ROGERS MASTERS
Date: 2007-08-10

ROGERS MASTERS

August 10, 2007

Roger Federer
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
The Moderator Questions, please.

Question It's been two and a half years you haven't met Lleyton. Shouldn't it have been a tougher match, a tighter match?
Answer I think it was a tough match, you know. Maybe the score and everything, it looked like I was pretty much in control. If you look at the first set, it took 45 minutes. We had our chances, both of us, on both serves. It went my way in the end because I served well in the important moments.
I think the second set, you know, once he broke back, I knew this was going to be now one of those tough matches against Lleyton again. Thank God, you know, I played a good game to break him. In the end really I served well. You know, I was just more consistent from the baseline. My forehand was great today.
So I really think it was an excellent match from my side. Hard-fought really. Look at the shoe, it's used. Normally it's not like this, so...

Question Stepanek you've played three times on clay, 2-1 with him. What are your feelings tomorrow?
Answer I played him in the Kooyong exhibition, I don't know if it was this year. I beat him 7-6 in the third set. Okay, it was an exhibition, whatever, he should have beaten me there.
I think he's a very uncomfortable player. He plays very flat from the baseline, moves well. He's got a good backhand. He likes to come to the net. He's a good doubles player, too. He knows how to volley. When he serve and volleys, he really serves well, too.
I'm expecting a tough match. It was kind of a weird kind of rhythm from the baseline. So it's going to be an interesting match.
I hope I can pick up his serve pretty well and play aggressive from my side. Hopefully I'll be consistent. Looking forward to that match. He played a good match against Davydenko today.

Question We know you don't like Hawk-Eye. On that serve today, when you look up and you see it's out by virtually nothing, what goes through your head?
Answer Well, I felt it was kind of maybe more out than in, obviously. But the tough part is to wait for it, you know. Then you hit a second serve having basically 20 seconds in between. That is a tough part. Of course, it's my choice to challenge. But why not challenge? I would kill myself if it was in, you know, and not have challenged.
I mean, look, let's not even talk about it if I don't like it (smiling).

Question If the ball is out by that much, do you ever wonder how the lines person can call it out?
Answer Look, I think this is how it's been for so long, you know. I think they look, stare down that line, and they know how the balls are coming. They're used to it. They're professionals. I think they do an excellent job, you know, because I wouldn't want to be sitting on that line. I just get disappointed when they miss shocking ones. But that can happen, too. I'm the guy who doesn't get too crazy about it. So it's okay.

Question Is it something the players just accept?
Answer What's that?

Question Hawk-Eye itself. When it is such a close call, do you think to yourself, Okay, just accept it, move on?
Answer Well, what other choice do you have? Can't go drink coffee with the guy and say, Let's discuss this line call (laughter).

Question You still see some people take it up with the umpire.
Answer Yeah, but with a second serve to play, you kind of want to stay in the rhythm.
It's a weird thing, you know. I still don't trust a hundred percent, I probably will never do. I had one in the first match against Karlovic, a serve, the mark's clearly out because you can see the marks here on this court. I couldn't believe again when it touched, reminded me of the Wimbledon situation. This is then really when kind of it proves to me that the machine is not really working. That's also why you see many guys giving it a shot when they think it's an important point. You know it's out, but maybe it did clip the line, you know.
So I think that's -- many guys are thinking that. But I don't know who voted for it, so I don't care.