“It's been a more difficult season than other years," said Federer. "This year it wasn't just running from one tournament victory to the other. I had to digest a couple of tough losses, some injuries, so forth.
“But I'm still playing. I'm proud that I've never actually missed an entire part of the season,” Federer said.
The tournament's fifth seed mentioned that he draws inspiration from his fans. Crowds packed the courts this week in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Swiss player during training.
“It was crazy in the practice today. I expected some people to be there, but not hanging over the fence and holding up the banner, 'I believe in you',” said Federer.
“It was great energy, I must say. It gives me unbelievable motivation, inspires me to train hard, work hard, push further for that particular day, but also wanting to come back again next year, and again and again.
“I really appreciate the support I get, not just here in Shanghai, particularly here, but also around the world.”
After holding court with fans through a Twitter “#AskRF” session on Tuesday, the Swiss reflected on the positive aspects of the social media platform, which he joined earlier this year. Federer has found it a great way to connect with his fans, though he was initially reluctant to jump into the fray.
“I just didn't want to let the fans down if I did join that I was not going to live up to the expectations. I just don't want them to expect me to do something every single day or every single week. It goes in phases, like moods, you're not always in the mood for things.”
“The Q&A was really funny yesterday,” said Federer. “I really enjoyed it. I had so many tweets and questions coming in, it was really a lot of fun."
And Federer appreciates the direct access he has with fans through this technology.
“They don't have to go search for you. I can kind of come to them on the Twitter level, and Facebook too. So far it's been a lot of fun. I hope the fans also enjoy that they can connect with me on that platform.”
The 32 year old, who won the Halle title this year, faces Gael Monfils in the next round. He is teamed with China’s Zhang Ze in the doubles competition. Federer is currently sixth in the Emirates ATP Race To London and is in contention for one of the five remaining berths available for the season finale.
Date: 9th October 2013, Source: ATP
0 comments:
Post a Comment