"Next days felt like forever...knew it was going to become more difficult": When Roger Federer spoke on pressure to win French Open after Nadal's exit
Roger Federer once opened up about the immense pressure he felt to win his maiden French Open title in 2009. He also made an honest admission about how Rafael Nadal's shock exit from the Major exacerbated the pressure significantly.
Federer entered the 2019 French Open as the third seed, on the hunt for his second title at the claycourt Major. That edition marked a decade since his maiden triumph in Paris.
Ahead of his campaign, the Swiss looked back on his 2009 title run, acknowledging that it was the Major where he experienced the most pressure to succeed.
Federer emphasized that four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal's shock loss to Robin Soderling in the fourth round only intensified the expectations on him, especially with journalists claiming that it was a now-or-never scenario.
"Possible. It's difficult to compare to Wimbledon in 2007, 2003 or 2009, especially after Rafa lost. This is where these expectations started when the journalists started saying it's this year or never," he said in his pre-tournament press conference.
He disclosed that the days after Nadal's loss felt like "forever," as he knew that the path to victory would only become tougher.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who beat Soderling 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-4 in the final, also took pride in his ability to overcome the pressure and clinch his maiden French Open title.
"From then on, the next nine or ten days felt like forever. I had matches against Gael. Soderling had beaten Rafa. In fact, he beat me the year after. But I knew that instead of the tournament becoming easier, it was going to become more difficult because of the pressure," he said.
"But it was nevertheless interesting and I felt better, and I feel proud that I was able to manage the pressure," he added.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced off in 2019 French Open SF
Roger Federer kicked off his campaign at the 2019 French Open with a commanding 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 win over Lorenzo Sonego. He advanced to the fourth round with straight-set victories against Oscar Otte and Casper Ruud.
The Swiss legend then beat Leonardo Mayer 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 and secured a hard-fought 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 win over Stan Wawrinka to set up a blockbuster semifinal with two-time defending champion Rafael Nadal.
Nadal emerged victorious, beating Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, and went on to beat Dominic Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to clinch his 12th French Open title.