World number two Roger Federer said that he’s excited to see good friend and rival Rafael Nadal back on tour even though the return does pose a challenge on his title defense on this prestigious tournament. Federer won the Indian Wells title for the fourth time last year after beating John Isner in the final.
“I only just saw him yesterday after my practice. I was really excited to see him again,” said Federer. “We hadn’t had much contact. I think he wanted to get away from it all, which I really understand. I was really happy to see him doing so well in Acapulco. It’s great to see him here playing on the hard courts. I’m hoping to catch up with him this week.”
Federer and Nadal could potentially meet in the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas 2013 tournament based on their current tournament seedings.
Federer is still seeking his first title of the 2013 season after failing to defend his titles in Rotterdam and Dubai. Nadal, on the other hand, has been on a three-final streak in the Latin American claycourt season in February and has won two titles.
Despite his less than stellar performance this season, Federer said, “I think I played really well in Australia. Rotterdam, I was disappointed with. I felt I could have done better. I played so well the year before. I never really got going. Dubai was a bit unfortunate losing with three match points and having to explain the loss when you feel you should be preparing for the final. What happened, happened. I’m playing fine. Obviously I hoped to have won a tournament by now but I’m happy with my game.”
