TORONTO – Confidence certainly is not an issue for Roger Federer. And the Swiss player certainly has just cause.
After dominating second round opponent Sebastien Grosjean from France in straight sets (6-3, 6-3) on Wednesday, Federer appears to be the class of the competition at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. At a post-game press conference, Federer said that he felt good about the effort.
“I think I played a little bit more aggressive,” he said. “I again, you know, had very, very good patches where I played very good tennis.”
Federer, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Tuesday, also praised his opponent, Grosjean.
“He’s a veteran. He knows how to play,” he said. “He reads the game very well, and he’s quick, so I had to play a good match.”
It took the No.1 seed just over an hour to dispose of the Frenchman and when asked about top players fading, Federer said that he recognized how special his game is. He also managed to display the ego of a champion.
“I know that what I’m doing is not the usual thing, only losing four, maybe a maximum 10 to 15 matches a year,” he mused. “That’s not a whole lot. On top of that, I’ve been winning 11 titles a year the last two. This year again, I have six.”
He certainly has reason for his self-assurance. He has won every Grand Slam this year.
“I’m very well aware of what I am doing.”
The lanky Swiss player also said that there are many rising stars in the game today especially given the fact that some have started to fade away.
“It’s of course a pity to see other players kind of fading away, coming back, not being able to play consistent,” he said. “I think that leaves the opportunity to other players, like, for instance, a Nadal, Ljubicic, Nalbandian, all these guys have opportunities now to come up really high in the rankings.”
Federer, who has earned more than $20 million competitively is now gearing up for his match against the winner of the Dmitry Tursunov and Tommy Haas match.
