It's business as usual for Federer

"I don't feel like it is the beginning of a new season. There is hardly any break between seasons," Federer told reporters when he arrived at Doha International Airport on Sunday for the defence of his Qatar Open title.

"The tennis calendar is almost round-the-year. It's almost continuous, so much so that I don't feel anything new," the Swiss said.

The Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion will start the new season by chasing his 34th career title at the $1 million Qatar Open, which begins on Monday.

"I had a good run in 2004 and I was able to match it in 2005 too. Obviously I am aiming at a repeat of that in 2006 as well," he said.

Since being beaten in the Masters Cup final by David Nalbandian in the season-ending Masters Cup, Federer, who played in the Shanghai event despite an ankle injury, has been training hard with coach Tony Roche in Sydney.

"We spent Christmas together but a lot of time was spent on the court for an intense preparation for 2006," Federer said.

The Swiss ace, who admitted he was disappointed by the loss to Nalbandian and by his defeat by eventual champion Marat Safin [Images] of Russia [Images] in the Australian Open semi-finals, said he felt he could continue to dominate the game in 2006.

"It's a huge priority for me to maintain the number one ranking during 2006. The Australian Open, in two weeks' time, should provide the clue as to what lies ahead in 2006," he said.

In Doha, Federer is drawn to meet Czech wild card Ivo Minar in the first round and faces a probable second-round clash with former champion Fabrice Santoro of France [Images].

In the quarter-finals, Federer should face third-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who beat him at Monte Carlo last year, and could meet number six Olivier Rochus of Belgium in the semi-finals.

The bottom half of the draw is headed by world number five Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, who is expected to have an easy run until the semi-finals where his opponent could be fourth-seeded Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean.

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