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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.

UP FRONT...
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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#1,415 ·
The Roger Coaster


05/13/2011 - 11:07 AM

by Pete Bodo

Yesterday, Roger Federer lost a match he should have won. He was up a set and a break, serving at 4-3, against Richard Gasquet, who's not exactly known as one of the mental giants of the contemporary game. Federer ended up losing in three; the final two sets were tiebreakers.

Last week in Madrid, Federer won a match he should have lost. He trailed Feliciano Lopez, who's not exactly known as one of the mental giants etc., etc., by 2-5 in the third set tiebreaker only to watch—in disbelief—as Lopez made a hash of an easy smash that would have brought him to quadruple match point.

It's kind of complicated being Roger Federer these days, right?

Federer himself is vacillating between issuing no-news declarations confirming his belief that he can still return to the top of the rankings (and in all fairness to Federer, it's not like he's planting the questions or leading the press-room conversation in that direction) and explaining that whatever else may or may not be happening, he's pretty much done the heavy lifting of his career. He's not obsessing over major titles or ranking points as much as trying to take as much pride, pleasure and fun out of his life and craft as he can.

As little as a 18 months ago, that last claim might have been a little hard to buy, given how Federer was still in the habit of breaking out the whupping stick with chilling regularity against all but the very top players, and most especially his nemesis, Rafael Nadal.

Sheesh, what fun can that be? some of us wondered. The way Federer is playing now makes that question irrelevant.

Wheeee! Watch me lose, 7-6 in the third, to Reeshard!

Whoop-eee, climb aboard the Roger Roller Coaster—the Roger Coaster?—and watch me play three tiebreakers in my first round against a guy who trails in our head-to-head 346-0!

Holy Cannnoli! Did you see how I went out there in Miami against Rafa, looked him in the eye and said, Hahahahahah! I'm not even going to put the hard work in today. Joke's on you, Rafa!

But lest anyone get the wrong impression, a few days ago Federer also reminded us that while the big news this year is Djokovic's streak—and the Serb as well as Nadal are clearly playing better than he is—Federer still feels very much a contender at the high stakes table. "It's still important for me to get back to being No. 1. I mentioned after Wimbledon (last year) it was a goal of mine. It's still very real and possible. I think I can do it if I win one of those Grand Slams."

The curious thing about Federer's present situation is how unpredictable his matches are, and that's almost always the sign of a champion who's losing either his appetite or that visceral determination to win, rather than lose. It's a tricky issue, because when it comes to competitive burn-out, the player is always the last to know, and the reality of his situation is shocking. The losses aren't that painful to absorb as they're happening; the matches just seem to. . . get away from you. But once you're done, you can't help but ask yourself: "Did I really lose to George Bastl? " Or, "Did I really lose to Richard Gasquet?"

I mention Bastl, who's long retired, because he's the guy who laid the most shocking of losses on Federer's pal, Pete Sampras, whose former coach (Paul Annacone) is now suffering through the trials and tribulations of his most recent charge, Federer. Although losing that second-round Wimbledon match (6-4 in the fifth) to qualifier and ATP No. 145 Bastl was undoubtedly the low point of Sampras' late-career fade (after which it seemed that every press conference began with the question, "When are you going to retire, Pete?"), it was less representative than some other losses which might be of greater interest to Federer, partly because, in his two most recent loss, he's played five tiebreakers in six sets. So let's review:

Before Sampras, who had just turned 31, issued the final big statement of his career, an unexpected win at the U.S. Open (it was his 14th and final major title; he never swung the racket in an ATP event again), he lost three consecutive matches that went the distance, two of them in third-set tiebreakers. He lost a third-round match to Tommy Haas in the Canada Masters, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-7 (5). Next he fell one round earlier in Cincinnati to Wayne Arthurs; the scores were 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4). And in his last event before the U.S. Open, Sampras was humiliated on Long Island by Paul Henri Mathieu, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 4-6.

The downward spiral beginning with the Bastl match was breathtaking, seemingly inevitable, and, in its own way, orderly. But the symmetry of it all—that slow flickering and seeming extinction of the champion's flame—was ruined when Sampras up and won the U.S. Open. Clearly, there was no physical impediment to Sampras playing the best tennis of his life, or at any rate, tennis good enough to beat anyone, or any sequence of anyones, during any given fortnight.

Federer is just about a year younger than Sampras was at the time he quit. He's still playing much better (relative to his own standard as well as his ranking; Sampras was ranked No. 17 when he won that final U.S. Open), plus he seems to enjoy the game—and the way of life he's created for himself in it. That can change, of course. Sampras himself didn't mind the struggle nearly as much as he minded the constant harassment and speculation about his retirement from the media once he began to fade.

But by and large, that signature Federer ease, which shows up in all aspects of his game and life, ought to buy him plenty more time if—and this is a big "if"—he can keep from the kind of ranking freefall that Sampras experienced in his last year on the tour. There's no real sign of a swoon yet, and Federer could really help his cause by having a good if not great French Open and Wimbledon. The danger is that he won't; that he'll be tagged by a Baghdatis, Ferrero, Fish, or Dolgolopov in the second or third round.

We can debate whether or not Federer has lost a step (in my opinion, that first step is lost in the mind, not in the shoe), and whether he still has the requisite focus and appetite. The one thing we know for sure is that he still has the game; it's not like he's spilling his guts and blood and losing 6-4, 6-3 to Olivier Rochus or Potitio Starace.

One big factor in Federer's troubles these days is that each loss emboldens more and more players to take their best shot, and they just plain play better because that splinter of doubt and resignation that they still feel when the meet Nadal, or Djokovic, isn't there anymore. It sounds oxymoronic, but beating Federer these day isn't nearly as good—nor as easy—a win as it may look.

It seems like it wasn't all that long ago that we had interminable debates here about whether Federer needed a coach; now the more appropriate questions might be, "Does he need a sports psychologist?"

My answer to that would be, no, he's already got a good one in Annacone. He went through this once before. Sampras released him not long before he hit the skids and then, swallowing a giant wedge of humble pie, the struggling champ called Annacone back to help in the push that earned him that final major title.

So far, Federer has shown no sign of panic, but the pressure is ratcheting up, the whispers are growing louder. He's also learning that not everything is in his hands. The reality in tennis is that you don't really leave the game when you so choose any more than you enter a particular echelon when you choose; you arrive or leave when your scores, not your desires, demand that you do.

If anything, the results of the past few weeks—and the way those results were created, even more than their verdict—suggest that Federer may be entering that era when his greatest battles will be internal, and have to do with deeper issues than his projected retirement date, or that comfortable and familiar quest for the No. 1 ranking, or a place in the Wimbledon final. We're likely to learn more about Federer's character as a competitor in the year or 18 months ahead than we have gleaned so far.

Hang on tight, the ride on the Roger Coaster is about to begin.

http://blogs.tennis.com/tennisworld/2011/05/tk-2/comments/page/2/#comments
 
#1,416 ·
New interview. Thanks for Maria from Rf.com for the translation :)



http://www.schweizer-illustrierte.c...rlene-myla-rose-liebe-streit-alter-geburtstag


Roger Federer
He speaks about the twins and quarrels with Mirka

He is the king on the court but also a loving father and a husband. Now Roger Federer allows us to have an insight into his private life, speaks about quarrels with Mirka, the upbringing of his children and the next chapter of his life.

Roger Federer on Charlene and Myla Rose

"The twin girls will soon become 2 years old and it's high time to take care about their future and education", Roger Federer says in an interview for Blick. At present he and his wife Mirka (33) think about their future residence. One possibility is at Lake Zurich. For the two of them is important that Charlene and Myla grow up as normally as possible. "This will be a challenge", Federer says. Nevertheless he is certain that "in Switzerland one doesn't stand out". A visit to the garden terrace is not a problem. "The whole family can relax and go have a drink. People leave you alone, there is no crowd."

Maybe exactly because the Federers have remained so down to earth, Roger doesn't want to be surrounded by bodyguards. "Not even when Mirka goes out alone with the kids. This would be counterproductive", he says. They visit Parks with Myla and Charlene 1-2 times daily. "For me it's extremely important that they have contact with other kids, even though being twins they are never lonely. I am glad that they are not shy but rather outgoing."

Even Papa Roger has occasional troubles to distinguish the two of them. "Sometimes I need to look twice", he says and explains the difference: "It's difficult to say if it's the shape of the head, the eyes, the cheeks. But I've also already confused the kids, once I thought for a minute that I had Myla on my knees, it turned out to be Charlene. It is particularly difficult with pictures: "It becomes complicated if just one of them is in the picture and if you don't see her in 3D. That's why we must be careful when we make our photo albums. This can quickly turn into a mess."

There will be probably again many photos of the twins from the family vacation at Wimbledon. (Perhaps he means the vacation after Wimbledon??) The vacation is extremely important to him, Roger says. "It is very busy in the house at Wimbledon. You cook, you clean, you have the stress of the matches, the pressure. Then you are dead tired. That's why after that we are really alone. We go through with this rigorously."

But he is all alone only when he sits in the car. That's enough for him. "For me alone means with Mirka", Roger says. "I'd rather be together with people. I have seldom been alone in my life."

Roger Federer on quarrels with Mirka

It's misunderstandings that lead to quarrels, says Roger. Then he discusses everything. "Not to speak with each other is something like the beginning of the end." Problems don't scare him. It was different before because he wanted to avoid unpleasant things. "Today I solve them."

Roger Federer about his 30th birthday

He is not afraid of getting older. He feels much more uncomfortable if there are surprise parties: "I am not a person who should have a big party. I'm rather shy, I don't like being the centre of attention. On the court yes. That's my world. But for me surprise parties are rather uncomfortable."
 
#1,419 ·
I translated the following article from a Swiss newspaper:

„I like the most the smell of my babies“

by René Stauffer

Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer answered really personal questions at the ATP tournament in Madrid.

Already 66 athletes, coaches and functionaries who were born in Switzerland or are active here answered questions in the weekly Saturday column „Questionnaire“ which was started in October 2009.
Often people answered to the question „Which personality fascinates you?“ Roger Federer.
In Madrid we got to ask the 16 times Grand Slam champion some questions.

Roger Federer, what’s your second huge passion beside sport?

Family, without a doubt. I’m a family man, with my parents, with the parents of Mirka, with my kids. Also my friends are extremely important to me.

What would you have become if you wouldn’t be a professional athlete?


Football would have been my first answer but that doesn’t count. The last years in school were already geared to tennis. I would have never seen myself working with numbers even though that is something which is interesting me a bit more meanwile. I probably left school too early in order to know what I would have made instead. I wouldn’t have known it with 12 or 14 years and would have maybe found out it with 16, 18 or 20 years. And those years I missed a bit in this regard.

What did you learn in sport which you don’t learn in normal life?

To deal with extremely pressure. To get to know different cultures and people. How to control yourself, for example emotionally. I wouldn’t have been able to manage it when I wouldn’t have become a tennisplayer, so this was really an advantage in this regard. I also got to know many friends through the sport, even though I would have made friends otherwise for sure as well.

Which was the last luxury you paid for?

I went shopping in the USA and bought clothes.

Which sport event did you went to the last time as a private person?

Two games oft he NBA, the LA Lakers when I was in Beverly Hills and the Miami Heat in Florida. Both matches I got to see from the sidelines which was really special.

Which is your favourite place?

Switzerland for sure even though I sometimes spend my holidays at other places in order to get away from everything and be able to go to the beach and that the chances are highher to get beautiful weather.

What does Switzerland mean for you?

My home. I like to be here the most, feel great here and Switzerland means a lot to me. My family, relatives and most of my friends live here and I like to get old here and want my children to go to school here.

What would you change if you would be king of Switzerland?

(laughs) That reminds me of Miami where they told me that the people in Switzerland said in a poll that they would vote for me as a king. I answered: I’m not a king because I would have to get older first and have a few grey hairs. I think that the things we like of Switzerland that much are as they are and the ones which we don’t like as well. It belongs to Switzerland that you can’t have everything and that you don’t point out the negativity all the time. I like it that all the people get treated the same. In Miami, Dubai or elsewhere I can get a table in each restaurant at 8.30 p.m. because they always reserve a table for celebrities. That doesn’t work in Switzerland. When it is full it is full. It is like it is in Switzerland and that’s good.

How often do you go to the coiffeur and how much are you willing to pay for?

Right now I would need to go but sometimes I don’t have the time, sometimes I don’t want to go. I try to go every 6 weeks. Sometimes it costs more, sometimes surprisingly less. And sometimes I even get invited.

Which was the last menu which you cooked?

Unfortunately I don’t cook. That is something which I would like to learn after my career. I had always luck: Mirka is a good cook, her parents and my parents as well and also my foster family in Ecublens. Then I often went to restaurants. When I shared a room or an apartment with Yves (Allegro) or Michi (Lammer) or Sven (Swinnen) we tried to come through somehow. I don’t really remember when I cooked the last time which is a bit sad. But what’s really bad ist that I can’t cook at all.

What do you believe in?

Many things. A bit also in religion as good as it get.

Which smell do you like?

The one of my babies. Also perfume.

Which personality fascinates you?

(laughs) As an athlete it is easy for me to meet other athletes and you get along. But I have to say that I opened my horizon more as others. It could be a painter or the leader of a country. I would like to meet Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan. But I also enjoy it to meet normal people. It doesn’t always have to be someone who is in the limelight. I’m happy when there is normality.

What are you unsympathetic to?

Everything evil. We have many of it in the world. Unfortunately our media – I don’t want to say: but they seem to be addicted to it. You mostly get to see tragical events on TV and that gets a bit sad with the time. Therefore I liked it to see something lighthearted as the wedding of Kate and William. That was a good change.

What do you still have to do in your life, to see or to experience?

Hopefully there will be a great life for me after tennis. Not that I would already tune in it. But I’m not 23 anymore, get 30 soon and then you already imagine what is still to come. I would like it to have more repose and to be able to life a more normal life in Switzerland. But I would probably miss the travelling and therefore do it again. I would go to places where I haven’t been to yet and to go back to places where I have already been but wasn’t able to really visit because of the whole stress. Most of all I would like to spend much time with my parents and my family and to do something together with them.

Original source: http://bazonline.ch/sport/tennis/Am-liebsten-mag-ich-den-Geruch-meiner-Babys/story/11727991
 
#1,426 ·
Recently there was a long interview with Roger in the German newspaper FAZ.
I was about to translate the interview but now I saw that someone on RF.com already posted a translation:

"I am able to play still many years "

Q: How do you feel as number three of the world rank list?

A:Not much differently than in former times. Afterall, I slipped down [in the ranking] not because of bad play. I could surely have better played with the Grand Slam tournaments. Paris and Wimbledon were not the yellow of the egg. I up-played end of last yearly extremely strongly and see myself to be on the right way. I do not feel necessarily as number three, although the classification surely says the truth. But I am presented with tournaments not as number three, but as Roger Federer.

Q: Could you resign yourselves to play behind Nadal and Djokovic only the third violin?

A: As long as I know the fact that I can win large tournaments and have joy in tennis it would not be a problem for me. But naturally I am rather the number one than three. But just now we are in a very interesting phase. I have to defend very few points. If I play in Paris and Wimbledon well, I can make a large leap. It is short term my goal of becoming again the number one.

Q: Did you hold your level or to have you weakened? Did the competitors become better?

If I compare myself with 2005, I play today surely better. We improved all. Surely the distances at the top became much closer, so that it is still more difficult to win the whole time. The fact that I am no longer so dominant has to do also with the fact that I changed my planning. 2005, 2006 and 2007 I skipped many Masters 1000 (the largest tournaments after the four Grand Slam tournaments) and set more on smaller tournaments. I granted myself many breaks, in order to regenerate.

Q: Such as Djokovic just did with the renouncement of Monte Carlo?

A: Yes, Novak played then only again in Belgrade - and won. Thus he maintained his series remained and it boosted his self-assurance further. Thus I did this also for a long time, until the criticism of the ATP, players and from tournaments became too loud. I decided then to play all Masters 1000 or as at least possibly seven or eight of nine. I make that, because it is good for the tennis, although I do not play now 15 and 16 Finals any more. But I consider whether I will play next year directly again in Indian Wells and thereafter in Miami.

Q: Against Djokovic you lost now three times successively. How do you stop such negative series?

A: I beat him twice before. But we are both much to good players, that one of us could lose ten times in series. In Australia it was very close, in Indian Wells I was again very close. Novak now is in a phase, in which he can simply slam on the balls. But clearly, I think about it, what I must change next time against him.

Q: Djokovic is certainly the man of the first half year. Would you have thought capable of to him to intervene in the duel Nadal - Federer?

A: He had the capability for a long time. For some time it was between Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and me back and forth. End of last year I won more against top five, now is it Djokovic.

Q: When is it your turn again?

A: The chances stand naturally in Wimbledon best. In addition, in Paris I figure out chances. Of course it is not completely simple to crack the castle, which Nadal built there. There he is the exceptional player and only once lost. But one should not tell oneself that it is impossible to beat him there.

Q: Do defeats gnaw at you?

A: Today that is easier than in former times. As a young player, who wanted to create the break-through, each defeat was a step back and a giant disappointment. Today that is different, because I know that I tried everything in each match, the opponent played well or it came down perhaps only to few points. Perhaps tactically I could have changed a few things.

Q:You still play with a very small Racket. Sampras advised you to a larger racket as he did on the seniors tour. Is that applicable for you?

A: I changed already once, 2002, from the Sampras racquet to my current model. Every so often I test larger racquets. The problem is that I have no time for detailed tests.

Q: The young Bulgare Grigor Dimitrow is often compared with you. Can there be a second Federer?

A: Dimitrows play resembles technically mine extremely. But it should not be the goal of players of imitating others. I see now many players try to play like Nadal, although it is not at all their play. I always said, you must find your own style. At the beginning of my career I was often compared with Sampras, although he played Serv and Volley, which I never really did. There will never be a second Martina Hingis, second Pete Sampras or second Roger Federer.

Q: You are playing now against young people, which grew up with you as Idol. How does that feel?

A: It was actually the most beautiful time, when I was allowed to play against people, which I had admired still on the television, like Moya, Henman, Sampras, Agassi or Chang. Against Nadal, Djokovic or Murray it is not so special, that is simply the next generation. I find it brilliant that I play now against people like the young German Julian Reister, which grew up with me as model.

Q: Thus still no tennis tiredness, although you become 30 years old on 8 August and in Ethiopia were estimated to be 45 already?

A: Yes, that was really fun. When eating in Ethiopia a girl asked me, how old I was, and I let her estimate her. She said, it was tricky for her to determine the age of white people and called then this number. No, I do not think of stopping. I am mental in the position to play still many years long. I have firm plans for everything already right up to the Olympic Games 2012 in London, and now planning begins for the time thereafter. For me it is simply important, the balance between training, match, holidays and family lives. Also I have plenty to do with press and sponsor dates as well as promotion for tournaments. All that must be combined well.

Q: Can you switch off in the vacation totally?

A: Yes, I can relax there totally. To Australia we had one supervacation. But I do not want to get again into a terrible muscular strain when I begin training again afterwards. Therefore I played tennis with my wife Mirka in the last vacation three times. After ten days my endurance trainer came for a few days. I do not want that my body down shifts totally.

Q: They have now two scarcely two years old twin daughters. Is the life for a tennis professional with family more difficult? Does it divert you?

A: The family is surely a diverson, but a good diverson. For me the family is a dream, which became also true. One must just organize everything well. We travel with a maid, so that Mirka can see my plays. And the two small ones go, if possible, also on journeys. After the matches I do not hang around any longer for a long time in the changing room, and after training I sit in the car already ten minutes after the end.

Q: Do your twin daughters already know that their father is a world star?
A: They recognize me in pictures, on posters and on the television. That is simply sweet. My children already watched me play few times in matches. In Basel they participated in the award of the prize and applauded. Those are the small things, which make happy, proud and and also motivate me.

Q: Do Myla Rose and Charlene Riva already play tennis?

A: We do not travel with small racquets, with which they would use to ruin the walls. But it can surely be that they come rather to the tennis as to other kinds of sport. That is not our goal. It would be fun for us if they would do many kinds of sport. That is good for the health and for the life. One learns to lose and win. That's what is all about and not to form to superstars in tennis.

Q: Do you lead a restricted life?

No, I can do what I want. If I want to go to for the meal out of the hotel, I can without problems. I just have to prepare myself to be recognized. Sometimes one desires this and sometimes not. Also my children are not pursued. I am glad that my private life is respected and I'm not in the gossip press. Probably they know that we are simply a completely normal family.

Q: They called your life once dream. Is that today still valid?

A: Obviously! One must sometimes deliberate look at oneself back: What would one have signed, when one was eight years old? Even when I had won with 17 years the junior tournament in Wimbledon, I would have never thought that I would have once so much success, although at that time already many said you can become the number one. A single Wimbledon victory would have already been enough for me at that time. Add to this my large joy in playing tennis.

Q: Do you read newspaper? Do you read, what is written about you?

Yes, from time to time, it depends also on the fact whether I am successful or not. Since Miami, since the defeat against Nadal, I don't want to know what was written over me. I omit then the sports section and simply, read, what happened in Switzerland, in the world and in the economy. This always served me well. I do not want to enter a press conference and know that this journalist has written that Federer can no more tennis play and should better stop. I want to be able to answer completely normally to questions and not develop antipathy against journalists. Those also do only their job. I once explained that in such a way: The press conferences are a washing machine. There you are revved up and out-spat again. And at the end nothing happened.
Original source:

http://www.faz.net/s/Rub9CD731D06F1...84B4B7E3CE6A75B749~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html
 
#1,430 ·
I see that Roger's quote in the interview that he thinks that he is a better player today as in 2005 made it into GM meanwhile :p

I wonder how many posts this thread will end up ;)

Having read the original interview the first thought which came to my mind was whether Roger really thinks that he is a better player today as in 2005.

With a statement like this he will play into the hands of all the people who say that the current generation is stronger as the ones Roger had to play against during the early last decade.

Someone on another forum wrote that Roger is just trying to perk himself up mentally. If he says he's somehow worse off as a player now than he was a few years ago , he'll just end up giving additional ammunition and incentive to the rest of the tour to beat him.
It's important to have some sort of a mental advantage over your opponent in a game like tennis and that's what he's trying to do.
 
#1,433 ·
I'd love to know who would publically say I was so much better 4-5 years ago. Heck, I bet even Tiger Woods would say he's a better player than he was a decade ago and it's been like 2 years since he's won a tournament.

I don't see the point of starting a thread like that in GM, though I get it - good trolling. I'm sure the thread will morph in to many pages. :eek:
 
#1,431 ·
"I Love to Prove Myself Day After Day"

Joy Bolli
17.05.2011

In Dubai, his second home town, Roger Federer spoke about the challenges of playing the younger generation and which of Rafael Nadal's talents he would pick if he had the choice.

Roger, after having played for more than twelve years as a professional and having won more Grand Slams than anybody else, you still seem to be very hungry for titles. How do you keep motivated?

It is actually quite easy today. I used to struggle much more when I was younger, trying to make a break through, trying to prove to everybody that I have talent and that I can play. But then other guys were having success earlier and people were started to question me. Earlier on, I couldn't cope with it as well as today. Because today, all the success you've had, nobody can take that away. So it gives you a sense of security. But at the same time, you want to achieve more. You need to have that fire burning in order to achieve big things. And that's what I have and I think that's why I am really doing well still.


In tennis, statistics play an important role. How important are statistics for you?

I have never been the statistics guy, to be quite honest. I look at them, I read them, I hear about them. But in the end, they are just there. Then obviously, when we talk about huge numbers, about history books at the very very top - and I was close to them or broke a few - because journalists told me or I heard about them, that all of a sudden really triggered some extra motivation for me to push harder, to try more and to stay injuryfree and to live healthy. So, playing for the history books has actually been a big part of the last five years for me.


And do statistics still urge you on, for example winning 20 Grand Slams or having the record of weeks being the World Number One?

For sure, almost every time I step on the court today, I can maybe rewrite history in some shape or form. Not every single time but very often. That's why it is very intriguing for me to keep on playing for a very long time.


Entrepreneurs usually say "competition is good for business" because it forces you to stay innovative. What role do your rivals play in keeping your fire burning?

When you come along, you are the young one and you only play against either same age players or much older ones, which, in tennis terms means maybe 10 or 15 years older. Then, as time goes by, you play same age players, a few older and a few younger ones but they are still pretty much the same generation. And now, I am playing much more against younger players. I think, in the beginning I struggled to only play against younger players because I so much missed playing Agassi and Sampras and Carlos Moya and Tim Henmann and all those guys I was able to play and challenge. I had to find new motivation and inspiration to play against younger guys and find out why it is also special playing against younger players. I think this is where competition has definitely changed my mind set. Earlier on I struggled to get motivated to play against younger guys, even though you wanted to show what you can do against them. But it was just kind of difficult for me. Today, I love to prove myself day after day against younger guys.


Does that also force you to rearrange your trainging and tactics?

Not really my training regime. But I definitly think the younger generation has pushed me to work hard. However, I think I was doing that anyway regardless of who was coming along. I always questioned myself in the best of times. Even when I was world number one for many weeks and months in a row. At certain times of the year I asked myself what can I improve? What do I need to change? Because if you don't do anything or you just do the same thing over and over again, you stay the same. And staying the same means going backwards, because the other guys are working hard and improving. So, I always needed to find ways to improve my game as well.


In the last years, it's the special rivalry with Rafael Nadal that has dominated the tennis scene. What is special about playing against him?

We are quite different contrasts, different characters. He's a lefty, I am a righty. He was the up and coming while I was the dominant player for a very long time before he came. He was the first challenger who could beat me more than once or twice in row. That drew a big interest in our rivalry. Then, of course, we played some of those amazing matches in Grand Slam Finals such as Wimbledon a few times, Australian Open, French Open - and all of that obviously created this great rivalry. And it's been amazing for the sport and great for our game really, if I look into the future and how everybody talks so positively about the game right now.


He's your biggest rival, but also a good friend. How do you deal with this paradox relationship?

I just think it's nice to get along. Maybe in the past, people always felt that top guys are not supposed to get along because they are supposed to beat eachother and not like each other to play their best. But I think I was able to see it differently. Through respect and fair play you can also dominate and play well. That has trickled down to Rafa as well. For instance, he also takes the same approach: very respectful, but very aggressive on the tennis court - always according to the rules. And I think it's wonderful now that if the two guys at the very top have this kind of relationship that can also speak volumes down in the lower rankings where they are very hungry to break through and come forward. If they see that we get along, why shouldn't they get along as well with all of us?


Rafa once said in an interview, that - if he had the choice to pick one of your tennis strokes - he would pick your serve. Which of his talents would you pick, if you could choose?

Rafa has many great assets to his game. It's very hard to try to imagine that I would have some of his strengths because to me he is such a different and complex player. I try to change my game every single shot or point I play. With him, I think this is different. I think he always tries to do pretty much the same and by doing that tries to eventually get to your mind or physically break you down. Of course, he has improved and today he can vary his game a lot more. If I had to pick: one huge strength he has is his movement on clay. I think he moves extremely well. That's not without talking about his forehand and this mental abilities and all that. He's become a wonderful player and a great person for the game.


Being at the top seems especially challenging in tennis. How do you cope with the constant pressure? How do you keep your mental balance?

I guess to some degree you get used to it. I thought it was somewhat hard to get to world number one. I was very nerveous getting there. And when I realized that I was close and maybe never gonna become world number one, I started to stress out. So for me the time of getting to world number one was quite stressful to be honest. Once I got to world number one, I actually started to relax because I felt I had achieved almost everything I ever wanted and now I had the choice: did I wanna stay there or was I just be happy to be there once. I dicided I would like to stay there, and so I worked extremely hard and tried to beat everybody and just have that mental determination and become a different player actually. I really enjoyed being at the top. And the pressure, honestly didn't really cause any problems for me. Actually I think it made me play better tennis and that's why I am actually thankful I had this wonderful experience.


And to keep at the top, you have surrounded yourself with experts to advise and help you with trainings, coachings not to mention the mental support from friends and family. How important are experts in your eyes? Would you advise managers to get themselves a coach to help them achieve their goals in life?

I think the team is always very important - in any aspect of life. To have a good team with friends around you is key. To be able to pick the right ones I think is another quality leaders tend to have. For me, harmony in the team has always been very important. But then also I need people who can challenge me, who can tell me: Roger, don't you think you should change this, we have an idea for you, a solution maybe to problems. And I am very happy if they tell me that they do see a problem or they think I can still improve. It's important for me to hear criticism sometimes because that's what makes me a better player. It means that someone is questionning me who really cares about me. That's important in the business world as well.


You've become a father recently. In what way have your children influenced your motivation I your attitude to your career?

My children are an incredible inspiration for me. Just to be able to leave the courts and come back and see them grow up day after day. It's been wonderful. I've also been very fortunate that they have been able to travel with me so much and that I have a wife who's so supportive of everything I do. She doesn't say "you know what, you go to the tournaments, it's too hard and difficult for me to travel with the kids". I have a wonderful family and they are so in to it to be with me. And to be honest, I think it's helped my game. Even though there is always a lot of negative talk "once you become a father....once you get older....you don't have so much success". But honestly, I think I played some of my best tennis when Mirka way pregnant and right after. For me that was just a time when there was happiness all around. And that is the same today. It gives me a great balance in my life.


Many people are speculating about your retirement from the center courts. But you once said, you want your children to still see you play tennis. Does this mean, you're planning to give us the pleasure to see you at the top for at least another five years...?

There is never a set target, except if it's a short term. I always plan in the long term, which is one and a half years ahead of time. That means, right now I am looking at the 2012 Olympics in London and beyond that. That's why I see myself playing for many more years. I mean, we'll see many things come into play such as how is your health, how is your life doing, how is your success level? But honestly I feel right now I am still playing some of my best tennis of my life. I know I can still dominate. I know I can still win the biggest tournaments, I can still beat the best players. And I am playing really well at the moment. So, it doesn't really cross my mind. Unfortunately, I am being asked quite a bit recently just because of all of the success I've had and other guys always pushing through. That always creates stories within the game. But at the end of the day, it is important how I feel, how successful I feel I can still be. And honestly, I am quite confident. And that's why I am still going to play for quite some time.

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