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#1 ·
ATPtennis.com

ATP INSIDER

Players Pay Their Respects to Carter

Roger Federer and Marc Rosset were among the tennis friends who paid their last respects to Peter Carter on Wednesday.

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PLAYERS PAY THEIR RESPECTS TO CARTER
Swiss players ROGER FEDERER and MARC ROSSET were among the more than 200 tennis friends who paid their last respects to Swiss Davis Cup coach Peter Carter at a funeral in St. Leonhard's Church in Basel on Wednesday. The 37-year-old Australian died in a car accident in South Africa on Aug. 1. The moving ceremony was conducted by the priest who had performed the marriage rites between Carter and his Swiss-born wife Silvia little more than a year ago. Eulogies were given by Silvia, Christine Ungricht, president of the Swiss Tennis Association and a close childhood friend from Australia. Federer, who began playing tennis as an eight-year-old with Carter, was joined at the funeral by Rosset and various players from Young Boys Basel, Carter's Club Team. DARREN CAHILL, a long -time hometown friend of Carter and current coach of ANDRE AGASSI, also was in attendance.
 
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#4 ·
Federer Struggles With His Altered World

By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY
Published: April 9, 2009

One of the best and cruelest aspects of tennis is that there is nowhere to hide. You might be an all-time great, even the all-time great, and yet you are only as effective as the forehands, backhands and decisions you are making on any given day.

Soccer and rugby stars in a funk or in decline can rely on teammates. Golfers, unless they are Tiger Woods, aren’t expected to win or even shine every week. Stars in judged sports can lean on the judges’ memories and inclinations.

A tennis star like Roger Federer stands exposed — in all his brilliance or all his disarray — in every match. And while it might take a while to know that a seminal athlete in another sport is vulnerable, tennis provides an abundance of evidence in a hurry.

It is piling high for Federer as he continues to devolve from a ruthless closer with a killer forehand into an edgy mortal with performance anxiety. He has won one tournament since the U.S. Open last year and has not won an event in four attempts so far this year, with the clay-court season — never part of his kingdom — now under way.

So far, the studied Swiss with the acquired cool has not left us guessing how much it hurts. There were the uncontrollable tears in defeat at the Australian Open, where he faded in the fifth set against nemesis-in-chief Rafael Nadal. There was the racket smashing in Miami last week early in the third set of his error-strewn semifinal loss to one of his nemeses-in-waiting, Novak Djokovic.

Federer hardly lost the plot altogether. He simply reached down slowly to pick up the crumpled frame and then flicked it in the direction of his courtside chair. But for an understated champion for whom appearances matter (greatly), it was as if he had begun yanking out his hair and shrieking “Why me!?” to the world.

It required great effort for Federer to cure himself of the on-court tantrums of his youth. To see him resume breaking rackets now, after all these years of self-control, was like watching the owner of a health food store start fumbling through his desk drawer for a long-lost pack of cigarettes.

But perhaps we exaggerate for effect, and perhaps we are all getting elegiac about Federer, the tennis genius, rather too soon.

With his 28th birthday looming in August, his days of Slam-in, tournament-out dominance are clearly over. His body is also beginning to betray him more regularly. But it would be both unwise and unfair to write him off just yet.

Yes, the game he once ruled with so few hints of rebellion from the serfs is now governed by Nadal, with Djokovic and, above all, Andy Murray quickly acquiring territory and treasure.

Yes, Federer’s level under the greatest pressure has dropped. He has lost five straight times to Nadal and four straight times to the counterpunching Murray. But he has beaten other quality players convincingly this year, including Fernando Verdasco and Andy Roddick. The range of Federer’s ball-striking ability and world view is such that some meaningful mid-career adjustments are possible.

His appetite for traveling and playing the game appears undiminished, which is due to his intelligent scheduling and also to the fact that his longtime companion Mirka Vavrinec was a globe-trotting tennis professional herself.

Pete Sampras, the modern champion whose career most closely parallels Federer’s, was already growing weary of the grind in his late 20s. But it is Sampras who should provide Federer with some inspiration at this vulnerable stage. After years of dominance on fast surfaces, Sampras also hit an extended rough patch, only to emerge with his 14th Grand Slam singles title.

Sampras did it at age 31 at the 2002 U.S. Open, well aware that big life changes were coming, with his wife Bridgette Wilson pregnant with their first child. Though slightly younger, Federer finds himself chasing No. 14 and a share of Sampras’s all-time record with Vavrinec also expecting their first.

“There are definitely some parallels,” said Paul Annacone, Sampras’s longtime coach, in an interview this week. “Just as it was for Pete, it’s a particularly interesting, challenging time in Roger’s career. But I would look at it with Roger in the same way as for Pete. For guys like that, it is daunting but not that daunting. They are so skilled they can adjust, but a lot of the adjustment is mental.”

Annacone thinks Roger grew accustomed to overwhelming opponents from the back court: to being the better athlete and hitting a more, consistent and heavier ball.

“We are all creatures of habits,” Annacone said. “Roger has won a lot a certain way, and when you’ve done that for four or five years and then in Year 6 or 7 that shot that used to be a winner isn’t a winner anymore, the tendency in human nature is to overplay a little bit. And that’s what’s happening. His couple of patterns that used to be very dominant are still successful against 95 percent of the guys — just not against that last five percent.”

Annacone understandably leans toward Federer’s hiring a full-time coach. “I always feel in an individual sports, it’s up to the guy on court, but as you watch the evolution of careers, it’s good to have someone you trust and who understands you and what you’re trying to do and also your game and the history of what’s gone on,” he said.

To say that Federer has been without a coach is not entirely accurate. He has had world-class voices in his ear, including Jose Higueras last year and Darren Cahill for nine days this year. Both men surely discussed tactical and technical solutions to the negative trends.

Applying those solutions is up to Federer. He has looked, if anything, too intent on getting results: hence the tears and the crumpled racket when the shots won’t obey the mind down the stretch. Perhaps there is more to the mental block: something personal, something private. Tennis is, after all, a mirror to its practitioners’ souls. But knowing what we know, it still seems premature to start summing up the Federer era.

“He may choose to keep doing what he’s been doing and not tweaking, and that’s his choice as a champion,” Annacone said. “But for me it would be a shame. If you have a lot of weapons in your arsenal and choose not to use them, what’s the point in having them? It’s a matter of managing them a bit differently than he did a few years ago.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/sports/tennis/10iht-ARENA.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hpw
 
#5 ·
Thanks Eden. Great analysis by Annacone, Roger should hire him ASAP.
 
#7 · (Edited)
with the right coach by his side and imo another trainer/physio on the road full-time can only bring out the best in him.
Annacone?
R.Lansdorp?
C.Rodriguez?
who might best suit his game?:scratch:
I want Roger to play well again and it pains me to see him struggle so much:awww:
 
#8 ·
:eek: where is the other thread? Part 1?

Federer accepts wild card for Monte Carlo Masters

MONACO (AP)—Roger Federer has accepted a last-minute wild card invitation to play in the Monte Carlo Masters next week.

The second-ranked Federer is a three-time finalist at the clay-court tournament but has never won. Last year, Rafael Nadal beat Federer 7-5, 7-5 in the final.

Nadal will be going for his fifth straight title at the tournament in Monaco, which will include nine of the top 10 players. Only sixth-ranked Andy Roddick will miss the event.

Tournament director Zeljko Franulovic says Thursday that “we never gave up hope that (Federer) would be present.”
 
#9 ·
:eek: where is the other thread? Part 1?
All the chat threads with more than 5000 posts were closed/changed location/whatever because they caused the forum to crash every time (the 'database errors'). I've been told by the mods that the old threads will be available to read again in due time.

Federer accepts wild card for Monte Carlo Masters

MONACO (AP)—Roger Federer has accepted a last-minute wild card invitation to play in the Monte Carlo Masters next week.

The second-ranked Federer is a three-time finalist at the clay-court tournament but has never won. Last year, Rafael Nadal beat Federer 7-5, 7-5 in the final.
A very pleasant surprise. :D
 
#10 ·
ATP - MONTE CARLO


Dear Fans

I have decided to accept a wildcard into the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tournament that begins on Monday. I will head there this weekend to start the clay court season.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support.


All the best,

Roger

:eek::eek::eek:
 
#11 ·
Has anyone seen this? I think something bigger is happening in his life that people are not aware of. He just looks and sound like a wounded lion, that breaks my heart.:sad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilzAU6daSHA
 
#12 ·
I'm afraid a lot of people have indeed seen that. There was a gigantic mocking thread in GM yesterday about it - of course. :rolleyes:
Let's not even go there... :help:
 
#14 ·
It's exactly like you say. The poor fellow had to give that post-match interview only some ten minutes after that dreadful match. He was still sweating - OF COURSE. You can tell he isn't actually *happy* out there, but there are NO TEARS whatsoever.

Whatever. Of course the Hata's were having a field day on GM again. Even some Rafa-tards came along to his defense, guess that tells enough. :help:
 
#17 ·
yea, i just dont get who drop that load of crap telling he is wiping tears?! i mean he was MAD not SAD!,.. i could see how he breathe fire ,..he was just sweating from the match and from the anger,. *u kno how anger = faster heartbeat=sweat...
 
#25 ·
I really really hope that things are fixed so that the old Roger News and Articles thread can be a read only thread.. It'd be sad to lose all that :(
:wavey: I shall try to bring back the news / articles thread and the picture thread as soon as I have some time. It takes up quite a bit of time so it might not be overnight ;)
 
#21 ·
Federer will be back

Martin Kelner

April 11. 2009


The target nagging away and frustrating Roger Federer is Pete Sampras's record haul of 14 grand slam titles. Randi Sokoloff / The National

Are Roger Federer’s powers on the wane? That is the question intriguing the world of tennis as we head for grand slams in Paris, Wimbledon, and New York.

The same question was asked last year after his heavy defeat to Rafael Nadal in the French Open, and further disappointment in a thrilling final at Wimbledon. Federer, however, showed with his straight sets victory over Andy Murray at the US Open how deluded those critics were who leapt in to administer the last rites to a wonderful career.

It would, of course, be similarly unwise now to rule the Swiss genius out of the upcoming slams, but his petulant reaction to his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the semi-final at the Miami Masters was a sign that Federer himself is starting to worry about the decline in his game in recent tournaments.

It is by no means unusual to see a player smash his racket, fail to shake hands with the umpire, and be glum and unresponsive in a press conference after losing a match. But not Federer.

He has built a reputation on being cool and dispassionate, putting disappointment behind him, and maintaining focus on the challenges ahead. His reaction in Miami was so much against type, it was as if Shane Warne had announced he was giving up cricket to become a Trappist Monk.

Clearly, the target that is nagging away and frustrating Federer is Pete Sampras’s record haul of 14 grand slam titles. Federer is one short of the total, and came desperately close to reaching it at this year’s Australian Open. His disappointed reaction in Melbourne after defeat to Nadal gives you an idea how important the record is to Roger, and normally you would expect him to win another slam or two – possibly Wimbledon this year – before a gentle decline, and the final ride into the sunset.

His problem now is the form being shown by his rivals on the tour. This is something of a golden age for men’s tennis, with Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray all playing better than ever. Behind them in the rankings, Del Potro, Verdasco, Roddick, and Simon are all capable of upsetting any of the top players. There was certainly not this depth of talent at the top of the tennis tree when Sampras was racking up his titles.

Having said that, I expect Federer to equal Sampras’s record, if not this year, then next.

He is not even 28-years-old yet, and having had the benefit of the best wisdom on nutrition, coaching, and physiotherapy since his teenage years, there is no reason on earth to expect much in the way of physical decline for some time yet.

As with most competitors in individual sports, the main enemy to be feared is between his ears. Failure in Miami rattled him, but experience tells you he will regroup and continue to be the opponent his rivals in the top four least want to encounter.

My view is that Federer’s appearance in 10 consecutive grand slam men’s singles finals between 2005 and 2007 make him the greatest tennis player, and only a curmudgeon would deny him the final slam triumph to cement that title.

Source: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090411/SPORTCOLUMNISTS/855085521/1078/SPORT&template=columnists
 
#28 ·
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Federer!

GOD Bless Federer's family have a happy life forever!!!!!!!!!:bounce::bounce::bounce:




OFF COURT - MR. AND MRS. FEDERER


Dear Fans

Earlier today, in my hometown of Basel, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family, Mirka and I got married. It was a beautiful spring day and an incredibly joyous occasion.

Mr. and Mrs. Roger Federer wish all of you a Happy Easter weekend.

Love,
Roger
 
#29 ·
Brief-Tennis-Federer marries long-term girlfriend

WELLINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - World number two Roger Federer married his long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec in his home town of Basel in Switzerland on Saturday.

“Earlier today…surrounded by a small group of close friends and family, Mirka and I got married,” Federer said on his official website (www.rogerfederer.com). “It was a beautiful spring day and an incredibly joyous occasion.”

Federer and Vavrinec met at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Federer said last month they were expecting their first child later this year.

(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by John Mehaffey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
 
#31 ·
Paris Prep: Federer, Nadal, Murray, Monfils Face Off

By Tennis Week
Sunday, April 12, 2009

Put four-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal, French Open finalist Roger Federer, French Open semifinalist Gael Monfils and US Open runner-up Andy Murray together on a red clay court in Paris this spring and you might be watching the 2009 French Open semifinals, right?

Possibly, but before Roland Garros begins, several of tennis' top players are set to share the court — as teammates and opponents — in a unique new event that will be staged on red clay in Paris providing ideal preparation for the French Open.

Nadal, Federer, Monfils and Murray lead the field for the inaugural Guinot Mary Cohr Masters première tournament, set for May 20-22 at the Paris Golf & Country Club in Rueil-Malmaison on the outskirts of Paris. Eight other players including David Nalbandian, Marat Safin, James Blake, Tommy Haas, Stanislas Wawrinka and the Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Arnaud Clément will join this dream quartet for an unusual and original set-up. The team competition will feature the same balls and court conditions as Roland Garros.

The 12 players will be divided up into two teams of six, Guinot vs. Mary Cohr, coached by internationally renowned captains. Two best-of-three set matches a day from 1:30 p.m. onwards will commence. Each player will play once only during the three-day tournament and the two captains will challenge one another on the Friday just before the presentation of the trophy. Because the stands are nearer the courts than anywhere else, the spectators will get a close-up of the stars in competition.

A few days away from the kick-off of the Paris Grand Slam, the main contestants of the Musketeers Cup will already feel they are steeped in it. Event organizers say the event "is not an exhibition but rather preparation in ideal conditions. Same climate, same surface, same balls as during Roland-Garros, perfect practice conditions."

For ticket information, please visit www.guinotmarycohrmasters.com or phone 0 825 811 812.

Source: http://www.tennisweek.com/news/fullstory.sps?inewsid=6630606
 
#33 ·
www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/honeymoon-on-hold-for-newlywed-federer-1667934.html
Honeymoon on hold for newly-wed Federer
World No 2 takes up wild card in Monte Carlo Masters after surprise wedding
By Paul Newman in Monte Carlo

Monday, 13 April 2009
AP
Monte Carlo may sound like the perfect honeymoon destination, but this was probably not what Mirka Vavrinec had envisaged. Having married in Switzerland on Saturday, the bride flew here yesterday with her groom so that he could go straight back to work. Business is business, especially when your husband is the world's most famous tennis player and there is an important tournament in the offing.

Vavrinec and Roger Federer, who is playing here in this week's Monte Carlo Masters, met nine years ago at the Sydney Olympics. She has been his constant companion ever since, helping to run his business affairs and supporting him from the side of courts around the world. The couple recently announced they were expecting their first child this summer and on Saturday they married in Federer's home town of Basle.

The wedding was a closely kept secret, with Federer making a simple announcement on his official website. "Dear fans," he said. "Earlier today, in my hometown of Basle, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family, Mirka and I got married. It was a beautiful spring day and an incredibly joyous occasion. Mr and Mrs Roger Federer wish all of you a happy Easter weekend."

News of the wedding came as a surprise to almost everyone. "I had no idea it was happening," one of Federer's closest associates said here yesterday. "I texted him as soon as I heard. He texted back to say he was over the moon and that it was the best day of his life." :awww:

The wedding probably explains why Federer had initially chosen to miss this week's tournament, which is the traditional start of the European clay-court season. On Thursday last week, however, the world No 2, presumably with the blessing of his bride-to-be, successfully requested a wild card. Federer joins nine of the world's top 10 players, including Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. Those two yesterday interrupted their preparations to play an exhibition match to publicise the tournament.
 
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