Roger Federer has won the US Open five times so far. His last triumph in the Big Apple, however, was ten years ago.
Roger Federer is not someone who leaves something to chance. It is therefore not surprising that the Maestro appeared in a blue T-shirt on Wednesday for his first training session at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. On the left side was not anything, but a picture of the Statue of Liberty.
Federer and New York, that fits! The 37-year-old, who speaks several languages fluently, feels at home in the melting pot of cultures.
The fourth and last Grand Slam tournament of the year takes place in the glittering spotlight, no major is louder, shriller and characterized by more show. And Federer, at home on all stages, has a lot to gain from these circumstances.
It is interesting that the Swiss superstar won his fifth and so far last US Open title ten years ago. He has since been successful with the other three majors.
But despite his dream year 2017 and the good season so far, Federer is holding back with brisk announcements. “I’m not the favorite here, you are: Rafa and Novak,” he said about his permanent rivals Rafael Nadal, the defending champion, and Novak Djokovic, who recently defeated him 6-4, 6-4 in the Cincinnati final.
Federer is looking forward to the exchange of blows with his old acquaintances. “I’m sure it’ll be very entertaining. I can’t wait for it to start.” The Grand Slam record winner looks excitedly like a little boy at the general test of strength with Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland), Kei Nishikori (Japan) and Milos Raonic (Canada), who have regained strength after injuries. “These are all the guys we’ve missed over the past nine months or so,” Federer stressed.
The fourfold father himself is confident that he can approach the event in Corona Park in the Queens district with a lot of energy: “Then I hope to have a chance to create something special again after ten years”. Federer is satisfied with his level, now the last training days before the starting shot on Monday are all about fine tuning – for example, making friends with the balls used at the US Open.