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While others were claiming he’d lost his edge, Roger Federer has revealed he spent the off-season quietly pondering a calendar-year grand slam in 2009.
Unfazed but surprised how quickly pundits were prepared to write him off, Federer says his self-belief never wavered after Rafael Nadal seized his Wimbledon crown and world No.1 ranking last year.
The Swiss master says he entered the new season with the same lofty goals as every other year.
“Starting the year well at Australian Open, winning maybe potentially your first French, getting Wimbledon back after the epic I had with Rafa there, and then winning my sixth at the US Open. That’s kind of what’s in my mind,” Federer said after reaching his fourth final at Melbourne Park.
“And then with good play at the ATP events, at the Masters Series, which I didn’t play great last year in, I hope to pick up few of those to get my No.1 ranking back.
“That’s my mindset going into a new season.”
Federer maintains too much was made of his illness last year and that he was satisfied with his 2008 season, in which the 27-year-old reached another three grand slam finals, won a fifth straight US Open and an Olympic doubles gold medal.
Federer fell just two points short of a sixth successive Wimbledon title, succumbing to Nadal in the longest final in history, and lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals before learning he played the tournament while suffering mononucleosis.
The 13-times major champion says while it’s nice to be feeling mentally and physically stronger 12 months on, it’s unfair to blame the debilitating glandular fever-like virus for his defeat against Djokovic.
“I played well throughout the tournament last year as well. Just kind of came up short against Novak,” he said.
“I thought he played a fantastic match against me. He was the aggressive one. He was serving his spots so well that night that he kind of made that difficult.
“Even maybe if I would have been in perfect shape, I think he deserved to win last year.
“Maybe I was a step slower, but I beat other guys like that. But against Novak, that wasn’t possible.”
Federer insists he has been feeling virtually back to his best since the middle of last year and that it’s just a fact of life that he will lose matches from time to time.
“I’m still surprised how quickly the mood swings with the media, with the fans, with everybody,” he said.
“You don’t lose your edge that quickly. It’s just not possible. I know I’m playing well. I feel good.
“I know sometimes you can always run into a player that’s hot and you can lose.”
While he now has the chance to equal Pete Sampras’s all-time record 14 grand slam titles in Sunday night’s Open decider against either Nadal or Fernando Verdasco, Federer says learning that he’d already matched the American’s number of major final appearances – and closed to within one of Ivan Lendl’s benchmark tally – was another nice surprise.
“I didn’t know I reached my 18th final in a grand slam,” he said.
“I’m very happy and proud about that. Like my (19) consecutive semi-finals I was also able to achieve. Shows how long I’ve been able to keep it up and stay in good shape, stay healthy.
“That’s really key for success really, at the highest of levels. It’s nice to be at the same level as Ivan Lendl and the same as Pete in terms of grand slam wins.
“I hope I can win the next one, too.”
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