Federer, Tsonga to play in semifinal at Qatar Open

Defending Doha champion Roger Federer will clash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, after the World No. 3 topped Andreas Seppi 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 on Thursday. The victory marks Federer’s 20th straight win, and sets up a replay of the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title match. "We've played very often, and now there's no more such secrets out there, especially having played three straight times basically at the end of last season," said Federer. "It's going to be pretty much straightforward for both of us, and I hope we can live up to the expectations and show a good match to the fans."

The second-seeded Federer had dominated Seppi in their previous seven meetings. But after winning the first set with relative ease, the Swiss fell behind 1-5 to the No. 8 seed in the second set, before rallying to even the score at 5-5. Seppi regained his composure, breaking Federer in the final game to win his first set in 17 attempts against the 16-time major champion.

The 30 year is looking to win his fourth title at the event, having lifted the trophy in 2011, 2006 and 2005. He’ll play the third-seeded Tsonga in a highly anticipated semi-final on Friday.

“I thought I started well. I was able to play aggressive, not giving too much rhythm. He was obviously missing more shots due to that,” said Federer, who improved to 26-3 in Doha. “I thought he was a better player in that second set and deserved that set, and then the third set was close.”

"Federer is the best player in the world, probably ever, and it will be difficult to play him," Tsonga said. "You have to be perfect. I have to play my best tennis."

“But it’s all the time difficult anyway to play against this guy because when he plays his best level, he’s better than every player.”

Date: 05.01.2012

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Federer reaches Doha quarters with ease

Roger Federer continued to impress at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha Wednesday, defeating Grega Zemlja 6-2, 6-3 in breezy conditions to win his 19th straight match. "It’s important not to get frustrated in the wind," Federer said in an on-court interview. "I used to be very emotional when I was younger. It was a tough part understanding how to win in the wind. But today, it doesn't bother me anymore. You get used to it."

The defending champion broke the Slovenian twice in the first set, winning 62 percent of his second serve return points. Zemlja settled in on his serve in the second set, hanging with the Swiss until the eighth game, when Federer broke for a 5-3 lead. He served out the match at love to claim the second-round victory in one hour. "I'm happy to come through matches easily at the beginning of the season," said Federer.

"It can be tricky when you enter the first tournament of the season, and right away you play an incredibly tough three setter, let's say. The body feels that, and that's why I'm happy to be through into the quarter-finals without too much trouble."

Federer has not lost since falling to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2011 US Open, and will look for his 20th win in a row when he takes on Andreas Seppi in the quarter-finals. He holds a 7-0 record against the Italian, and has not dropped a set in their FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series.

Date: 04.01.2012, Source: ATP

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Federer defeats Davydenko in battle of Doha champions

Defending Doha champion Roger Federer opened his 2012 ATP World Tour season with a commanding performance, cruising past Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-2 in a replay of last year's Qatar ExxonMobil Open final on Tuesday. "It was a combination of me playing really well and Nikolay not finding his range like we're used to seeing in the past," said Federer. "This is obviously an important step to get used to the conditions."

Federer stormed to an early lead, breaking Davydenko's serve at love to begin the match. The World No. 3 converted an insurance break in the seventh game, and clinched the set in just 23 minutes, firing 90 per cent of his first serves in play.

Things didn't pick up for Davydenko, the 2010 champion, who tossed in three double faults at the start of the second set. Federer continued to press the Russian's serve, breaking for the fourth time to move ahead 4-1. After Davydenko held in the seventh game, Federer shut the door, claiming the first-round clash in 54 minutes. The Swiss did not face a break point, and won 51 per cent of his return points to defeat the Russian for the 16th time in 18 meetings. "I thought my forehand and backhand were working. I think I had good variation on my serve," Federer said. "So I'm happy I was able to pull myself together and make that happen. Things have obviously changed here and I'm happy the conditions suit me."

Federer is riding an 18-match win streak, having finished 2011 with three straight titles at the Swiss Indoors Basel, BNP Paribas Masters and Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He is aiming to win his fourth title at the event after triumphing in 2011, 2006 and 2005. He'll take on qualifier Grega Zemlja in the second round.

Date: 04.01.2012, Source: ATP

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Federer and Nadal light up 2012 season

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal launched the 2012 ATP World Tour season in style on Sunday by playing tennis at sunset in the spectacular Katara amphitheatre in Doha, surrounded by more than 4000 burning Roman candles.

Nadal and Federer kick off their season campaigns at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, an ATP World Tour 250 tournament, which begins on Monday. Elsewhere, two other ATP World Tour 250 tournaments also mark the start of the 2012 season – the Brisbane International in Australia, and the Aircel Chennai Open in India.



‘It was a very special atmosphere playing in the amphitheatre with all the candles lit up,” said 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer of today’s season launch activity. “It was a mixture of dramatic, romantic and Arabian Nights. It felt very much alive. I really enjoyed it."

“Every year we have done something special in Doha and this is a very, very beautiful place,” said World No.2 Nadal.

The Spaniard and Swiss enter the Qatar ExxonMobil Open as the No.1 and No.2 seeds respectively. Celebrating its 20th edition in 2012, the Doha tournament has been won by the likes of Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg (twice), Jim Courier, Marcelo Rios, Andy Murray (twice), and Federer (three times). It is the fourth consecutive year that Federer and Nadal have kicked off the new ATP World Tour season in Doha.

Both Federer and Nadal start the season with their sights set on reclaiming the World No.1 ranking from Serbian Novak Djokovic. Following a record-breaking year in which he won 10 titles, including three Grand Slams, Djokovic enters the 2012 season as the man to beat. World No.4 Andy Murray begins his campaign at the Brisbane International. The Brit, who advanced to the semi-finals or further at all four of the Grand Slams last season, will be looking to capture his first major in 2012.

The world’s Top 4 players will face stiff competition at every turn throughout the season, from the likes of David Ferrer, 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin del Potro and Gael Monfils. And plenty of interest will surround the younger generation of players such as Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori, Bernard Tomic and Ryan Harrison who will all look to build on encouraging results from last season.

The 2012 ATP World Tour comprises 62 tournaments in 31 countries, culminating with the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London, featuring only the world’s top eight singles players and doubles teams, from 5-12 November.

Date: 02.01.2012, Source: ATP

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Federer draws Davydenko in Doha

If World No. 3 Roger Federer wants to defend his title at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, he’ll first have to get past the player he defeated in the 2011 final, Nikolay Davydenko. “There is a bit of pressure on my shoulders being the defending champion,” admitted Federer. “But I’ve been in this situation many times before, so I hope it goes well.”

Federer topped the Russian 6-3, 6-4 last year to claim his third trophy at the event. “It’s strange to have played him in the final last year and now the first round this year,” said Federer. “But other players also have tough draws.”

Davydenko, whose South African Airways ATP Ranking has slipped to No. 41, is just 2-15 against Federer. He did however knock off the Swiss in the Doha semi-finals two years ago en route to lifting his 20th singles crown, upsetting Rafael Nadal in the 2010 title match. “Knowing Davydenko’s potential, that he’s been a very consistent Top 4 player for many years, it makes him dangerous,” Federer stated.

The 30-year-old Federer is riding a 17-match win streak following an impressive display of form to close out the 2011 season. He won titles at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Basel, BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, and a record sixth year-end championship at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. His run enabled him to overtake Andy Murray at No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings. “I am feeling good. I had a great end to the season last year and I usually have a good start to the next season as well,” said Federer.

“Then again, the player field is really tough here. Like in past years, Doha is able to get the top players to come.”

Date: 02.02.2012, Source: ATP

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Roger Federer won his 67th career title in Doha

World No. 2 Roger Federer reclaimed the Qatar ExxonMobil Open trophy on Saturday as he dethroned defending champion Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the ATP World Tour 250 hard-court tennis tournament in Doha.

The Swiss player captured the title for the third time, following back-to-back triumphs in 2005 (d. Ljubicic) and 2006 (d. Monfils), making him the first three-time winner in tournament history (since 1993). Victory marked 67 tour-level titles from 95 finals for the 29 year old, who received 250 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points and $177,000 in prize money. It is the 11th straight year that he has won an ATP World Tour title.

Victory in Doha gives Federer the best possible preparation for the Australian Open, which begins in just over a week’s time in Melbourne. The Basel native is the defending champion in Melbourne and is looking to add to his record tally of 16 Grand Slam singles titles.

"This is important to do well here," said Federer. "I'm not just using this to get ready for the Australian Open. This is a pleasure coming to this part of the world where I actually do spend quite a bit of time, and I've always had good friends here in Qatar. I love playing here, been successful here in the past."

The second-seeded Federer has been nigh on impenetrable on serve this week, only being broken once in 42 service games to reach the final, and was just as impressive against Davydenko. The Swiss did not face a break point against the Russian and won 79 per cent of points behind his first serve.

Federer made a fast start to the match, racing to a 3-0 lead, and despite missing six set point chances on Davydenko’s in the eighth game, confidently closed out the opener on serve. Davydenko was forced to produce close to his best tennis to stay level with Federer in the second set, but his resistance crumbled in the ninth game as Federer broke to love before wrapping up victory in 79 minutes. He improved to a 23-3 event record.

"When he's on, he's easily Top 10 if not Top 5 potentially, and that's why this is obviously a huge win, because I thought he was playing well," declared Federer. "I thought the level of play was extremely high. I was very happy with, from my side, I was almost flawless, and I was able to play offensive when I needed to, and when I wanted to it all worked out. So I'm really pleased with such a great final."

Our champ will now head to Melbourne for the Australian Open which starts on January 17 - perhaps the perfect date to start his quest for Grand Slam title number 17!

Date: 08.01.2011, Source: ATP and RF Official

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First final in 2011 !

Roger is through to his first final of 2011! He defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6(2) at the Qatar Open today.

"I started very well. The break in the first set was, of course, very important," Roger said. "I had a few problems in the second set, but my serve always kept me in the match. It was a great match all in all. I feel good and am looking forward to the final."

Roger looked untroubled as he brought home the first set after just 25 minutes. He only dropped four points on his own serve in the opener and broke Tsonga once to take the lead. Tsonga rallied in the second which ended in a tie-break - and Roger once again thrived under pressure to book his spot in the final.

Roger is seeking his third title in Doha after 2005 and 2006 and will play Nikolay Davydenko in the final.

Date: 07.01.2011, Source: RF Official

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Improved Federer trounces Troicki

World No. 2 Roger Federer raised his level a gear on Thursday as he trounced Serbia’s Davis Cup hero Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, an ATP World Tour 250 hard-court tennis tournament in Doha.

For a place in the semi-finals the second-seeded Federer will face French third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who continued to mount a strong comeback from the knee injury that marred his 2010 campaign by edging Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6(4), 7-6(9).

The 29-year-old Federer broke serve four times from 16 opportunities and won 80 per cent of points behind his first serve as he raced to victory in 65 minutes. “I feel great. I thought it was a great match for me,” said the Swiss. “Viktor was obviously coming off a fantastic win with Serbia in the Davis Cup, so I knew it was going to be difficult and that’s why I had that extra focus. I was able to play really well tonight and I’m very happy.

“I thought it was very concentrated performance. I really thought I saw the ball a bit better. From my side, I'm really happy the way I was able to keep Troicki on the back foot, make him feel like he didn't know what was coming his way.”

Federer improved to a 21-3 mark in Doha after advancing to the quarter-finals for the sixth time in six appearances. He won back-to-back titles in 2005 (d. Ljubicic) and 2006 (d. Monfils), but lost out in the semi-finals the past two years.

Federer takes a 2-1 career lead into the clash with Tsonga, whom he defeated most recently in last year’s Australian Open semi-finals.

“First of all, it's nice to see him back,” said Federer of his French opponent. “It's never nice to miss those guys because of injuries. I think it's exciting playing him again. I think he's a very explosive player with good character, good for the game. Looking forward to the match, it's going to be difficult. It seems like he's hitting the ball really well already early in the season. He seems really energised, and that's nice to see.”

Date: 06.01.2011, Source: ATP

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Federer wins all Swiss battle

Roger Federer was made to work for a quarter-final berth at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday, battling past Swiss compatriot and qualifier Marco Chiudinelli 7-6(5), 7-5 in one hour and 49 minutes.

The 2005 and 2006 Doha titlist could not clinch a service break in a tight first set, fought back from a 4-5 deficit in the tie-break. Chiudinelli led 3-1 in the second set before he recovered again and clinched victory with a smash.

“It was really difficult today, under the circumstances,” admitted Federer. “Playing such a good friend is so rare for me. I'm happy the match is in the past and I can look forward."

In the pair’s previous meeting at the 2009 Swiss Indoors Basel, Federer beat Chiudinelli 7-6(7), 6-3. Federer will next meet Serbia’s Davis Cup final hero Viktor Troicki. The sixth seed from Belgrade struck 17 aces past Teimuraz Gabashvili in a 6-3, 6-1 win over 51 minutes.

Federer, who admitted to watching the doubles rubber Serbia’s win over France last month, added, “I think we've only played once, if I'm correct. I hardly heard of him before then. Obviously he's improved [a] big deal since then. He's beaten some good players, so I'm sure it's going to be a tough match.”

Date: 05.01.2011, Source: ATP

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Roger Federer tweener at Doha 2011

Roger Federer with an unreal shot between the legs, a tweener, against Schoorel at Doha 2011

Date: 05.01.2011, Source: YouTube

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Roger Federer win season opener

Roger booked his spot in round two of the Qatar Open thanks to a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory over Thomas Schoorel (ATP 168).

The Dutch qualifier showed no fear in the first set, playing consistent tennis. Roger even had to deal with three set-points on his own serve at 4-5. Roger did not hesitate in the tie-break, though, clearly winning it 7-3. Roger then went on to break Schoorel's serve with his first break point in the match - going 3-1 up in the second set. Schoorel didn't find his way back after that, as Roger even showed his trademark between-the-legs winner as he served out the match.

“I was really impressed on how he just came out,” said Federer. “I thought he was a better player in the first set. I really felt I started getting into the match once I saved those break points, so I just got a bit of a better read on his serve. I was able to stay calm, go after what I wanted to do [and] played really tough tennis.

“I thought I hit actually a pretty good ball. I didn't make too many unforced errors. I served well when I had to. Overall I thought it was a real solid performance.”

Roger's opponent in the second round is his fellow countryman Marco Chiudinelli, also from the area of Basel (Switzerland), the two know each other since they were kids. The only encounter between the two players so far took place in Basel in 2009, with Roger defeating Chiudinelli in two sets.

Date: 04.01.2011, Source: RF Official and ATP

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Video: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played on water court

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal kicked off the 2011 ATP World Tour season at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open by hitting tennis balls on a court laid in the water of Doha Bay.

Date: 04.01.2011, Source: YouTube

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New 2011 ATP season promotion

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played on a exciting water court to promote the new 2011 ATP season at Doha, Qatar.

Date: 02.01.2011, Credits: Roger Federer

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