Roger Federer pays his respects at the Australian Open. The 44-year-old only misses parts of tour life.
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Eight years after his last triumph at the Australian Open, Roger Federer is currently making a name for himself again in Melbourne. On Friday, the 44-year-old had a training session with the Norwegian Casper Ruud in front of a considerable crowd of spectators. And the “Maestro” showed that he has not forgotten how to play tennis. In a tiebreak match to 7 points, the Swiss ultimately prevailed 7-2.
The extent of the training match also took Federer a bit by surprise. “It should have been a warm-up on an outdoor pitch with a few spectators. Then I was asked what the Rod Laver Arena was like. At the end there were over ten thousand people there. “That was quite a surprise,” says the six-time Melbourne winner.
Surprised himself
It wasn’t the training that made him nervous, but rather the press conference beforehand. He felt a “slightly uneasy feeling” because he hadn’t exposed himself like that in a while. Everything was easy for him on the pitch: “I played wonderfully, much better than I thought.”
However, there will be no withdrawal from the Basel bidder. He doesn’t miss the training, the matches or the pressure. It’s much more about interpersonal interactions that have been neglected since leaving the big stage. «When I’m back here, I think how nice it was. What I miss most is meeting other players, coaches and the organizers. We used to see each other every week. I’m really happy that I came to Melbourne.”
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