Roger Federer admits he is even surprising himself, as he
continues to produce top-class tennis at the age of 32.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner came mighty close to
claiming another title on Sunday when he lost in the final of the ATP Masters
tournament at Indian Wells in California.
The world No 5 was beaten in a final set tie-break by Novak
Djokovic who had lost to Federer just a few weeks before in Dubai.
His loss to the Serb at the weekend ended a run of 11
straight wins and Federer now heads to America's east coast for this week's
hard court event in Miami.
The Swiss superstar said: "I'm very happy. I think
I'm playing really good tennis. I'm moving well, serving well - consistently
well. So many things are working.
"I'm just surprised that I'm able to keep it up week
after week now. I expected myself to have a breakthrough tournament but then
maybe a couple of early exits.
"But overall I'm just happy, I'm playing consistent
tennis and I'm going deep in tournaments and I'm giving myself chances to win.
"Clearly it would have been amazing to win here and
win back-to-back tournaments with Dubai.
"But I got very, very close, so it's encouraging for
Miami and for the rest of the season, no doubt."
His recent run of victories has moved him back up the
ranking from eighth to fifth but he is not overly concerned about his position
on the ATP Tour ladder.
He added: "Being number one would be a big deal but
being number four or number three, that's not a big deal.
"It might help the seedings and the draws but, other
than that, just right now, to think too far ahead will be a mistake.
"A few weeks ago, months ago, a few people said I
couldn't play tennis any more. So for me, I need to focus on my own game, my
own routines, hard work, make sure I keep a good schedule for myself, for my
family, and enjoy it.
"But at the same time, that fire, wanting to win, is
important and right now I have that. I think I have a really good
balance."
Culled from Sky Sports
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