“I felt good going into Rome, but after one match and intense practise I’m looking forward to the week ahead,” admitted the 2008 champion, after practising with Leonardo Tavares on Tuesday afternoon.
In the notoriously windy conditions of the Estadio Nacional, Federer joked that he “needed to visit an eye doctor [on Monday] as I got three kilograms of clay during practice [with Rui Machado].” But he sees playing in testing conditions as a challenge.
“For sure, I’d like to win the tournament again. As the only Top 10 player in the draw, I have high expectations. But first of all I’d like to record my first win on clay after losing to [Ernests] Gulbis last week.
With Roland Garros and Wimbledon on the horizeon, the Swiss superstar admitted, “We’ll see how tricky it is to defend my titles. I know my game, my mind and my body is good enough. The next few weeks will be interesting, not crucial, to see where my level is at.”
Federer, who has a 13-4 match record on the season, will contest his first match at the Estoril Open against Bjorn Phau of Germany on Wednesday. It will be broadcast live in 3D by MEO, the cable channel from Portugal Telecom, for the first time at a national event.
Date: 04.05.2010, Source: Estoril
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