coming back the first couple of matches, but once you’re in, it’s a big advantage you had time off. It’s not easy to sit on the sidelines to see four, eight to 10 guys winning tournaments while you’re sitting at home working out. Working out doesn’t give you a whole lot of points.

You have to listen to the signals of your body. There are different ways you can stay healthy. Then every player has their own secrets or routines that work. Some just get unlucky, like Tommy Haas or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga maybe early on. You have a bad back operation at 21. Could he have avoided that? I don’t know. From then on, it’s just a fragile body maybe. That’s why it’s important to get professional early.

It’s a good thing to work out and to eat healthy. That’s what I do. I never have to be too careful with my diet. I think when it gets dangerous is when you get injured and you can’t practise as much and you keep on eating the same amount. I eat very healthy to start with. That helps of course to not get any bigger and heavier, even though heavier means stronger, but not all the time.

Things are a bit different today than they were 10 years ago. The emphasis on fitness changed just because you’re more careful not to get injured. So sometimes less is more. Quality is more important than quantity. Whereas when you’re younger, you got to put in the hours, you got to put in the work.

Eventually you have experience. You know what you need to get ready for a tournament, in the off-season, what you need to do. So clearly I’ve made mistakes and made right decisions over the years. You try to put them all together, assemble all those pieces and make it work.

The goal was always to play for a long time. I’m happy I’m still going and I’m happy that my kids occasionally come to watch me play. So, yeah, I definitely think family life has had a positive effect on me as a person and my life, as a player. My relationship with my wife, it’s been wonderful. So, yeah, we’ll see how much longer I’ll play.

Date: 14 February 2017, Source: Tennis Smash

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Federer: "A special day, a special couple of weeks"

Roger Federer stayed up all night and witnessed the sunrise over Melbourne following his Australian Open victory on Sunday, before walking into his hotel room with the trophy to the delighted faces of his four children.

The Swiss superstar, who had promised to “party like rock stars” after beating Rafael Nadal for his 18th Grand Slam championship crown, arrived bleary eyed and husky-voiced at the champions’ photo shoot at the elegant Carlton Gardens on Monday afternoon.

“We started late, or super early in the morning,” said Federer on Monday. “We made it home by sunrise, which was good. It was nice to see the sun rise over Melbourne, get into the room, so it was a long night but a lot of fun. Everyone was in such a good mood, it was a special day, a special couple of weeks and finished off in a great way, being silly and having a lot of fun. Forgetting about everything, all the pressure went away.”

Federer said he felt OK, but he was tired for the traditional championship photo shoot.

“My legs hurt like mad and my back's stiff now, too, because I couldn't take any treatment, plus I was dancing," he said. "I'm still on the high. I'm going to crash eventually but that's OK.”

Federer, who had experienced a six-month injury lay-off only to return at the Australian Open, admitted it was especially gratifying as it was his first major trophy since his second set of twins, Leo and Lenny, were born on 6 May 2014.

“This is my first Slam win with the boys, they weren't born when I won in 2012, so that's special for Mirka and myself that I was able to do it,” said Federer, who also has girl twins, Myla and Charlene (born 23 July 2009). “The girls were just super excited to see the trophy. They will probably forget one day what happened, but at the same time they were happy that I'm happy.

“I saw them this morning. As I walked in, they woke up. Bit of a weird moment but still so great because they were all in such a good mood as they woke up and I came in walking in with the trophy. It was an amazing half-hour right there.”

Today, Federer rose seven spots to No. 10 in the ATP Rankings. He had dropped to No. 16 on 7 November 2016, falling out of Top 10 for the first time in 734 weeks (14+ years).

“I don’t know how much I slept, but you know I had to look at some highlights again to know how close the match was, and go through the emotions again,” said Federer. “What makes me most happy is when I see my friends and family so happy, my support team, everybody who was there.

“When I saw them celebrating again it really made it emotional when I heard people in Switzerland were following me and I saw people being really happy for me, that I won a slam again and particularly this one. It’s a bit of a fairytale to come back this way.”

Federer said he would take time to reflect and let his body recover before his next tournament in Dubai from February 27. After that he'd play Indian Wells and Miami before a European clay court schedule he hadn't yet fully planned. He said he was aiming to play the French Open before moving to the grass court season and Wimbledon, saying: “I know I'll have a better shot there.”

Federer also said he'd “have a good chance to do well" at the U.S. Open, and is still hoping to add another Australian Open title next year.

“I hope to be back next year of course,” he said. “That's why I took the six months off to hope I can still be playing for a couple of years.”

Date: 31 January 2017, Source: ATP and AP

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