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It may be over a decade since Roger Federer last won the US Open but the Swiss master feels he has his best chance in years to land a sixth title.<\/p>\nIt may be over a decade since Roger Federer last won the US Open but the Swiss master feels he has his best chance in years to land a sixth title.<\/p>\n
Federer, who won five titles in a row between 2004 and 2008, heads to Flushing Meadows having narrowly lost an epic Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic less than six weeks ago.<\/p>\n
Now 38, Federer knows he is running out of time to add to his tally of 20 grand slams but the world number three is not feeling the strain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not putting extra pressure on myself. I know it\u2019s going to be tough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not coming in as the overwhelming favorite like maybe I did back in 2006 or 2007. I\u2019m very much aware of how I need to approach this tournament mentally.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years ago I came in with a back issue a little bit, I had a struggle early on with five-setters. Last year I struggled with the heat against (John) Millman. Obviously in 2016 I missed it entirely.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were saying on the practice court two days ago that this is probably the best I\u2019ve felt in years coming into the US Open again, which is encouraging.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been playing well, and playing well in the slams recently, which has been great. I think also the win over Rafael (Nadal) in the Wimbledon semis was big for me. Also the final, the way I played that, is going to give me some extra confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Federer, who said he went caravaning with his four children to get over his Wimbledon defeat, crashed to a shock 6-3 6-4 loss by Russian qualifier Andrey Rublev in Cincinnati earlier this month, a result which he insists might help in the long run.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy where my game is at,\u201d he added. \u201cCincinnati might be a good thing that I lost early, who knows?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s maybe one of those things that sometimes needs to happen, like when I won at the Australian Open, went to Dubai, lost first round in 2017, then went on to win Indian Wells and Miami.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it\u2019s the same thing, I played a great Wimbledon, I needed to get knocked down in Cincy, to get my act together, train hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I did. I\u2019m ready for the US Open. It\u2019s going to be a tough tournament to win, no doubt about it. I feel like I\u2019m part of that group who can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nadal, the second seed, is also a man in form and will be a threat as long as his knee problems do not flare up again.<\/p>\n
The Spaniard said: \u201cTo arrive to the big events with good feelings helps. My last events have been; win Rome, win at Roland Garros, semi-finals at Wimbledon and winning in Montreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a positive feeling, positive memory on my mind. That helps for the confidence, helps for the positive feelings.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the main thing is to arrive here and adapt to the conditions. For the moment I am feeling well.\u201d<\/p>\n