2005 NASDAQ-100 Open News
By Eleanor Preston |  March 26 , 2005

You have to admire Roger Federer’s particular brand of arrogant modesty, or, if you prefer, modest arrogance. Either way it’s a neat trick to know exactly how good you are yet still come across to the mere mortals listening as a charming, happy-go-lucky sort of a guy.

It’s hard to do, but then little of what seems to come as second nature to Federer is as easy as he invariably makes it look.

Take his anticipation, which, at times, borders on the miraculous. After mashing poor little Olivier Rochus 6-3, 6-1 to earn himself a place in the third round, Federer tried to put his finger on exactly how he seems to have an almost psychic grasp of where the ball is going to land next.

“I think you know maybe where they might go off your shot, you know, so you anticipate it. But you can always be wrong as well,” he said. “But I think I just have a good feel for the sense where they might just go in this particular moment, and I think this is what I do well. I mix it up a lot with different, spins, slice or topspin, and really try not to give them the same look twice in a row. I think that makes it hard for my opponent to get rhythm “

Rochus would concur for, having beaten 6ft 10 Ivo Karlovic in the previous round, he found himself up against a giant of a different kind. There was very little he could do other than scamper with all his heart and hope that Federer somehow stopped being Federer, a least for a while.

It didn’t happen. In fact, it hasn’t happened for 17 matches in a row now. Federer has won three titles on the bounce – in Rotterdam, Dubai and Indian Wells – and has lost just once in his last 44 matches stretching back to last August’s US Open. To defeat him, it took what Lleyton Hewitt accurately referred to as “scary tennis” from Marat Safin in the Australian Open semi-finals.

Typically, while Federer knows it will probably take either injury or another superhuman effort from someone to stop him winning a first Nasdaq-100 Open title, he refused to take his success for granted. “Well, there's always a little bit of feeling in the back of my mind like, ‘I hope I get through this first round, and I hope I get another good week.’,” said Federer. “Once I walk away as a winner, like in Indian Wells, I'm kind of surprised, because I arrived there, there are so many great players, when I look at the draw, it's tough. Suddenly, I'm there with the trophy. It is quite amazing.”

After this Federer will join forces with his part-time coach Tony Roche in order to get himself ready for an assault on the clay court season and the French Open, the one major title which is lacking from his resume.

“I just try to back it up and give myself the best preparation I can have, and it just seems like it's working at the moment,” he said.

Amelie Mauresmo, who needed three sets and a ten-minute break before the third set to beat Maria Kirilenko, is joining forces with French tennis legend Yannick Noah in the hope of securing the women’s title at Roland Garros and breaking her grand slam duck. Noah may have his work cut out if Serena Williams’ remarks about Mauresmo are anything to go by. When asked to talk about the Frenchwoman, who is, lest we forget, ranked higher than Williams, the American damned her with deliciously faint praise.

“I think, you know, obviously she's been doing really well as a player,” in a tone some might suggest was a tad patronizing. “She wins a lot of Tier II's and Tier I's.”

Kim Clijsters hasn’t won a grand slam either but she looked a good deal better than Mauresmo did in her second round match. Clijsters, who is on a comeback tear after winning last week’s Pacific Life Open, ripped through Amy Frazier 6-2, 6-3.

Andre Agassi has won lots of grand slams (well, eight) and lots of Nasdaq-100 Open titles (six) and lots more besides (59 titles altogether) and he looked in fine fettled as he began his 19th tournament at the Crandon Park Tennis Centre.

Agassi whipped past France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-5 6-3 as though he had a reservations for a late dinner in Miami’s fashionable district of South Beach.

Federer was asked if that was where he was headed, but, he politely evaded the question with the same deft footwork he uses to line up for one of his stupendous forehands.

“I might be there, but I might be somewhere else as well,” he said, with a grin.

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