"I expect better from myself" says Federer after loss to Andujar

Roger Federer played his first match on clay in over a year and after losing it he said he expected better from himself.

It was a solid match from Roger Federer who at times looked really good on the clay courts of the Geneva Open. Despite being up a break in the 3rd set Federer ultimately collapsed losing 4-6 6-4 4-6. After the loss he said:

“It’s good to be back on the court, but then you lost a match like this and you’re down. It never feels great. I was looking forward to playing here, no doubt about it. But of course, there were moments where I was really happy to entertain the crowd and [I was] looking at the long road that I’ve been on from the comeback."

Despite being happy to get a match in Federer also highlighted his disappointment because he expected better from himself:

“Sure, it’s rewarding to be back on a tennis court. But I expect better from myself. I feel like in practice I’ve been playing better, even in practice here. But then again as we know, matches are a different animal. I’ve got my work cut out there.”

Federer explained his collapse in the final set as like driving off a cliff. On his emotions during that collapse he said:

“Of course at 4-2 in the third you feel like, ‘Oh, that’s nice that I was able to turn around the match.’ You start feeling better and that’s when it dips and everything is over 10 minutes later."

Federer was realistic about his goals in the near future saying that Roland Garros is not the goal even though he will play it:

“Roland Garros is not the goal. The goal is the grass, so I still have time. I’m disappointed for the tournament more than anything. I wish I could have stayed around and played some more matches for the people here because the atmosphere still is, considering [the circumstances], very good, and they seemed very happy to see me here.”