World number six Roger Federer says that he’s feeling less pressure this year compared to the past years since there’s less to lose for his part. The 32-year old Swiss tennis superstar enters the Australian Open 2014 tournament as the sixth seed. A win at Melbourne in two week’s time will make Federer just the fifth ATP player in Open Era to win two or more Major titles after turning 30.
“I definitely have less pressure this year, less to lose,” said Federer. “I’m not the defending champion or any of that. So, I should be able to play more freely.
“I feel good. My confidence is there. I’m happy I played Brisbane, so I know where my game’s at. I’ve practised.”
Federer has a tough path leading to the final as he will face to face the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal (semifinals). His opponent in the final would likely be three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic.
“At the same time maybe the draw becomes tougher in the process,” said Federer.“ But, I’m happy I’m back here. I’m happy I’m able to continue playing tournaments and [57] Grand Slams, a Grand Slam streak. I’m very proud of that. I hope I can keep playing for a long time.
“At the end of the day it all comes down to how well I play to see how big my chances are to go really far and win the tournament. But, I’m very focused right now on getting through the first week.”
Andre Agassi was the last player to have achieved multiple Slam wins since turning 30 – the Australian Open 2001 and 2003.
As for his new coach, Stefan Edberg, Federer said:
“My life on tour is pretty much settled. It’s always solid routines. He’ll just fit in nicely into that. I’m just really excited that he’s taken up the offer because I didn’t think he was going to do it because he’s got a life. He doesn’t need this.
“I’m looking forward to every week I’ll spend with him on the tour this year.”
Federer will be playing this season with a bigger racquet, something that he had considered for several years but a drop in the rankings to sixth place by the end of last year prompted him to make major changes.
“I’ve wanted to change for a number of years, but I kept on playing well in the slams,” he said.
“I was going to do some more [testing] after the US Open, but I wasn’t in the mood for that, so I waited for the end of the year and did some more testing there.
“Now I’ve really been putting in a lot of hours on the racquet. It feels good. I’m really looking forward to playing now with that racquet here at the Australian Open.”
