By DPA
Melbourne : World No.1 Roger Federer cannot figure what all the fuss is about after the Australian Open organisers changed court surface for this edition from Rebound Ace to Plexicushion.
He says that the blue colour of the fresh surface appeals to his inner aesthetic.
“I prefer the blue over the green, absolutely,” said the maestro from Switzerland.
“It looks nicer on TV. It’s nicer on your eyes when you play. The stadium looks just more friendly, more nice.”
Federer, who has won a dozen Grand Slam titles on every court colour save the red ochre of Roland Garros, said that from an aesthetic point of view, he’s glad for the palette switch.
“The green was very much too green from my point of view, especially when the lights were on,” he said.
“Rod Laver Arena was a very strange place to play, especially at night sessions. So I really prefer blue over the green.”
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Federer, Sampras to take their rivalry to New York
Roger Federer will take on legendary American Pete Sampras in the latter’s home territory when the pair meet in another of their exhibition clashes in March.
The battle of the ages between the current dominator of the game and the man who holds the record of 14 career Grand Slam titles will be held at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The match will be just before the Swiss flies to the California desert to play the Indian Wells Masters. The pair met three times in November in Asia, with Sampras pulling off a shock as he won the final match-up in Macau.
“For me it was a great excitement to spend a week with Pete throughout the Asian swing,” said Federer. “We went to places that don’t see much tennis (also Seoul and Kuala Lumpur). That’s something always important to me.”
Federer said he would be thrilled to play in the Garden, which two decades ago hosted the men’s season wrap up.
“For me, it is a dream come true to get a chance to play at the Garden. It’s been a long time since men played there,” he said. “It’s the last exhibition we’ve got planned, and after that we’ll see where it takes us.”