Roger Federer was satisfied with his game despite the failure to defend his title at the ATP Masters in Shanghai.
The last thing they really didn’t know was where Roger Federer currently stands – after the tournament in Shanghai they’re only marginally smarter. Two wins against Daniil Medvedev and Roberto Bautista Agut, a convincing performance against Kei Nishikori and the 4:6, 4:6 semi-final defeat against Borna Coric, who “had more punch on the ball and served better”, as Federer analysed afterwards.
Maybe I could have done a “better job on my serve”, the Swiss confessed – Federer conceded the break early in both sets. He never finished a match without losing his serve, “that’s maybe a bit unusual for me,” he said himself.
All in all, however, Federer was satisfied with the week in Shanghai. “There was a lot of tennis here for me, but honestly, I’m happy about how I play,” he said before leaving. “The Laver Cup was good, this was also a good week – I’m happy about my reaction after the US Open.” In New York, Federer had lost to Australian John Millman in tropical conditions in the round of sixteen and then talked about hardly feeling so relaxed on the court.
Federer also sees himself one step further in comparison to the Cincinnati finale in August. “That’s where I got out of the tournament and I didn’t know where my game was. I was in the finals – not bad. But I couldn’t tell if I hit the ball well or not.” This was different in Shanghai. “This week I felt like I was hitting the ball well, and that’s something I’m definitely taking with me.”
Where to? First to Switzerland. The other plans of the third in the world rankings: the home game in Basel next week, the Masters in Paris-Bercy (“That’s always related”), depending on the results there, then the ATP Finals in London. In the following vacation the planning for 2019 is then pending.
Federer didn’t give any further information on the topics sand, the return to Shanghai and Co., only the hint, but please don’t keep asking further questions. “I wish I could give all the answers, but I really don’t know,” says Federer. But, and that’s the main thing: “I’m going to play tennis next year, yes.”