Roger Federer: In Madrid, you have to have a hard-court mentality

Roger Federer: In Madrid, you have to have a hard-court mentality

He returned to the slow courts three years later. And he did it with an easy victory in straight sets. The Swiss Roger Federer explained on Tuesday after beating the French Richard Gasquet in his debut at the Masters 1000 in Madrid to play in the Spanish capital must be done with “hard-court mentality.”

The three-time winner of this tournament said that the differences between Paris and Madrid are evident. “I think in Paris you have to add other conditions, it’s colder, and rain, for example, you have to play differently and have a different approach, even different mentality, but here in Madrid, you have to act with a hard-court mentality. “, reaffirmed the No. 4 in the world.

“You have to attack the ball, there are bad boats, and it is not easy to start in each set, although you can serve your way to solve problems, which you may not be able to do over and over again on another surface,” added Federer.

“It’s different in places like Monaco and Barcelona, ​​all at different sea level, that’s why Madrid is not Paris, I have not played with the balls there and I think there’s going to be a change in the balls,” he continued. of Basel. “This is definitely not a traditional clay court and there is altitude for us, the players.”

“I am very happy to have returned to the land,” said Federer. “Super happy to be back here in Madrid, the crowd and the ovation I received before and after the game was great, it really makes you feel like the decision is the right one.”

The Swiss is the only tennis player who won three titles in different conditions in the capital of Spain: indoor cement in 2006, traditional red clay in 2009 and blue clay in 2012. His return could not have been better, without a doubt.