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NEW YORK(SMI-WIRE,08.26.17)The USTA held its annual US Open player media availibility today, inviting credentialed US & International press members from broadcast and media outlets to participate in a press conference with World Ranked men's & women's tennis professional players that will compete in the 2017 US Open Tennis Championship starting on August 28, 2017 at Flushing Meadow Park Queens New York.Top ranked players from Karolina Pliskova (Czech, world ranked# 1 ), Rafael Nadal(Spaniard world ranked # 1),

Simona Halep (Romanian, world ranked #2), Roger Fereder (Swiss world ranked #3), Garbine Muguruza( Spaniard-Venezuelan world ranked #3 ), Angelique Kerber (German, world ranked #6 ),  Alexander Zverev (German, world ranked #6), Madison Keys (American, world ranked # 16), Andy Murray (British, world ranked # 2), and Caroline Wozniacki( Danish, world ranked #5 ), participated in the player media availibility with the press.

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iRoger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals(ATP). He has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in history for a male tennis player. He has held the world No 1 spot in the ATP rankings for a record total of 302 weeks and was ranked No. 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks. Federer turned professional in 1998 and was continuously ranked in the top ten from October 2002 to November 2016.

In majors, Federer has won a record eight Wimbledon titles, five Australian Open titles, a record five consecutive US Open titles and one French Opentitle. He is among eight men to have captured a career Grand Slam and has reached a record 29 men's singles Grand Slam finals, including ten in a row from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the 2007 US Open.

 

Starlight Media Illustrated attended the player-media availibility event at the US Open and this is what Roger Federer said during the Q & A from the press :

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Q. Can you give us a little bit of a status update on your back? What kind of treatment you're receiving? Was there any consideration as to maybe you might not make it here?
ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, like, look, two weeks after the finals is a long time, so because you've got two weeks you can take your time, you know.

So the first week was really just, you know, trying to feel better, get better, get back on the court at some stage. I have been on the practice courts since last week. There you have it.

I have been playing sets the last few days, and I'm really happy how I'm feeling, you know, few days out of the first round here now.

Q. There isn't too much livestock. Why do they call you The Goat ?

ROGER FEDERER: I don't know. Some fans call me that. I don't call myself that.

Yeah, we have a lot of animals in Switzerland, and goats are part of the livestock we have over there, yes

Q. Can you address, are you surprised at all or should we be surprised that here we are at the US Open in 2017 and we are talking about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the favorites, No. 1s and all that? Did you ever foresee this?

ROGER FEDERER: I mean, well, I didn't foresee that the defending champ and the finalist wouldn't be here. And that Andy was going to struggle this year. You could foresee that maybe, you know, Rafa and me would be back in some stage in some shape or form but maybe not quite like this, you know. So I think we're all a bit surprised. I think all the players, all the media, all the experts and fans.

Yeah, but, you know, when somebody is injured, somebody else wins. We saw that last year, you know, when Rafa and me weren't around, somebody else stepped up. Always seems somebody takes advantage of the fact, and that some players are not around. Yeah, then you have got to be in the right place at the right time and be healthy and fresh and all that.

So, I mean, Rafa's year has been exceptional, winning the 10th French Open. I mean, even people didn't think he was going to win the French Open again. For me, only once he retires I believe he won't win anymore. He's that good of a player.

I'm not too surprised he's back to this magnitude and being back at world No. 1 after all these years is really exceptional, really nice for him

Q. When you step on to the grounds here (US Open ), what are the moments from your past at this tournament that stay with you as most inspirational?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, winning here for the first time was big, you know. 2004 was a great year for me. World No. 1 for the first time and trying to win the US Open for the first time. So that was like a big deal, of course.

Defending it the following year against Agassi. You look back at those first couple of years where I got on the run of the 5 here. I fell in love with New York, I always loved coming back here as a junior back in '98 and every year after that. I think 2004 and '05 were the big years for me.