Olympics not on top of Federer's 2016 agenda

Published November 23, 2015
The Olympic tennis tournament remains the only big singles title Roger Federer has yet to add to his collection.  — AFP/File
The Olympic tennis tournament remains the only big singles title Roger Federer has yet to add to his collection. — AFP/File

LONDON: The Olympic tennis tournament remains the only big singles title Roger Federer has yet to add to his collection.

Looking ahead to next season, though, it's not the Rio de Janeiro Games that are at the top of his mind.

“It's not my No. 1 priority. It starts with the Australian Open, which is just around the corner,” Federer said Sunday after losing to Novak Djokovic in the title match at the ATP finals.

“That's what I see next. Then once Australia's over, that's when I look more towards the future.”

Rio should - surely - be the last chance the 34-year-old Federer gets to collect that elusive singles gold medal.

He won doubles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with Stan Wawrinka, but lost the singles final to Andy Murray at the London Games in 2012, shortly after beating the Briton for his seventh Wimbledon title on the same Centre Court at the All England Club.

He'll be less familiar with the surroundings in Rio, although he remembers fondly his trip to Brazil to play exhibition matches in 2012.

“I don't know what the crowd support is going to be like (in Rio). I had a blast in Sao Paulo, the three matches I played there. All of South America was fantastic, to be honest,” Federer said.

“For me to have done that trip, it was the trip of a lifetime. It was one of my favorite 10 days of my life if I just talk about tennis. It was really that cool.”

Federer lost 6-3, 6-4 to Djokovic on Sunday at the O2 Arena, having also been defeated by the top-ranked Serb in the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals this year. But when it comes to working on his game in the offseason, it's not necessarily about finding ways to get the better of his rival.

“Not really, because I feel like I need to work on my overall game that is going to have an impact against most of the players,” Federer said.

“For me, Rafa (Nadal) is the unique player in the field. I used to work more precisely towards him.

“With Novak, it's more straightforward. If you don't play very well, you're going to have a hard time. If you're going to play better, I know I have my chances with my game.”

Opinion

Editorial

Punishing evaders
02 May, 2024

Punishing evaders

THE FBR’s decision to block mobile phone connections of more than half a million individuals who did not file...
Engaging Riyadh
Updated 02 May, 2024

Engaging Riyadh

It must be stressed that to pull in maximum foreign investment, a climate of domestic political stability is crucial.
Freedom to question
02 May, 2024

Freedom to question

WITH frequently suspended freedoms, increasing violence and few to speak out for the oppressed, it is unlikely that...
Wheat protests
Updated 01 May, 2024

Wheat protests

The government should withdraw from the wheat trade gradually, replacing the existing market support mechanism with an effective new one over the next several years.
Polio drive
01 May, 2024

Polio drive

THE year’s fourth polio drive has kicked off across Pakistan, with the aim to immunise more than 24m children ...
Workers’ struggle
Updated 01 May, 2024

Workers’ struggle

Yet the struggle to secure a living wage — and decent working conditions — for the toiling masses must continue.