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Roger Federer continued his winning ways at Roland Garros 2021 as he defeated Dominik Koepfer in a pulsating four-set thriller on Saturday. Federer won 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 7-5 to set up a fourth-round clash against Matteo Berrettini.
But while speaking to the media after the match, Roger Federer revealed he was unsure about his further participation at the French Open. Federer claimed he had exceeded his expectations in Paris by winning three matches and that he would consult his team before deciding whether he would continue his Roland Garros campaign.
"I don't know if I'm going to play," Federer said. "I have to see with the team. This today was I think a huge step forward for the team, and for all of us. I didn't expect to be able to win three matches here, and, you know, sort of back up a good performance of Cilic as well in completely different circumstances tonight."
Roger Federer went on to talk about his overall level, and how a lot of things depend on his match fitness and stamina. The Swiss claimed he would like to be at a level where Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are right now in regards to their form and fitness.
"I'd prefer to be in Rafa's or Novak's shoes right now where they're like - I'm feeling good - If I'm playing well, I'm winning," Federer said. "I don't have that feeling right now, so for me these are all stepping stones, right, to something that is really important to me."
The 39-year-old further explained that he and his team would closely analyze his performance and fitness level before coming to a decision over his match against Matteo Berrettini.
"We go through these matches, we analyze them highly and look on what's next and will do the same (...), because I need to decide if I keep on playing or not or is it too much risk at this moment to keep on pushing or is this just a perfect way to just take a rest," the Swiss added.
Roger Federer also pointed out that there is no longer a one-week gap between the French Open and the Halle Open, because of which the turnaround wouldn't be easy.
"Because I don't have the week in between here and Halle, like normal, to see, like, what's best now if you count back from Wimbledon and so forth," Roger Federer added.
"For me, being on a field and playing 3h30 is not normal at all" - Roger Federer
Roger Federer needed exactly three hours and 35 minutes to defeat Dominik Koepfer, and the Swiss revealed he hadn't even trained that long since the inury. Federer also believes that spending this amount of time given his situation was not "normal".
"I have not been two-three-and-a-half-hour battles in practice either," Roger Federer said. "For me, being on a field and playing 3h30 is not normal at all. The ones who had this kind of surgery understand the point."
Roger Federer stressed the importance of listening to his body's needs before making decisions for the future. He did also admit that his knee is still a major factor and that he checks on it every morning after a match.
"I mean, every match here or Geneva I have to reassess the situation after the match and see in the morning how I wake up and how does the knee, you know, feel the next morning," he continued.
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