Federer unfazed about No.1 ranking quest

Melbourne [Australia], March 23 (ANI): 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has stressed that retaining his world number one spot in rankings is no more than a `mini goal` for him as he is looking forward to defend his title at the Miami Open.

In order to retain his numero-uno spot, Federer is required to make it to the quarter-finals of the Miami Open or else he would be surpassed by his long-time rival Rafael Nadal of Spain.

"The number one ranking is in my head a little bit, but no more than that. It's a mini-goal. It would be nice to stay there but it's no more important than that," news.com.au quoted Federer, as saying.

Though Federer admitted that the quest of retaining the number one spot helps in keeping a player motivated, the failure of the same would not end his playing career.

"You have to win matches to go far here. Going far enough to stay number one, it helps my motivation to have a goal. But even if I don't manage it, it's not the end of the world," Federer said.

Federer will begin his Miami Open campaign against an Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis on Saturday.(ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI