It's quite ironic that it turned out that way,

I was useless, to be quite honest, as being clear on what was going on out there,

He's the best I've ever played against, ... There's nowhere to go [against Federer]; there's nothing to do except hit fairways, hit greens and make putts. Every shot has that sort of urgency on it. And if you do what you're supposed to do, you feel like it gives you a chance to win the point. That's just too good.

He was serving well, playing really smart, taking chances on my second serve. If there's anything to fault him on it's not closing me out in the second, it's going away in the third.

Tennis is the loneliest sport

Freed from the thoughts of winning, I instantly play better. I stop thinking, start feeling. My shots become a half-second quicker, my decisions become the product of instinct rather than logic.