World number 497 Frederic Niemeyer is praying that a few sleepless nights will take a toll on new father Roger Federer before the pair meet in the second round of the Montreal Masters.
World number 497 Frederic Niemeyer is praying that a few sleepless nights will take a toll on new father Roger Federer before the pair meet in the second round of the Montreal Masters.
The 33-year-old journeyman from Deauville, Quebec, won a match for just the second time in 12 career appearances in his home tournament on Monday, ousting Russian Igor Kunitsyn 7-5, 6-1 in the first round.
Now, six years after being beaten by Andre Agassi in the first round here, Niemeyer will try his meagre luck against another world-class ace.
"I played here once when my daughter was two weeks old," said Niemeyer, who is 1-2 this season. "I didn't sleep much that week.
"Hopefully it will be the same for Roger. He will be off a bit and I can take advantage," he said with a smile. "He's maybe the best to ever play and it will be tough for me.
"Hopefully my serve will help me out, but I'll have to take some risks," said the winner of just over 6,000 dollars this season who will pack in his career at the end of 2009.
Federer feels that the July 23 birth of his twin daughters can only help his game.
And with a nanny in tow for the summer North American tennis season, travelling with Federer and family on a private jet, it's unlikely that the Swiss star's sleeping patterns will be seriously disturbed.
"I'm excited to see how I'm going to handle the new family situation," said the number one. "The family can help by taking pressure off my tennis game. I've been under pressure for many many years. This could help a lot mentally."
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