With the monkey well and truly off his back after a career-defining victory at the French Open, Roger Federer will begin his pursuit of a record 15th grand slam title at Wimbledon on Monday.
The Swiss, five-times a Wimbledon champion, arrived in London in buoyant mood after finally winning his first title at Roland Garros earlier this month, making him only the sixth man to complete a career grand slam.
On the eve of trying to reclaim the crown he lost in a dramatic final to Rafael Nadal 50 weeks ago, a relaxed Federer sat down to have a chat with Reuters about how the Spaniard's withdrawal due to a knee injury will affect him, about the pressure he faces as he tries to break records and about fatherhood.
People have almost started to see you and Rafa as a double act in tennis because of the epic finals you have contested. Do you feel like you have lost your sidekick here this year?
A little bit maybe, it just shows that it's not normal to play finals week in and week out for both of us. It's a statement to me that what I've accomplished, being so injury free and so lucky for all these years, you can't take it for granted. It just shows how hard it really is.
It really is hard staying up there. It is so marginal. In Paris if I missed the forehand (at two sets and 3-4 down facing a break point) against Tommy Haas (in the fourth round) I would not be French Open champion right now. Things could be very different.
I'm of course very sad for Rafa that he can't be here. Because knowing even before the first point is played at the championships that it's not possible to repeat the great final we had last year it's disappointing for me as well. Specially having played him for the last three finals here.
In Paris he always had the upper hand over me on clay. So that added an incredible amount of pressure. Here I don't feel this at all ... that I have to win because I've beat him already twice in the finals before. I know it's in my racket if I'm going to win Wimbledon or not. While maybe in Paris I did not feel this way.
Is Rafa to blame for his own plight and the fact that he has suffered the injury at such an important stage of the season or is he a victim of the demands of the tour?
Injuries are unlucky sometimes. Of course he's going to go back to the drawing board and say 'what could I have done better?. What do I need to change for the future so I'm not going to be injured at the biggest tournaments that matter the most'.
I've also been injured and when you start to go past 600 matches in your career there will be slight problems here and there. It's almost inevitable that you're going to have some injuries. But it's also important to prevent a lot, that's why I stretch a lot, I massage a lot and even wear taping (around my ankles).
He does all the same but maybe he should have done something a little bit different. But only he knows as he's in charge of his schedule. But it's sad for the game and it's sad for him.
Does the men's ATP Tour need to address this issue and reduce the load and demands on the players?
We've had so much debate about how much should we play, are we not playing too much, are we not being chased around all over the world? I don't buy into this because I always think the player is in charge of his own schedule. So it's only the player to blame. Sometimes you get unlucky like he did right now.
When you burst on to the international stage by beating Pete Sampras in the fourth round here in 2001, and if someone told you seven or eight years down the line you would have contested 20 consecutive grand slam semi-finals, 15 out of the last 16 grand slam finals and had 14 major trophies in your possession, what would you have said?
No way! I would have said no chance. I remember watching an (old) interview from Rotterdam a few days ago. I was surfing the net and it was a video from even before I beat Sampras. I was asked 'what is your dream?' and I said well maybe I would love to win Wimbledon or the U.S. Open down the road. That was my honest dream. That was a big dream to have and hopefully be number one in the world.
I knew it was possible to win a Wimbledon, win a U.S. Open or become number one in the world. But I didn't believe it was possible for me to dominate the game the way I did. This is what caught everybody a little bit by surprise and obviously me the most.
Where do you keep all your trophies?
I have a trophy room at home. Only one trophy room but it's very nice and I'm very proud of it.
Did walking through the All England Club gates feel any different this year considering it's the first time in six years you've arrived here not as the defending champion?
Actually not. I guess Paris helps. Knowing that I'm on a high and not thinking of anything negative. No negativities in my mind. Everybody is happy for me.
I don't think I've lost my edge here at Wimbledon at all because I'm so proud that I contested with Rafa such an unbelievable match here last year. That's the way I felt two days after I lost last year. Right away I knew this was going to be a classic and an epic and I was honoured to be part of it. So I felt great walking in right away and the transition to grass has been pretty easy and I'm happy.
Some things do not change though because after Rafa's withdrawal, you've been chosen to open proceedings on Monday like a defending men's champion.
I shouldn't deserve it this year because Rafa deserves it but am obviously very honoured that the championships chose me again to open the tournament.
You've mentioned that becoming a dad later this European summer won't affect your mindset towards tennis. But why do you think only eight men since 1980 have won majors after becoming a dad?
It's just because you usually get kids later in your career. Maybe when you're getting slower. But you've also got to compare what kind of players (have) got kids.
I'm only one of two players who have reached 14 grand slams. So I'm also in a different league than other players. Sure the stats are there but they don't worry me in any way. Otherwise I would have played longer with (no) kids. I'm confident that I can definitely have many more victories with a baby otherwise I wouldn't have done it.
I'm excited about what's ahead in my personal life, my tennis life, really everything is going very well and I'm excited that (my wife) Mirka's doing very well. That's fantastic and I'm looking forward to it and it's going to be a nice new life.
Are you looking forward to 14-hour flights with a screaming baby?
I'm worried about those as well. Because you don't want to upset the whole plane. But what can you do? Hopefully people will understand.
Has Pete Sampras sent you any message as you try and break the 14-slam record you share with him?
He's been very happy for me. We've tried to reach each other (since Paris) but miss each other on the phone. He's been supporting me throughout Roland Garros. He's always been texting me and wishing me all the best.
He's wished me luck for these championships, he's not bitter. There's a chance (he could come for the final if I'm there). The club would love to see him back and the game would love to see him back.
You mentioned you felt mentally drained after your triumphant run in the French Open. What does 'mentally drained' mean for Roger Federer?
That's how you feel after having put your head down for almost three weeks and trying to concentrate on tennis day in and day out and eat and breathe tennis. It's not the most fun part sometimes in life but sometimes it's what you have to do.
Because after that you know there is going to be sunshine at the end. It's like a big storm you have to go through and when that's over, all you want to do is just lie down and enjoy the sun. That's how you feel after and especially when the pressure's all over, it all comes out.
Sometimes you get sick, you get tired, you get emotional, so you don't have that spring in your step any more. You're just slow and you want to hang around. I've had it in the past many, many times after the slams, knowing how tired I was.
But looking ahead for Wimbledon and looking ahead for my best health, I had to take a week off (and miss the grasscourt tournament in Halle) and go home and recover and celebrate with my friends and family.
It's important for my mind, it's important for my life that I enjoy victories more today than I did in the beginning. Before I won and I would race to the next tournament, today I try to stay with those victories much more.
Two weeks on from winning your first French Open title and becoming only the sixth man to achieve the career grand slam, was the win more of a relief or more of a joyous occasion?
It was more of a high joy than relief. I don't like seeing victories as release. Because it's not the way it's supposed to be.
Of course it was an enormous amount of pressure. It's a relief at some stage but the joy is much, much bigger. Being able to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires, this is what stands out at the end of the day and not like 'oh God, the pressure is off'.
Sure the pressure is off but when I come back to Paris I don't need to win Paris any more. But I'll try everything I can to win it again because I'd love to relive something similar again. I like to see the positive side and not the negative side... like I only have to do it just to prove people wrong. That's not really me.
