By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, March 9, 2017
"I came here anyways to play against those guys so it doesn’t matter if it’s the semis, the finals, or actually the fourth round," said Roger Federer of life in the "group of death."
Photo credit: Jared Wickerham/BNP Paribas Open
Don’t try dragging Roger Federer down with doom-and-gloom predictions of an apocalyptic Indian Wells draw.
Cast in the ominous “Group of Death” quarterfinal alongside archrival Rafael Nadal and five-time champion Novak Djokovic hasn’t exactly dampened Federer’s spirits or prompted him to reach for rosary beads in his Indian Wells return.
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While withstanding the “Group of Death” may sound as foreboding as a clash with an outlaw biker gang, Federer is looking forward to reviving old reunions and revving his game in the desert.
Dry conditions and a gritty court have been agreeable conditions for the Grand Slam champions. Federer, Djokovic and Nadal have combined to win 12 of the last 13 BNP Paribas Open championships.
The four-time Indian Wells champion expressed a death-defying response to the volatile quarter.
“Most of the guys you won’t even see because they’ll eliminate each other,” Federer told the media in a BNP Paribas Open round-table Q & A yesterday. “It doesn’t matter. I came here anyways to play against those guys so it doesn’t matter if it’s the semis, the finals, or actually the fourth round. …
"I think it’s good for me to play those guys early. I look forward to it.”
The ninth-seeded Swiss has a first-round bye and opens the BNP Paribas Open against either Dudi Sela or Stephane Robert with either 24th-seeded Steve Johnson or big-serving Kevin Anderson looming as potential third-round opponents.
Playing with purpose, the 35-year-old Swiss showed vintage all-court form in an inspired run to his 18th career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open where he rallied from a 1-3 deficit in the final set to defeat Nadal.
It was a performance of such majesty it evoked a religious awakening in sometime skeptic John McEnroe, who was so spiritually moved he proclaimed Federer “a tennis messiah” and declared himself a devoted apostle.
Major resurrection gave way to desert deflation.
Federer faced his own trials in the desert following an ascendant Australian Open squandering three match points in a disappointing loss to 116th-ranked Russian qualifier Evgeny Donskoy in the Dubai round of 16. One round earlier, Federer looked sharp shredding an apathetic and slightly hobbled Benoit Paire in his Dubai opener.
The Dubai experience is a reminder that comeback climbs are not always steady flights. While Federer showed attacking instincts and quick-strike skills that served him so well in Melbourne in his Dubai opener, his movement was a bit more sluggish, critical returns more ragged and shot selection not nearly as sharp facing Donskoy for the first time.
It’s a reminder that even the Grand Slam king requires the repetition of a steady practice-match-practice schedule to reproduce and sustain the level of play he showed in Melbourne.
Last season, Juan Martin del Potro returned from a fourth wrist surgery bursting out of the blocks into the Delray Beach semifinals, then managed just two wins total at Indian Wells and Miami. The 2009 US Open champion toppled Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon, went on to beat both Djokovic and Nadal en route to an Olympic silver medal and led Argentina to its first Davis Cup championship in history.
Indian Wells is just the third tournament of Federer’s comeback.
The 10th-ranked Swiss said he will see how his surgically-repaired knee responds to playing Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back before reaching a final decision on his clay-court schedule. Previously, Federer has said he plans a limited schedule this season, which is one reason why regaining the No. 1 ranking is not a top priority.
“Just because I won Australia doesn’t change anything,” Federer said. “Would you like to be (No. 1)? Everybody in the draw would love to be world No. 1. But right now, Sir Andy Murray is that and he’s deserved it, very much so. And if I want to get back there, because I never can play the amount of tournaments that Andy can play or others will play right now, I have to win a lot of big tournaments. That’s a big ask right now.
“I’m still in the back end of just enjoying the Australian Open and doing all that stuff. But sure, if it presents itself, maybe then I can start chasing it. Honestly right now, I’m so far away from that, it would be a bit ridiculous to talk about it.”
After savoring the emotional buzz of his Melbourne triumph, Federer resumes his comeback with a relaxed intensity insisting he has “no expectations” but did say his 2017 goals will be "a lot about Wimbledon... a lot about the US Open."
“I don’t feel like you throw everything overboard just because you won the Australian Open,” Federer said. “I still try to see it in the most relaxed way possible, understanding that it did start off with a bang in Australia and clearly people will expect me to back it up and all that stuff.
"I really don’t see it that way. I feel like I’m on the comeback, and no expectations.”