Roger Federer
said winning an 85th career title at the Istanbul Open had given him a
boost in confidence on clay ahead of the French Open later this month.
Federer beat
Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 7-6 (11) to end a drought of tournament
victories on clay dating back to 2012, with both players thrilling the
crowd in a nail-biting second set tiebreak.
"It's been a tough week with four tough matches. I am very proud to be
the first champion here. It's been a while since I won a title on clay," world number two Federer told reporters after
Turkey's first ever ATP World Tour event.
"I picked up confidence and I
picked up another title," he said. "I feel really good about my game
now. It's been a fitness test and a mental test."
The
title was Federer's first tournament win on clay since his victory on
the blue clay of Madrid in 2012 and his first on the traditional red
clay since his sole French Open win in 2009.
Federer said his recovery would
be important after the series of testing matches in Istanbul as "you
don't want to roll into the French Open tired".
He
said he would take some days off ahead of the upcoming Madrid Open and
would then decide whether to play in the Rome Open in the subsequent
week ahead of Roland Garros.
Federer expressed satisfaction
he had come through the final in the dramatic tie break on Sunday when
both players suffered mini breaks, squandered chances and made brilliant
winners.
"The tie break was crazy.
"There
was a good atmosphere and winning 6-3, 6-3 would not have been the same
thrill. It was tough and Pablo played really well. I tried to stay
aggressive," said Federer.
Federer has been given celebrity status in Istanbul over the last week
on his first ever appearance in the country with banners around the
court reading 'Welcome to Turkey, King' and the crowd chanting his name.
Date: 3rd May 2015, Source: AFP
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