Federer confident for French Open after 85th title

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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Federer wins inaugural Istanbul Open crown

Roger Federer won his 85th ATP World Tour title at the inaugural TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open, beating third seed Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 7-6(11).

"It's been a tough week; four tough matches," said Federer. "I thought the final was my best one. I'm very happy. I'm very proud to be the first champion here at the first-time tournament here in Istanbul. In Turkey, I've had a wonderful week. On and off the court, I was able to visit the city a little bit, meet a lot of people, enjoy the crowd support and experience Turkey.

"It's been crazy, in a good way, and I hope I can do it again one day. Right now, I'm just happy I was able to win the tournament. It's always the best feeling for an athlete to be the champion at the end of a long tough week."

The World No. 2 improved to 85-43 in tour-level finals and added to his two other titles already this season (also Brisbane, Dubai).

With the win, Turkey became the 19th different country in which Federer has won an ATP World Tour title.

The top seed capitalised on one one of his three break point opportunities to easily take the first set in 33 minutes. The Swiss broke again in the seventh game of the second set and looked to be in cruise control until the 29-year-old Uruguayan broke back to level the set at 4-all. Federer then earned triple break point on Cuevas' serve before the World No. 23 was able to hold at 5-4.

In the eventual second set tie-break, Federer saved three set points and needed five match points to finally seal the victory in one hour and 36 minutes.

Cuevas was attempting to capture his second ATP World Tour title of the season, having won the crown in Sao Paulo in February.

"It is an amazing week for me playing the final with the best in the world. It's difficult to face Roger, not only because of his game but also to stay focused on the game and not get distracted," said Cuevas. "It was a very good experience for me, and I think it will help me in the future."

As winner, Federer took home 80,000 Euros and 250 ATP Rankings points. Cuevas earned 42,100 Euros and 150 ATP Rankings points.

Date: 3rd May 2015, Source: ATP

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Federer reaches Istanbul final

Top-seeded Roger Federer rallied past Diego Schwarzman 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the Istanbul Open final after a near two-hour match on Saturday.

Federer reached his fourth ATP World Tour final of 2015 (2-1) and his 128th career final (84-43) as he looks to win a tour-level title in a 19th different country.

"I think what was important in the third set was to keep working hard," said Federer. "I needed to put in a lot of effort to stay with Diego.

Federer struggled with his serve during the first set but finally took advantage of Schwarzman's mistakes to break him for a 3-1 lead in the second after wasting four break points and receiving a warning for hitting a ball toward the stands as his frustration showed.

Schwarzman, playing in his first ATP Tour semifinal, dropped his serve again in the eighth game when Federer unleashed a crosscourt backhand return.

Schwarzman put up strong resistance in the decider and saved a match point with a backhand down the line in the 10th game.

But the Argentine showed his nerves when serving to stay in the match two games later. He missed an easy forehand volley then handed Federer two match points with a forehand in the net. Federer converted the first one, and Schwarzman received a standing ovation as he left the court.

Federer fired six aces in the one hour, 55-minute match. The crowd was appreciative of the strong effort from Schwartzman, who saved eight of the 11 break points he faced, chanting "Diego!" as he left the court.

''Diego played very well, and people liked it, too,'' Federer said.

"I had a slow start maybe, yesterday was tough so it took me a little bit of time," said Federer, who also needed three sets to reach the semi-final.

"I am still here, I am hitting the ball well. I am playing against opponents who have nothing to lose. As long as I find a way to win it's great."

The 17-time Grand Slam winner will face third-seeded Pablo Cuevas in the final after the Uruguayan upset second-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-4 at the clay-court tournament.

"Cuevas is playing very, very well… I think it's going to be a tough match. Cuevas has obviously played a lot on clay," said Federer.

The 29-year-old Uruguayan captured his third career title in Sao Paulo (d. Vanni) earlier this year. He is 3-0 in ATP World Tour finals.

"I come from a small country, and I'm used to having the crowd against me," said Cuevas. "Playing Roger tomorrow will be like playing Roger in his hometown."

Date: 2nd May 2015, Source: AP, ATP and Reuters

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Federer turns tourist in Istanbul

Even with 17 years of travel on the ATP World Tour under his belt, there are still exotic locales Roger Federer has yet to explore. Istanbul was on that list of uncharted territory until Thursday when the 33-year-old took advantage of a day off at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open to soak in his surroundings.

The World No. 2 and his team visited the beautiful Hagia Sophia museum and enjoyed a boat ride on the Bosphorus, visiting both the European and the Asian sides of Turkey's largest city.

“For me, it’s been a joy traveling and going to see new places,” Federer said. “I felt like a tourist. I still feel like I’m so young, and still able to discover new places. I think it’s probably one of the reasons I’m still playing tennis today.”

Even the weather seemed to be on its best behavior to welcome the Swiss star. Mild temperatures and low humidity provided the backdrop for his two-hour, 27-minute quarter-final victory over Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver on Friday.

“They were perfect playing conditions today,” he said after his 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3 win. “Almost no wind, beautiful sunshine; not to hot, not too cold.”

Despite coming back from a 2-5 deficit in the second set, Federer was forced to go the distance before closing out his Spanish opponent.

“Just because it’s nice weather doesn’t mean you’re going to play nice,” he said with a laugh. “I wish it was like that, but it’s not as simple as that. It was a good fight today, so I’m happy I was able to find a way.”

When asked about converting on just three of 13 break opportunities, Federer again chose to dwell on the positives.

“When you have stats like this, there are many ways you can look at it,” he said. “I created a lot of opportunities, and that’s good. I also missed a lot of opportunities, and that’s not so good. I’m not too concerned about things like this. It’s important to learn from them and try to do it better next time.”

Federer will face Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the semi-finals.

Date: 2nd May 2015, Source: ATP

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Federer battles past Gimeno-Traver to Istanbul semis

Swiss world number two Roger Federer on Friday survived a serious challenge from Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain to edge into the semi-finals of the Istanbul Open after a three set battle lasting two and a half hours.

Gimeno-Traver, 29, the world number 62, was in no way overawed by the occasion as he met Federer for the first time with the Swiss eventually pushing through to win 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3.

Federer showed exquisite touch at times but the Spaniard put up strong resistance.

The 17-times Grand Slam winner was kept in place in a tight first set, only moving ahead in the tie break which he took with a gorgeous backhand crosscourt dink that ravished the crowd.

Playing with aggression and abandon, Gimeno-Traver raced to a 5-2 lead in the second set but Federer pegged him back to force another tie-break.

Against the odds, Gimeno-Traver raised his game once more with some impressive shot making, taking the breaker 7-5 when Federer tamely pushed a service return into the net.

But Federer showed his class in the final set, taking it 6-3 despite showing signs of frailty on his serve which forced him to save four break points.

Federer - looking to fine tune his skills on the red clay of Istanbul ahead of the French Open later this month - said he was happy for the tougher-than-expected encounter.

"The point was to win the match," said Federer. "It was a good match, although maybe I could have won it in two sets".

"He played well and fought hard. It gives me confidence to have played in a match like this," he added.

But Federer admitted he had been "frustrated" with some of his play.

Federer will be looking to toughen his serve, which was broken twice by Gimeno-Traver and had a first serve percentage of just 64 percent.

In Saturday's semi-final, Federer will meet Diego Schwartzmann of Argentina who overcame fourth seed Santiago Giraldo of Chile in a bizarrely upside down match 0-6, 6-2, 6-2.

He remains on course to meet second seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in Sunday's final after the world number 11 overcame Ivan Dodig of Croatia in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.

While Federer is chasing his 85th career title and third this year, Schwartzman reached his first career semifinal.

Date: 1st May 2015, Source: AFP

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Federer blasts past Nieminen in Istanbul

Roger Federer began his inaugural TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open campaign with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Jarkko Nieminen on Wednesday, recording his 200th match win on clay.

The top-seeded Swiss did not face a break point on serve during the one-hour match, as he improved to a 15-0 ATP Head to Head record against the 33-year-old Finn. He also served nine aces while Nieminen had none.

"I'm happy that I won my first match ever in Turkey," he said. "In the second set Jarkko started playing better and I'm happy that I managed to close the match."

He became the seventh active player to reach the 200 clay-court match wins milestone, and the fourth to win 200 or more tour-level matches on both hard and clay courts, joining Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo.

Rafael Nadal - 329
David Ferrer - 294
Nicolas Almagro - 252
Tommy Robredo - 251
Juan Monaco - 220
Albert Montanes - 202
Roger Federer - 200

Federer raced through the first set in just 20 minutes, pulling out his full armoury of drop shots, cross court forehands and backhand winners against a clearly hesitant Nieminen, the world 71.

A stunning drop shot from Federer that fell dead inside the service court broke Nieminen's serve in the fifth game and left the crowd gasping.

The crowd, who had braved heavy evening traffic to catch Federer play at the 8,000 capacity Garanti Koza arena on the outskirts of Istanbul, began to get behind the Finn to prolong the game.

Nieminen showed greater confidence in the second set, holding his serve with ease and an over-relaxed Federer spraying the ball wide regularly.

The Federer forehand was responsible for a string of unforced errors, allowing Nieminen to hold serve without trouble.

But Federer, serving and volleying on occasion and delivering nine aces in the match, found his top gear at the close of the set.

Piling pressure on the Nieminen second serve and using his trademark drive volley to great effect, Federer finally broke Nieminen to lead 6-5.

He then served out to love, finishing with a stunning backhand cross court that left Nieminen with arms and legs akimbo.

Federer, who is looking to win his 11th clay-court title this week, will face Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the quarter-finals, but first, he planned on making good use of his day off Thursday.

"Tomorrow I have a day off and I will enjoy and do a sightseeing trip by boat on the Bosphorus to see some more of this beautiful city," he said.

Earlier Wednesday, Gimeno-Traver fired five aces past sixth seed Mikhail Kukushkin in a 6-3, 6-3 win, his third in four meetings against the Kazakh. The in-form Spaniard is 7-2 in his past two tournaments, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Grand Prix Hassan II (l. to Klizan).

Date: 29th April 2015, Source: ATP and AFP

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Federer enjoys Istanbul, hopes for "nice long week"

It’s not often that Roger Federer gets to play in a new country, and 24 hours into his visit to Turkey, the city of Istanbul has met his expectations.

“I’ve heard a lot of great things about Istanbul and the country; I’ve always wanted to come visit,” he said, ahead of the inaugural TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open.

“I saw the pictures before I came here and I was hoping it was going to be like this, so I’m happy it’s as pretty as it is and I’m really enjoying myself. I hope it’s going to be a nice long week and I hope it’s a lot of matches and I stay here as long as possible.”

Federer is aiming to win his 11th clay-court title this week in Istanbul, before he heads to back-to-back ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome, followed by Roland Garros.

“The French Open clearly is a big goal of mine, but to play well at the French Open I need confidence and I need to play well, and I hope I can pick that up here in Istanbul and really win a lot of matches, preferably win the tournament,” he said. “That’s why I’m here, at the end of the day is to win this.”

He began his clay-court campaign two weeks ago at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, where he lost to Gael Monfils in the third round, and has spent close to a month working on clay.

“It’s about getting used to the sliding and just wanting to decide how aggressive I want to play,” he said. “Clearly I play on hard court for 7-8 months like all the other players. It just takes some adjustments. For that, I’m trying to put up as many hours as I can on the clay and I think my game is going to get better and better as we move along.”

Federer expected both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to be in peak form at Roland Garros, and called them the favourites, despite Nadal’s recent struggles. “Even though maybe his form is not as good as the previous years, I still believe once the French Open rolls around he’ll be difficult to beat.”

But first, the World No. 2 is focused on his opening assignment this week: playing the winner between Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan and Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen in the second round.

“I really hope I can play against Marsel, even though he’s playing Nieminen, who is a really close friend of mine; I came through the juniors with him,” he said. “Either way it’s going to be a nice first round, but of course the atmosphere would be quite special if I played Marsel in the first round.”

Date: 28th April 2015, Source: ATP

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Federer: I didn't know my enormous popularity in Turkey

TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open’s top seed and world no 2. Roger Federer held a press conference at Istanbul Four Seasons Bosphorus Hotel earlier today.

33-year-old Swiss said that he was delighted to be in Istanbul for the first time, “As a world citizen I travel many different cities and countries. I have always heard of Istanbul and here I am now. People are so friendly with full of hospitality. I’m sure that the center court (Garanti Koza Arena) will be a packed stadium as the games start. The atmosphere, the city is marvellous. I enjoy the moment a lot and I hope I’ll stay till the end of the week. I’m here for playing tennis but I expect to visit more of the city.”

Stating that he didn't know his enormous popularity in Turkey and got surprised with the huge interest, Federer told the press that Istanbul Open would add a lot more to Turkish tennis which is on the way of development.

“WOULD BE A SPECIAL MOMENT”

Record holder with 17 major singles titles, Federer has also mentioned about Turkey’s leading player Marsel Ilhan, who he may face in the second round. “Since two years I hear a lot about Marsel. He’s a very warm and funny guy. He has given me important information about Turkish tennis. And I’m sure that I’ll get to learn much more about it during the week. Marsel will face Jarkko Nieminen who’s also a close friend of mine in the opening round. I’ll be happy to meet whoever I’ll play against. But it would surely be a special moment to play against Ilhan in front of Turkish crowd.”

“I’M GETTING USED TO CLAY”

Asked about his clay court season expectations, Roger told that he’s trying to get adapted to clay court, and it would be the best for him to play as many matches as he can on this surface. Dreaming his 85th overall singles title in Istanbul, Federer sees Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the favorites for the French Open title.

Roger Federer will open his Istanbul campaign against the winner of Marsel Ilhan-Jarkko Nieminen encounter in the second round on Wednesday.

Date: 27th April 2015, Source: Istanbul Open

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Roger Federer to play in inaugural Istanbul Open

Swiss tennis legend and world’s number two; Roger Federer will play at the first ever ATP World Tour event in Istanbul, Turkey from 27 April - 3 May in 2015. The Istanbul Open will be held at the spectacular Koza World of Sports facility, which is promoted as the largest tennis academy in the world. The center court features a retractable roof and will provide seating for 7,500 people.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said, “We are delighted that the ATP World Tour will be taking place in Turkey for the first time from 2015. This incredible new facility in Istanbul will make a wonderful addition to the many remarkable venues that feature on the ATP World Tour throughout the season. As we add an important market such as Turkey to our global footprint, the ATP World Tour will be set to take place across 62 tournaments in 32 countries in 2015.”

Federer said in a video message, “I’m very excited to be coming to Istanbul for the first time in my life. Turkey has been a country I have always wanted to visit and Istanbul is a very exciting city from what I’ve heard” Federer says in the video message. “I hope you can come and see me play there in April; I can’t wait.”

Tennis Federation Chair Durmuş said, "It is different to watch tennis players on TV and live. Federer will contribute to Turkish tennis by participating on our courts. Federer's probable effect will support Turkish tennis by increasing interest in this sport. After Federer the other most precious tennis stars will come to Turkey. Previously, we had brought the most famous women tennis stars to Turkey. This tournament will be very useful for our country."

The CEO of ATP Europe Delanney also said, "The world no.2 Federer's coming to Turkey will make very important contributions to Turkish tennis. Federer has a long and successful career. I'm sure he thought quite hard before deciding to come to Turkey. He must be convinced thanks to the organizer's big efforts. It will be the first ATP tournament in Istanbul. We will organize it in 62 countries. We felt Istanbul's deficiency. We are proud that this gap will be filled from now on."

The tournament venue is part of an overall tennis academy that features 15 outdoor clay courts, 20 outdoor hard courts and 28 indoor hard courts and is located within a sporting complex which also has facilities for swimming, basketball, volleyball, soccer and handball. A five star hotel is nearby.

The event will take place in week 17 of the 2015 ATP World Tour, alongside the Portugal Open in Oeiras and the BMW Open by FWU AG in Munich.

Date: 17th February 2015, Source: FTN News

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