Swiss superstar Roger Federer may have lost his top seeding but don't think for a minute he doesn't have a trump card up his sleeve at the US Open.
NEW YORK: Swiss superstar Roger Federer may have lost his top seeding but don't think for a minute he doesn't have a trump card up his sleeve at the US Open.
Federer, who surrendered his world number one ranking to Rafael Nadal early this week, is the four-time defending champion in the final Grand Slam of the season which begins on Monday.
"I know how to enter Grand Slams," second-seeded Federer said yesterday. "I know how to enter the US Open and what it takes to win. That's a huge advantage I have.
"I come here as the defending champion so I always have great feelings about this place."
Federer, who turned 27 earlier this month, said he will draw on his enormous success here in the past to salvage something of what has been a disappointing season so far.
Nadal has never made it past the quarter-finals at the US Open and goes into the major as the top seed for the first time in his career.
"I believe it is an advantage if you know how to win a US Open," Federer said. "It is a tough tournament to win.
"Rafa has never been beyond the fourth round so that is definitely the advantage that I carry."
Federer says not being the top seed takes some of the pressure off him. His disappointing year was underscored when he lost the number one ranking which he had held for a record 237 weeks.
"For five years I was expected to win every tournament," Federer said. "So now it changes a little bit. Rafa will feel what I had to feel for a very long time.
It has been a trying season for Federer who has lost to some unlikely opponents like Mardy Fish and James Blake. But a win at the US Open could help set the tone for next year.
"I tried to save a lot of energy at the beginning of the year so I would get through the entire season without a problem," said Federer, who won the gold medal in doubles at the Beijing Olympics. "I had a tough beginning to the season and I have been playing catchup all the way through.
"It is just a matter of winning a lot of matches in a row. I really feel like this is going to happen at the US Open."
Federer says Nadal is worthy of being ranked No. 1 but don't hand the Spaniard the US Open trophy just yet.
"Clear favourite," Federer said. "I don't know about that. I am going to concentrate on what I can really control. And that is my section of the draw, trying to control all the players. We will see how it goes."
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