Paris (AFP)
Roger Federer, qualified on Tuesday for the final square of Roland-Garros, which he participates for the first time since 2015, is "eager to pass the test" which awaits him against Rafael Nadal Friday.
Q: What is your feeling after qualifying for the last four?
A: "I am very happy, first of all, to be back in the Grand Slam semifinals, which has not happened to me for more than a year (since the Australian Open 2018, ed) I had some tough defeats in the round of 16 (US Open 2018 and Australian Open 2019) and in the quarterfinals (Wimbledon 2018) and from that point of view, I exceeded my expectations here. missed Roland-Garros for so many years (from 2016 to 2018, ed), it's nice to be back in the semifinals, it's great.Now I have this match against Rafa (Nadal), and I'm really excited, I hope I can recover these next two days, I'm sure it'll be ok, and I'll do my best on Friday. "
Q: You declared after your victory to have returned to play clay especially to face Nadal ...
A: "It was not easy for me to get to play Rafa, it took me to win five games to get there, that's why I'm very happy to play against Rafa. you want to do something on clay, inevitably, at some point, you have to go through Rafa, because he's very strong and he's still there, I knew when I decided to play on clay It was going to happen, if it went well, if I was in a state of mind to avoid it, then I should not play on clay. play as well so far in this tournament. "
Q: In fifteen matches on ocher, you have beaten Nadal only twice ...
A: "It's never natural to play against a southpaw, Rafa or another, it changes everything.We play 80% of the time against right-handers.And when we play against a southpaw, it's a different match, interesting I hated it before, now I love it, because it's a huge challenge to play against those guys, and he's the best I've ever faced, and I can not wait to take the test. "
Interviewed at a press conference.
? 2019 AFP