Roger Federer reveals Indian Wells final preparation plans after Rafael Nadal bye
ROGER FEDERER says he will rest as much as possible ahead of his Indian Wells Masters final against Dominic Thiem but insists he is “feeling great”.
Indian Wells: Rafael Nadal withdraws from Federer clash
There was huge disappointment on Saturday as Indian Wells as Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw due to injury.
The Spaniard had set up a much-anticipated 39th career showdown with Federer in the final four in California.
But on the morning of the clash, Nadal was still suffering with a flare-up of his long-standing knee inflammation problem that forced him to use all of his fight and grit to overcome Karen Khachanov in the quarter finals.
Nadal admitted his disappointment and also ruled himself out of the Miami Open next week, with the world No 2 now set to endure another period of rehabilitation before the clay-court season begins next month.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion’s withdrawal allowed Federer a bye into the final and an extra 24 hours of rest.
Federer will take on Thiem in the championship match after the Austrian squeezed past Milos Raonic 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 in two-and-a-half hours.
But the 37-year-old revealed in an on-court interview with ESPN soon after Thiem’s win that he will be using his spare time to relax having practiced on Saturday morning ahead of the semi finals before Nadal pulled out.
Federer said: “No more hitting. I’ve hit so much these last few weeks I’m happy to save my knees or my body to be quite honest!
I’m feeling really ready to go
“No I’m feeling great. It’s just hot in the sun! I’m feeling really ready to go.
“I’m excited to play against Dominic Thiem. He’s a great, great player and a wonderful guy as well.
“He played a fantastic match against Milos which I was able to watch a little bit.
“It’s all in preparation already. We don’t have much time so when you do get an afternoon off, you take it - put your legs up, take a massage, spend time with the family and then come out tomorrow.
“I hope I can play a great match, it’s a big tournament, a big final for me especially after last year’s tough loss against Juan Martin [Del Porto].
“I’d love to go all the way this year so we’ll see how it goes.”
Federer is a five-time champion already in the desert and finds himself into his third consecutive final.
If he beats Thiem, he would move one title ahead of world No 1 Novak Djokovic to become the most successful male player in Indian Wells history.
It would also be the veteran's 101st ATP Tour title.