Basel (Switzerland) (AFP)– Inaasinta ngayon ni Roger Federer ang multiple major goals, umpisa sa kanyang asam na masungkit ang ikaanim na titulo sa kanyang home tournament na Swiss Indoors.
Inamin ng top seed kahapon na ang kanyang kasalukuyang positibong sitwasyon ay nasorpresa kahit siya, kasama rito ang pakikipagharap ng Switzerland sa France para sa Davis Cup final sa susunod na buwan.
Mayroon ding pagkakataon si Federer na muling makuha ang world number one ranking.
Si Federer ay nagsasanay sa clay para sa Davis Cup showdown ngunit ngayon ay nakatutok sa slow indoor hardcourt sa St. Jakobshalle, kung saan nakaabot siya sa huling walong finals sa stadium, ang lugar na unang naghasa sa kanya sa laro bilang ballboy.
"It's a nice feeling being back in an arena that I know so well and have had so much success," ani ng 17-time Grand Slam winner na binuksan ang kanyang kampanya noong Miyerkules sa first round kontra Gilles Muller ng Luxembourg.
"It feels great right now, I'm happy I'm playing so well since the (spring) birth of (twin sons) Leo and Lenny," tinuran ng bagong koronang Shanghai champion.
"I'm happy Switzerland made the Davis Cup finals. We've put ourselves in an exciting position. An away tie in France is cool.”
"And the fact that I've gotten so close to the number one ranking is a bit of a surprise for me. I've not won a Slam this year but I was extremely close at Wimbledon (fifth set against Novak Djokovic.)”
"But I've played very consistently or I would not be in this position. It's a very different year end for me. But If I don't win a few more titles number one won't happen.”
"Right now, it's all to play for, I want to start it well here in Basel."
Bilang dagdag sa mga naturang objective, nakapokus din si Federer sa eight-man World Tour Finals sa London, isang linggo bago ang Davis final. Dahil sa kanyang dikit-dikit na iskedyul, sinabi ni Federer na muntik na siyang hindi maglaro sa Shanghai.
"I had considered not playing Shanghai and then playing Vienna. But at the end, I decided to go to Shanghai. If that had not gone well, I might have even skipped Paris (next week) to train on clay.”
"But in the current situation, I'm feeling good. I had two weeks of vacation after the (September) Davis Cup semi-finals. There was even the possibility of not playing her for safety in case I had felt tired or injured after Shanghai.”
"The team discussed everything: what was the best for energy, what was my passion, what to do.”
"I'm happy I decided to play here. I'll take it from here but it's likely I'll also play Paris."