Dubai – Roger Federer has made a strong start to the season and is in a confident mood looking forward after his seventh victory at the Dubai Classic.
Roger Federer could not be more comfortable in his “home” emirate, where he won a seventh career title at the Dubai Classic on Saturday, 6-3, 7-5 over rival Novak Djokovic.
The world No 2 Swiss maintains a training base in the duty-free shopping paradise nation and is well used to the desert heat which can put bodies, strategies and game plans to the sword.
“I guess it definitely helps practising in Dubai quite a bit,” said Federer, holder of 2015 honours in Brisbane as well as the Gulf after successfully defending his 2014 crown.
If Federer likes the emirate, it’s the mainly fans, expats and locals alike, who love even more to see him play,
The 5 000-capacity stadium at the Aviation club was fully packed for each of his five matches during the week; the 17-time grand slam winner was given a standing ovation when he was introduced during the walk-out for the final to the grinding guitar licks of AC-DC’s “Rock or Bust” anthem.
After picking up his seventh Dubai title, the 500 series tournament joins Wimbledon and Halle – both on grass – where the 33-year old dynamo has won at least a lucky seven times.
But it wasn’t always a love affair between the younger Federer and the event which has maintained a virtual lock as the ATP player favourite for more than a decade in annual voting.
And past history may be revealing.
“I think I had a rough first visit here to Dubai where I was accused of not putting in my best effort,” said Federer who lost in the 2002 second round to Rainer Schuettler. “I remember, and I came back the following year and won it and went on a roll.
“I really felt like I had something to prove after that, and I guess that’s what got me to my winning ways here in Dubai. And then ever since then I fell in love with the tournament and the crowd and the city here.
“The seventh (title) is quite unbelievable,” said Federer, who added: “Sounds pretty crazy. It’s nice that Wimbledon and Halle are that way, as well.
“I know how the ball flies and the conditions here. I don’t think the surface necessarily suits me, but definitely it’s probably similar conditions every day even though we have all seen some wind here now this week and expect it to be much more windy tonight as well,” Federer said after lifting the 84th title of a career which is unlikely to ever be duplicated.
Federer came to Dubai after a third-round loss at the Australian Open followed by a holiday. The Swiss said he was unsure of how he would actually perform upon his return.
His form and fitness hardly seemed a problem, however, as he drove a spike through the hardcourt week of wind and a few dust storms with a superlative stand.
“When you’re winning, everything is so easy to explain: I did the right preparation, did the right things on vacation, did the right things on the practice courts,” he said.
“You never doubt when you win, but I do question myself even in the best of times, and I’m still thinking, was there right things, was there anything I could have done differently? And now clearly what do I do from here to Indian Wells (starting in 10 days in California).
“How do I utilise that time the best possible way so I go into Indian Wells and playing again as well as I did last year? Because I think I played great there as well (lost the final to Djokovic).
“I remember the best years of my career is like 2005, 2006, I used to take five weeks off, no tennis at all, and be like, I hope I can still play tennis at that point.
“Now I don’t take that long of a break anymore without playing tennis. I take maybe a week and then I play maybe for 20 minutes. At least I get the feel for it. Now it couldn’t work out any better.
“Take a huge break, come out, get confident right away. Now I get a bit of a break before heading to Indian Wells.” – Sapa-dpa