Five-time champion Roger Federer relishes the US Open stage — he’s just not so sure about the court surface at the 2011 edition of the year’s final Grand Slam.
“It’s definitely slower,” Federer said of the court surface in Arthur Ashe stadium. “It takes some getting used to.
“The issue for me is maybe did they make a mistake. Maybe they did paint the court a bit too rough.
“It’s just unfortunate I think that maybe all the Slams are too equal. I think this should feel very different to the Australian Open, and now I don’t feel it really does.”
It didn’t stop Federer from reaching the second round with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Colombian Santiago Giraldo.
Federer, owner of 16 Grand Slam titles, equalled Andre Agassi for the second-most Grand Slam match victories in the Open era with his 224th — nine fewer than Jimmy Connors.
“It’s just another way of saying ‘Roger, you’ve been doing many right things throughout your career,’“ he said of the impressive stat. “It points me in the right direction.”
The Swiss great wasn’t at his sharpest, dropping his serve three times and making 35 unforced errors.
Even so, the outcome against the 54th-ranked Giraldo — who has never beaten a top-10 player — was never in doubt.
That was all that mattered to Federer, who told the crowd afterwards that winning is “the only thing, really.”
The third-seeded Swiss needed one hour and 46 minutes under the lights on the Arthur Ashe stadium court to advance to a meeting with Israel’s Dudi Sela, who beat Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-0.
Federer, who turned 30 earlier this month, is trying to win his first Grand Slam title since the 2010 Australian Open — and keep alive his streak of eight straight seasons with at least one Grand Slam crown.
