Roger Federer looks to continue his blistering start at the Qatar Open when he plays qualifier Grega Zemlja in the second round on Wednesday.
In the build up to the event, much was made of Federer's tricky opener against former champion Nikolay Davydenko, a repeat of the 2011 final but when it came to it, Federer dispatched the Russian with ease, 6-2, 6-2.
“I’m extremely pleased with the way I played today. It’s good that I got into form straight away. I will be playing lot of matches in the night here. So it is good to get used to the conditions quickly. It was a combination of me playing really well and Nikolay not finding his range like we’re used to seeing in the past,” Federer said afterwards.
And Federer was keen to remind reporters in Doha that his hunger to win major titles is still very much there. “If you don’t have that (motivation), you will have many losses due to a lack of interest,” he said. “Your mindset has to be right and there’s a lot of sacrifice during the year and throughout your career, but you get the returns and you just have to remind yourself how lucky you are.”
The Swiss should have few problems against Zemlja, a Slovenian player ranked 116 in the world, if he maintains the kind of form he showed against Davydenko. Zemlja made the most of a kind draw, defeating wildcard Sergei Bubka 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 to reach round two.
Prediction: Federer in two.
