Federer gives insight on why he chose to appear in Italian Open

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer delighted the fans last week when he made the decision of playing in the Italian Open. On Tuesday he said that it was an easy decision for him to play in the ATP Masters 1000 event.

"I have just come from practising for five weeks after Miami. I think I was playing well in Madrid, so I just said, again, 'Let's come to Rome,' a city I like so much as well. There would be excitement, more excitement than me coming to a practice court in Switzerland. I thought that would be nice," Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) quoted Federer as saying.

"Honestly, I love to play matches. Regardless of what happens here, I just think it's good for me to play matches at this stage," he added.

The 37-year-old Federer last played in the Italian Open in 2016 and he was defeated by Dominic Thiem in the third round.

The veteran was also defeated by Thiem in the quarter-finals of the recently concluded Madrid Open.

After the loss, Federer had said that he was unsure about his participation in the Italian Open but soon after he released a video on his Twitter account confirming his participation in the event.

"I'm very happy to be here. I'm pumped up to play well. I mean, my excitement couldn't be bigger. The moment I landed in Rome yesterday, I was so happy to be here. I love this city. Always enjoyed playing in Italy. It's probably the country I've played the most junior tennis in," Federer said.

"Coming down from Switzerland to the clay courts was always a logical junior trip. They have very strong junior tournaments here. I love being here, especially in this city as well," he added.

Italian Open is one of only two Masters 1000 tournaments that Federer has not won in addition to the Monte-Carlo Masters.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner had reached the finals of Italian Open in 2003, 2006, 2013 and 2015.