Thaindian News

Madrid, May 14 (IANS) Roger Federer, after his victory over Czech Tomas Berdych, insisted that he was not considering a boycott of the Mutua Madrid Open.

Federer came back from a set down to win a very even match 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 in over two and a half hours Sunday. With this victory the Swiss maestro leap-frogged Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the world rankings.

“I am looking forward to coming back next year, thank you for making it so special for me and I will see you all again,” he told the crowd after receiving the trophy from Infanta Elena, the eldest daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain.

The week in Madrid has been marked by controversy over the blue clay surface used in the tournament, with both Nadal and World number one, Novak Djorkovic stating they would not return next year unless the surface was changed, reported Xinhua.

Federer also had words for Berdych, who had pushed him to the limit in Madrid.

“Congratulation, I am sure we will play each other many more times, and I hope the matches are as good as this one,” continued Federer, whose victory means he has won the tournament on three occasions

“I have really enjoyed coming to Madrid every year. Thanks for all of the hard work which goes on behind the scenes to make it special for us,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Berdych congratulated Federer on his win

“I want to congratulate Roger, he really is the star here, so congratulations. It was a close game, sometimes you just need a little bit of luck to win a match like that,” said Berdych who confirmed that he would not be following Nadal and Djokovic in threatening a boycott.

“I have had a great week and it is a great start to the clay court and I can say that I will definitely be back next year,”

“I’m upset now, but I will be better in a couple of hours, you have to learn from the good things and the bad things, especially the bad things,” he said.