Roger Federer eyes return to action at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
World number two Roger Federer has said that he is ready and well prepared for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2011 after his crushing loss in Australian Open 2011 semi-final at the hands of Novak Djokovic earlier in the season.
In a press conference, the four-time Dubai champion Federer expressed his disappointment at not being able to play in the previous two editions of the tournament. He highlighted that he is looking forward to playing well again at the Aviation club.
“I didn't spend much time thinking about the match against Novak,” said Federer, when asked about his Australian Open match against Serbian Novak Djokovic. “I generally thought about the first month, how it had gone. I came out of the Australian Open feeling
good mentally and physically.”
He further added, “There was huge hype as Nadal went for the 'Rafa Slam'. Novak, Andy and Rafa played well, but the changing of the guard doesn't happen over three days. Just because a top player doesn't play well, don't jump to conclusions that it's the
end.”
The winner of 16 grand slams said that he felt he was playing well. He highlighted the fact that he had a strong end to 2010 and played well in his 2011 season so far. Roger stressed that his game was at the right place ahead of the hard-court season. The
29-year-old also admitted that it was a challenge for him to maintain his fitness in 2010 and he is now practicing hard to be in shape for the rest of the season.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is an ATP Tour 500 series tournament, held annually and organised by High Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.
The tournament is scheduled to begin from 21 February, 2011 and includes top players such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych.
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