Federer confident going into US Open
NEW YORK—The question made Roger Federer smile.
Nothing particularly amusing about asking how he adjusts from playing mostly night matches in the U.S. Open’s early rounds to the daytime starts at the end. But the assumption behind the query was cause for delight.
“It’s perfect that we’re talking semis and finals already,” Federer said. “It wasn’t like that last year.”
No, last year at this time the questions were about whether a remarkable career was sputtering to a halt. He had lost in the second round at Wimbledon and arrived at the U.S. Open wary of a balky back and seeded seventh.
“Last year I was trying to convince myself I did have an opportunity,” he conceded Saturday.
“I just kind of felt like it was always going to be for me hard beating top-5, top-10 players,” Federer added. “I felt like I had little margin against guys ranked just outside of the top 10 to No. 30 in the world.”
He was right. The 17-time major champion lost in the fourth round to 22nd-ranked Tommy Robredo.
“The confidence was goi ng away quickly, just because I was just not moving so well,” Federer said. “I was scared to have another setback.
“And so it was just not as clear-cut and simple as it is this year.”
Because this year, a deep run in New York again seems as routine as the celebrities who dot the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Federer took Novak Djokovic to a tense fifth set in the Wimbledon final, reached the title match at the hard-court tuneup in Toronto, then won in Cincinnati. He’s seeded a far more familiar No. 2 at Flushing Meadows with second-ranked Rafael Nadal sidelined by a wrist injury.
And considering Federer’s lopsided losing record against the Spaniard, the draw is looking mighty friendly.
“What stands out is the opportunity to try to take advantage of the fact that he’s not here,” Federer said. “It’s one less really difficult player to beat, maybe.”
The Swiss great wouldn’t meet Djokovic until the final. David Ferrer — 0-16 against Federer — is a potential semifinal opponent.
There might never be a better chance to seize an 18th Grand Slam title.