Federer admits he was relieved he did not whitewash Murray

MAGNANIMOUS in victory, Roger Federer told reporters that he was happy to have lost the penultimate game of Thursday night’s match at London’s O2 Arena and thus spared Andy Murray the first double-bagel of his senior career.As the World No 2 scorched to a 6-0, 6-1 victory in just 56 minutes, there was much discussion in the stands about how much he might be enjoying this joyride against an old and often challenging rival.

Yet the man himself stressed that his main feeling towards the end of the match, especially after he had guaranteed his place in the semi-finals by winning the first set, was one of discomfort.

Asked how it felt to be leading the world No. 6 by a 6-0, 5-0 scoreline, Federer replied: “Not so cool because I wouldn’t want to be in that position. I was happy to get it done. At the end I was happy I didn’t win the second-to-last game to be quite honest. Yeah, it’s uncomfortable. I don’t know. I don’t like it.”

As for Murray’s outlook after this chastening night, Federer tried to offer some words of encouragement. He too has struggled to rebuild his game after recovering from back trouble, although his superb form of late suggests that those problems are all in the past.

“I think he’s definitely had to work very hard to come back to a level that he’s happy with,” said Federer of Murray. “But if I can compare just slightly to me, because I guess we’ve had some similar issues in the last couple of years. You just tend to be up and down, especially against the top players. There’s just that little bit of doubt maybe that you need to play unbelievably well and the other guy you hope he doesn’t play his best. Only then maybe you can get it done.

“Maybe he has those kind of confidence issues. I went through exactly the same last year. It’s like an up-and-down battle. Every point is complicated. Every day is complicated. At the same time you do have your good days, you have your okay days. But they’re not so often.

“So I think the off‑season is going to be big for Andy. I’m confident for him that next year he’s going to be much more solid throughout, he’s going to be happier in the process, and he’s going to be playing better tennis.” — The Telegraph