Roger Federer insists that Mario Ancic won’t catch him out again like he did when the Croatian sent him tumbling to an embarrassing Wimbledon defeat in 2002.
The two meet in the French Open quarterfinals on Tuesday with the Swiss world number one still needled by that first round centre court defeat at the All England Club.
His mood wasn’t helped at the time by knowing that Ancic had come through the qualifiers to deliver his stunning blow.
Four years on and Federer again finds the 22-year-old Ancic standing in his way at a Grand Slam.
”I’m not going to underestimate him like I did at Wimbledon,” said Federer.
”That’s not going to happen. He’s a good player. He can shorten the points. He can stay at the baseline, rally, he’s a tough player.”
Federer, bidding to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time, admits he is surprised to see Ancic thriving on the Paris clay.
The Croatian had never got beyond the third round here before this year with his natural serve-and-volley game more suited to quicker courts.
But he came into Roland Garros having reached the semifinals at the Hamburg Masters and the last eight in Rome as well as helping Croatia to the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf.
The 12th seed booked his quarter-final place by knocking out Hamburg champion, and seventh seed, Tommy Robredo 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
”This is an unexpected player here,” said Federer.
”But he has beaten some very good players, particularly Robredo.
It will be a tough match against him. Everyone expects me to win. I know he is very dangerous.”
Ancic believes the best way to play Federer, against whom he had lost twice since that Wimbledon triumph, is to ignore the Swiss star’s strengths.
”If you start thinking that you are in the quarterfinal or how the guy is going to play, I think that’s the wrong thinking,” said the Croatian.
”You have to think: ‘What can I do?’.
‘Can I produce my one hundred percent that day?’ If it’s good enough, it’s good.”
Ancic overcame cramping late in the fifth set to see off Robredo, but never considered giving up.
”I have always had a fighting spirit,” he said.
”Even if I have a bad day and nothing works, you lose, I can always say to myself: ‘OK, I did everything today. I fight hard. The guy was better’.
”But I would never give away the points. That’s the way I am.” – AFP
