Roger Federer is surprised by the intensity of women’s matches as the fist pumps increase under pressure at the Australian Open, with deposed WTA number one Caroline Wozniacki having perhaps more reason than others to use the psychological crutch.
The 16-time men’s Grand Slam winner can sympathise with the plight of the 21-year-old Wozniacki, who stood atop the women’s game until her quarterfinal loss this week. She held the lead ranking spot at the end of the last two seasons but has yet to lift a Grand Slam title.
“I can imagine it could be tricky because it’s been like this for a while now,” Federer said of the ranking situation. “Many world number ones in the past have not won slams.
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“That makes it difficult out there on the court, I guess. I see many women’s players being extremely sort of tense and fist pumping after every single point. It’s to me pretty surprising to see that.
“I have fist pumped maybe five times at the most (in a match), and they do that in one game. It’s incredible to see how intense they are.” He said that Wozniacki should not worry. “She did her work, and I think she deserves to be number one, but there’s no free pass. She wasn’t just there for a week, either. You have to credit her for taking advantage of it and doing the best with it “It’s not all about the slams anyway. They’re big tournaments, but it’s not only about them.”