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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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#766 ·
^^ I agree with everything. I misread the article and didn't realize he was talking about the "God it's killing me" line. It was partly because I didn't know that that line in particular made a controversy rather than the crying.

I thought he meant felt bad through out the entire presentation about ruining the moment (not the god is killing me line). And I also agree with the public speaking aspect. One skip and blunder and it becomes difficult to pick yourself up and keep going with composure.
 
#772 ·
Roger seems to be on an interview kick.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/doubles-game-federer--my-life-with-the-twins-1822316.html

Doubles Game: Federer - My life with the twins
He has passed Sampras's Grand Slam record, married Mirka, and become a father – now Roger Federer hopes to close an incredible year in style at the ATP World Finals in London. He tells Paul Newman why, despite the nappies changing and sleepless nights, he's more driven than ever on court

Rich or poor, famous or humble, young or old, men are apparently the same the world over. Roger Federer, whose wife Mirka gave birth to twin daughters three months ago, knows, like most males, that when it comes to dealing with babies who cry in the middle of the night, the job is best left to an expert.

"Mirka gets up more," Federer admits. "She's quick on her feet. I sleep very deeply, which actually helps me to sleep through some screaming."

Do Charlene Riva and Myla Rose wake up much during the night? "Sure. If one sleeps the other one's awake. That would be too nice of them to be asleep at the same time! They don't sleep through yet. There were times, especially at the beginning, when I woke up and helped as well. Now I think we've got into the right habits. During the day I try to help as much as I can."

Federer does "a bit of everything", including feeding the babies and changing nappies, but adds: "For Mirka, the most important thing is just that I'm there. She doesn't care too much if I change nappies or feed them. She just wants me to hold them as much as possible, because we both believe it's very important that mum and dad are both there as much as possible."

Few sportsmen and women have to travel as far and as frequently as tennis players. Federer and family were on the road within a fortnight of the twins' births, heading for Montreal, Cincinnati and New York.

"I knew that trip would give me some idea of how possible it would be to travel," Federer says. "What I have realised is that travelling with babies isn't the most difficult thing in the world. The twins are very good travellers. Of course we'd never put their health at risk for anything, because that's what's most important, but it's been fun, travelling in a big group, as a family. I'm happy because it was the way I expected it to be. I expected some more screaming along the way in planes and everything, but it's been really easy.

"We were a bit surprised when we learned that Mirka was going to have twins, and we were maybe a touch worried that it would be really difficult and stressful, but so far it's been really easy. I think we've had the right approach. Mirka is very laid-back and I'm also a calm person, so I think all of that enabled us to handle the situation."

Federer is talking at Roland Garros, home of the French Open, where he practised during last week's Masters tournament, staged on the other side of Paris. The most remarkable year of even his remarkable life will finish, in sporting terms, next week in London at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which start at the O2 Arena on Sunday.

It is a year that began in tears after his defeat to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open, and saw Federer marry his long-term girlfriend, become the father of twins, complete his set of major triumphs by winning the French Open, win an all-time record 15th Grand Slam tournament with his sixth Wimbledon title and reclaim his world No 1 ranking.

It could not be finishing in more appropriate fashion. "This is an amazing trip for me," Federer says. "It only really came to my mind when I was playing in Basel. I thought to myself: 'I'm playing here at home in Basel, where I grew up, then I'm going to Paris, where I won the French Open for the first time, then I'm going to London, where I won Wimbledon.' It's really inspirational to come back to places where you have so many memories – and these three tournaments definitely have that. These are good times."

No wonder he is in a relaxed mood as he sits back in his chair. Before the ATP Masters, the Swiss took a six-week break from tennis, before returning to a competition in his home city of Basel. Federer rarely gives the impression that he is anything but calmness personified, but the time he has been able to spend recently with his family back in Switzerland seems to have left him particularly mellow.

What was a typical day for an extraordinary family during his break? "I was just happy to be at home. We really had no plans. Friends would come over to see the babies and we would hang out with them – it was those kind of days. It's what you sometimes look forward to during the year – not having something to do at two o'clock, four o'clock, six o'clock. If we were in the mood to go out, we did.

"I tried to spend as much time as possible with the babies because I know there will be a time when we're travelling, like we are right now, and we're at the tennis, doing interviews and practising, and can't be with them."

The time at home was also beneficial from a sporting standpoint. "Babies or not, I needed that break, mentally and physically, to recuperate from a tough year," Federer says. "From Miami all the way through to the US Open was a tough stretch with a lot of emotions – getting married, expecting the births, was all energy-consuming. On top of that I had so much success, so it was a lot of things at once. But I feel like I'm refreshed again. That's great. Spending some time with the babies in a completely private way was key. I'm lucky in that I haven't spent one day apart from them yet."

Federer will go into the end-of-season finale in better shape than 12 months ago, when he had a back problem and then fell ill. He estimates that he was feeling "only at 50 per cent well" – for a while he could not even bend down to tie up his laces – and went out at the round-robin stage, ending a run of five successive appearances in the final. The knock-out blow was delivered by Andy Murray, who gave everything in a three-hour thriller that probably scuppered his own chances of beating Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals the following day.

Had Murray's determination to send Federer packing come as a surprise, given that the Scot had already qualified and did not need the win? "You've seen me play many dead rubbers over the years and you don't just give them away," Federer smiles. "There are too many points involved and maybe too much money. There's too much at stake, too much pride as well. Why just lose against a main rival if you don't have to? I was vulnerable and he knew that."

That result was the second of four successive defeats to Murray. When Federer ended the sequence at their most recent meeting, in Cincinnati in August, the Swiss seemed particularly fired up, although he insists: "I always have the same hunger to beat players. I'm not one for revenge, even if many people like to build that up."

There have been times, nevertheless, when Murray, a classic counter-attacker, has appeared to get under Federer's skin. After losing in Dubai last year Federer said he was surprised Murray's game had not developed and that he would "have to grind very hard for the next few years if he's going to keep playing this way."

However, Federer believes he copes with opponents like Murray better than he did in his early days against men like Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian. "I had a lot of trouble against those baseliners early on just because they were too consistent. They could always get one more ball back. Maybe they didn't have the best serve, but I wasn't the best return player, so I couldn't take advantage. My serve wasn't solid enough yet, so I would always get tangled up in those horrible baseline rallies.

"Murray can still do that to some degree, but when I play too well or too offensively I can take time away from him now. And I'm too physical, whereas in the beginning I couldn't do that. I couldn't get around backhands like I can now. Now I can mix up my game too well for him to get under my skin.

"I know what I can do and I know what he can do. When we both play well it's a close match, but I always feel it's the attacker who holds the key to success, so it's up to me whether I win or lose, not up to him. That's why I don't mind the match-up, to be honest.

"It's like when [Pete] Sampras and [Andre] Agassi played. Agassi was more aggressive [than most counter-attackers], but still Sampras held the key because he was serving, pushing the limits, taking the risks. Which Murray doesn't do so much – though that doesn't take anything away from Murray. That's just his game style.

"Everybody has his own game and you can't change the way you play. It's just something you're born with. He comes to the net more, for instance, than other players. I think if you look closely, every player needs to have something aggressive in his game to play well. If you want to be a top player you need to have offensive skills."

Is he surprised that, at 22, Murray has not yet won his first Grand Slam title? "How old was I?" says Federer. He was 21. "I'm not that surprised. How many serious chances has he had to win a Slam now? Maybe six, when he's been a real contender? Before that it would have been a bit of a surprise.

"It's not that easy. I was favourite to win the French Open in 2003 and I lost in the first round in straight sets. He's done better than I did! Of course I never expected to be as dominant or as good after that, but sometimes you just have to wait and see. But at the same time he's come close a couple of times. He made the final against me [at the 2008 US Open] and the semi-finals at Wimbledon, and was able to handle the pressure there. I think he's not far off."

Having it all: Rollercoaster year for the world's No 1

1 February

Loses final of Australian Open to Rafael Nadal, his third successive loss to the Spaniard in a Grand Slam final, and weeps uncontrollably at presentation ceremony

21 March

Loses to Andy Murray for fourth time in a row at semi-finals of Indian Wells Masters

3 April

Smashes racket during semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic at Miami Masters

11 April

Marries Mirka Vavrinec, a former professional tennis player he met while they were representing Switzerland at 2000 Olympics

17 May

Wins his first title of the year by beating Nadal in the final of Madrid Masters

7 June

Completes his set of Grand Slam titles with first triumph at French Open, beating Nadal's conqueror, Robin Soderling, in final

5 July

Wins Wimbledon for sixth time, beating Andy Roddick 16-14 in final set, to move past Pete Sampras' all-time record of 14 Grand Slam titles

6 July

Regains world No 1 ranking he had lost to Nadal 11 months previously

23 July

Mirka gives birth to twin daughters, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva

11 August

Wins first match at Montreal Masters, 19 days after birth of twins

23 August

Beats Djokovic in final of Cincinnati Masters, having overcome Murray in semi-finals

13 September

Fails in attempt to win sixth successive US Open title, losing to Juan Martin del Potro in five-set final

20 September

Helps Switzerland beat Italy in Davis Cup before announcing withdrawal from Asian leg of world tour due to exhaustion

8 November

Loses to Djokovic in final of his hometown tournament at Basel

11 November

Loses his opening match at Paris Masters to Julien Benneteau

Record this year

Won 59 matches, lost 10; won four titles (Madrid Masters, French Open, Wimbledon, Cincinnati Masters); won $6,408,805 (approx £3.82m) in prize money

Woods becomes the model parent for Federer

If Roger Federer needed inspiration to maintain his winning ways after becoming a father, he need look no further than Tiger Woods, who has become a good friend. The world's best golfer has two children, the first of them born two years ago. Although the flow of victories may have slowed, the American remains the man to beat.

"When you do something best in life, you don't really want to give that up – and for me it's tennis and for him it's golf," Federer says. "Next to that I think we love being fathers of kids. And being a husband is for me as big a priority as being a father."

Although opportunities to see each other are rare, Federer and Woods support each other whenever possible and stay in contact by telephone and by text. In terms of major victories, Woods held the lead over Federer for a while, but he has been stuck on 14 since last year's US Open, four behind Jack Nicklaus's all-time record. Federer's victories this year at the French Open and Wimbledon took him on to 15 Grand Slam titles, eclipsing the previous record held by Pete Sampras.

Although Woods won in Melbourne last weekend, the American does not have to travel as far afield or as regularly as Federer. Three of golf's four majors are staged in the United States, which also hosts a year-round tour. Tennis, in contrast, visits numerous countries around the world. The four Grand Slam tournaments are staged in three different continents, while Masters Series events are held in cities as far apart as Shanghai, Cincinnati and Madrid.

Does Federer envy Woods for being able to stay closer to home for longer periods during the year? "That's his advantage, but not really," Federer says. "I don't mind travelling the world. Sure, at times it's hard, but we're both a little a bit in control of our own schedules. We can play as much as we want.

"Of course there are some rules and regulations and if you want to be the best player in the world you have certain commitments and there are other things you want to do on your own behalf because you love the sport too much. And sitting at home on the couch isn't that fulfilling.

"I always said I love travelling the world and going to all those great cities. I consider myself very fortunate. I'm not sure that I would want the tour just to be in Europe. Sure that would make it easier for the family, but that's not the way it is. You can't change it."

Federer has always had strong family bonds but agrees his focus had shifted since the birth of his twins. "Before, I guess, mum and dad were everything, but now, in my case, I had two new girls and all of a sudden they're completely dependent on you and there's a third generation. It's a funny shift all of a sudden. You have the babies, you have yourself and then you have your parents. Unfortunately I don't have grandparents any more.

"All of a sudden it makes you realise even more what your own parents did for you and how much you owe them, although at the same time I always knew that. I think that's the nice part of becoming a parent."
 
#776 ·
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/rogerfederer/6591138/Roger-Federer-to-arrive-for-ATP-World-Tour-Finals-with-new-entourage-his-twins.html


Roger Federer to arrive for ATP World Tour Finals with new entourage: his twins

World No 1 will arrive in London for the end-of-season event with a new entourage, his twin girls, and a renewed sense of focus .

By Mark Hodgkinson, Tennis Correspondent
Published: 7:00AM GMT 18 Nov 2009


Family fortunes: Roger Federer (right) says he has found being a father to twins "quite easy" and will have them with him at the ATP World Finals Photo: AP The American novelist David Foster Wallace, who committed suicide last year, would have enjoyed the 2009 tennis season, and not just because of the condemnation for Andre Agassi, a man he once described as being "about as cute as a Port Authority whore".

In tennis, Wallace is best known for his essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience, so he would doubtless have been delighted with what the Swiss has achieved this season, by winning his first French Open title and then Wimbledon to become the first man to claim 15 grand-slam trophies.

Four months on from his Wimbledon victory, Federer returns to London for the end-of-season ATP World Tour Finals that starts at the O² Arena on Sunday, and there is a new skill to admire: snoozing.

Over the coming days, weeks and months, Federer's most important natural talent may not be his ability to hit a forehand drive or to punch a backhand volley, but the fact that he sleeps through the cries of his young twins, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva. Federer can carry on snoozing as his wife, Mirka, tends to the babies.

"Mirka does more. Mirka is very quick on her feet. I sleep very deeply, which helped me to sleep through some screaming," Federer said. "Mirka is great. There were times, especially at the beginning, when I woke up and helped as well. Now I think we've got into the right habits."

With Federer trying to combine the roles of young father and world No 1, he is going to have to sleep his way to success. The twins, who were born in late July, rarely sleep in tandem, so it is just as well that Federer is a deep sleeper.

"If one is asleep, the other one is awake. It would be too nice of them to be asleep at the same time. During the day I try to help as much as I can," said Federer. "For Mirka the most important thing is just that I'm there. She doesn't care too much if I change nappies or feed them. She just wants me to hold them as much as possible because we both believe it's very important that mum and dad are both there."

Since his daughters were born, Federer has not had a day apart from them, and the plan is for Mirka and the twins to accompany him to London for the ATP World Tour Finals. Andy Murray has coaches and fitness trainers in his entourage; Federer has a couple of babies.

Myla and Charlene even went with him to North America over the summer for tournaments in Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open in New York, but that trip was made easier with the help of a nanny and a private jet.

"What I have realised is that travelling with babies isn't the most difficult thing in the world," he said. "They're very good travellers. Of course we'd never put their health at risk for anything because that's what's most important, but it's been fun, travelling in a big group, as a family. I expected some more screaming along the way in planes, but it's been easy."

With all this talk of babies and trophies, it is easy to forget that it was only this February that Federer, after a defeat by Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final, cried out during his post-match speech, "God, it's killing me", and that it was only in April in Miami that he smashed his first racket in years, which was a bit like seeing the Pope flicking V-signs.

It all turned around quickly for Federer in the summer, with the Paris-London double, and then he reached the US Open final as well, only to be stopped by Juan Martín Del Potro's forehand.

After New York City, Federer took a six-week break from ranking tournaments, reappearing at the event in his home town of Basle, where he lost to Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final. At his second tournament back, last week's Paris Masters, he lost his opening match to Julien Benneteau of France.

"Babies or not, I needed that break, mentally and physically, to recuperate from a tough year, because I did play a lot. From Miami all the way through to the US Open was a tough stretch and a lot of emotions – getting married, expecting the births and all that stuff - was energy-consuming.

"On top of that I had so much success, so it was a lot of things at once. But I feel like I'm refreshed again. That's great. But spending some time with the babies in a completely private way was key. I'm lucky in that I haven't spent one day apart from them yet, so that's great."

For Federer, fatherhood has not been a shock so far. He has been busy, though. He has not had the chance to find space in his home for the net which the All England Club gave him this summer. For now, it is in a bag in the cellar.

"It's different being a father. All of a sudden it makes you realise even more what your own parents did for you and how much you owe them, although I always knew that. I think that's the nice part of becoming a parent," he said.

"For us, anyway, it wasn't that much of a shock. We didn't suddenly say, 'This is impossible to handle', even though we had the twins. We were a bit surprised when we learned that Mirka was going to have twins, but prior to having the twins we were maybe a touch worried that it would be really difficult, stressful, hard on us, but so far it's been really easy.

"I think we've had the right approach. Mirka is very laid-back and I'm also a calm person, so I think all of that enabled us to handle the situation, which I'm very happy about."

Daddy Roger is not suddenly about to disappear from tennis. This week, Federer, 28, signed a 10-year sponsorship agreement with Credit Suisse.

Perhaps more significantly, Mirka wants her husband to carry on playing for long enough so that the twins can appreciate watching their father.
 
#777 ·
Federer tells CNN - I'm still motivated

November 17, 2009


http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/11/17/tennis.federer.interview/ with video.


(CNN) -- World number one Roger Federer has told CNN that he is still motivated to win more titles, despite a hectic year on and off the court which saw him secure both the Wimbledon and French Open titles -- as well as getting married and becoming a father of twin baby daughters.

Questions have been asked about the Swiss in recent weeks, who has suffered a poor end of season following his shock defeat to Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the U.S. Open in September.

However, speaking ahead of next week's ATP World Finals in London, Federer told CNN sports anchor Pedro Pinto that his desire to win more titles and grand slams remains as strong as ever -- despite his domestic life becoming more hectic in recent months.

"Motivation for me is really not a problem because I love tennis too much just to say 'I have won all the slams and two beautiful daughters and a wife -- I'm happy so I'll leave'

"It is not the way I see it at all. I want to stay in tennis for as long as possible -- and as long as my wife allows me too, because obviously she has a big say now!

"My hunger will definitely still be with me to succeed and you can tell when it isn't because I will not step onto the court.

"But it's true to say that I am far more content off the court than I have ever been and there is more to my life than just tennis. The test will come if I am 5-2 down in the third set and trailing 2-0 in sets. Then we will see if my motivation and desire is as strong as it has ever been.

Federer has also spoken about his blossoming friendship with world number two Rafael Nadal -- and has admitted the two players get along very well off the court.

"Rafa is not only a wonderful player but a real nice guy too. We sit on the player council board together -- I am the president and he is the vice-president -- and we discuss what is good for the image of the game.

"We both realise the position and role we play within our sport and we both want to show that you can have a rivalry without it becoming aggresive. When we go on court we want to beat each other, but when we come off the court we are friends again."
 
#784 ·
Roger Federer

LONDON, ENGLAND

J. DEL POTRO/R. Federer
6-2, 6-7, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've experienced many strange things in your varied career, but being two points from going out and a round robin qualification decided by one game, how curious is that in terms of curiosity?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, obviously the focus is completely on my own qualification. I knew I wasn't looking very good at whatever, 6-2, 4-All, let's say. Still trying to find my game and everything. It reminded me a lot like the first couple matches I played in the round robin. I just started slow. Never really found my game.
Also had a tough start to the breaker. Just tried to hang in there. I mean, he served a great serve at 5-4, then missed that forehand. I knew I couldn't lose in two sets because I knew that was going to knock me out. That's why I was very excited having won the second set.
It was disappointing to lose at the end, you know, against Juan Martin, who I already lost against at the US Open. Had chances, you know, at 3-All. Had a couple of break points. Had him on the down the line backhand and stuff, so it was unfortunate.
I thought he played a really good match. I thought he was able to lift his game after the first two matches where I just thought he looked a bit weary.
So for me it's a tough loss. But, sure, I'm happy I'm through. That he got so close with the other two guys, it's quite incredible. I am - how do you say - in a way surprised myself it came down to a couple games.

Q. Are you aware during a match like that of all the mathematical probabilities and possibilities that are going on or do you just play the match without knowing or taking that onboard at all?
ROGER FEDERER: The only thing that was important to me was the set I needed to win, trying to win the match. The rest you block out and you concentrate on the match because I don't want to lose against fellow rivals. It's not something I enjoy doing, to be quite honest. A lot of money, a lot of points on the line. So it would have been nice to go through. It was a clean sheet to the semis. I missed that. But it was against a good player today.

Q. I'd like to know, after winning the second set, you had the knowledge that by winning one game in the third you were qualified for the semifinal?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I didn't know that.

Q. You didn't?
ROGER FEDERER: No. Otherwise I would have been gone on the ground and celebrated it, right (smiling)? I didn't do that.

Q. The end of the match was quite confusing. Juan Martin was left on the court for some time.
ROGER FEDERER: I didn't see that.

Q. Waiting to find out who he'd qualified.
ROGER FEDERER: Okay.

Q. Obviously you didn't know about that.
ROGER FEDERER: I didn't see that, no. I was doing something else.

Q. What do you think about the qualification system in general? It's obviously been very confusing tonight for at least one of the players. Andy Murray also tweeted that he was confused waiting for the result to come through.
ROGER FEDERER: I think I answered the question before. I mean, it's - how do you say - there are certain rules and these are the rules. Sometimes unfortunate, sometimes fortunate, you know. These times are very hard for Murray, who didn't get through. But he got so close.
How can we imagine that we all play three sets and it comes down to a couple of games. He had it maybe on his racquet when he served against him at 5-1 down in the third. You have to go back there, that maybe if he held that game, all of a sudden he gets through. That's not the way you can think.
I definitely tried to push myself to close out matches as quickly as I can against fellow rivals because you never know when you might need those games. They might come back in the match and turn the match around completely. It happened to me once this year against Tsonga. I was up 5-1 in the third and I ended up losing. You always have to push yourself. The system is the way it is.

Q. Through to the semis, do you prefer one of the three guys that you can face?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know, again, the scenarios on the other side. I think there, it's a bit more straightforward. I hope anyway (laughter). No, I mean, preference? Not really. I think whoever I play probably is in good shape, you know. The guy who I play also has probably won two matches, I'm sure, so he's on a roll, as well, same as Del Potro and myself.
Yeah, I'm excited to be through. But I wished I could have won today. That would have given me extra confidence. Now it's the way it is. But I got a day to rest, which is probably a little advantage.

Q. You said you know Del Potro could raise his game. To which level? Are you surprised how good he could play? Do you think he could be better, something more?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, time will tell. It's not disrespectful at all, but I think he's done incredibly well the last six months, let's say 18 months. I think he's really, really improved a lot. I didn't think he was going to become that good, to be quite honest. I played him a few times before, that's why I have a very good record against him still, because back then, he was playing very strangely, :lol: I thought. With his size, he was playing more like a guy who is like a little guy :lol:. Today he's finally using his size to his advantage.
It's going to be interesting to see how he progressing. I was already wrong once. So I don't know where it's going to take him. Seems like the sky's the limit for him at the moment. He seems very consistent, very tough mentally, too. Those are definitely good attributes to have for the future.

Q. You had those three break points at 3-All. At the start of the following game, he had the lucky net cord that put you down Love-15. Did you have a bit of a mental letdown after having missed those three break points and then the net cord?
ROGER FEDERER: No, not really. I mean, I thought I actually played -- I remember especially one breakpoint - I remember both actually. I thought I was unlucky on the first one, too, hit the net, gave him the advantage in the rally. The second breakpoint, I thought I played it very well. I had a down-the-line. Hit the net there, didn't go over.
Sure, it was unlucky. But sometimes, you know, games go very quickly. You seem unbreakable for a long time, and then you just need, you know, one sort of unlucky spell or one bad couple of serves in the first two points and then you're down Love-30. That's what happened to me. I don't think I should have missed the overhead either. I underestimated that it was going to go longer than I thought it was. That would have been a 15-All game then instead of being a Love-30 game. Then I needed to push it and force the issue. I couldn't do it.
It was a bit of a pity because I thought I was starting to figure him out actually. So, yeah, he caught me on the finish line, I thought.

Q. Do you feel sorry for the spectators who didn't know at the end of the game who had qualified? There must have been thousands of people who didn't know Murray was out, that Del Potro was through? Maybe some of them didn't know you were through. Do you feel sorry for the spectators who paid money to watch you tonight?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I didn't see what happened after the match. Like I said, I had other things to do, like a doping test and showering, stretching and stuff, getting ready for Saturday, when I heard I was through.
Sure it's confusing. It's hard for Murray. Yeah, I mean, I asked Juan Martin myself at the net, Did you make it or not? He said, I don't think so. So that's the story I got. Of course, you got to feel sorry for the guy who didn't make it, you know.
At the same time, Del Potro beat the No. 1 player in the world, in the group, and I guess also deserves to go through. There's only two places, and that's the way it is. It happens very, very rarely. But I still think there were a lot of Federer fans there, a lot of Del Potro fans there, who were there just to enjoy a match and didn't really care who is going to make the semis. Then, of course, the ones who also really care about who is going to make it there. For those, it definitely was quite a rollercoaster match then, too, the ones who were there with the calculators. I wasn't one of them (smiling).
 
#788 ·
I translated an interview with Heinz Günthardt from a Swiss newspaper:


„Maybe Federer is going to play until 2025“

Interview by Andreas W. Schmid and Oliver Gut

Heinz Günthardt about the perfect tennisplayer, Swiss worldstars and Andre Agassi

Heinz Günthardt (50) is one of the most popular sportcommentators of Swiss television. In this interview he explains what makes Roger Federer the best player of all time.

BaZ: Heinz Günthardt, the success of Roger Federer is also a lucky chance for you as a commentator.

Heinz Günthardt: No question. With him everything is much more exciting.

What’s the most impressive of him?

His records. The 15 Grand Slam titles, 22 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals or that he has already been 21 times into a Grand Slam final. As he is already around for some years you don’t really realize all this. When you look into the mirror every day you don’t see the changes as well. But all those records of Roger are just incredible.

You talk like a Federer fan.

Of course.

You are working for Swiss television not because you are a fan, but as you are a commentator. How’s the criticial journalistic distance?

Fortunately everything is really easy with Federer. There are rarely moments where he loses the control and you get into the fix because of his behaviour. Nearly everything is just about tennis with him.

Is Federer the best player of all time?

You can’t compare certain generations as tennis has changed tremendously. He is for sure the best player I have ever seen playing.

What does he better than the other players?

There are players who could do certain things better than Federer. Björn Borg was more faster, Sampras was serving better. But Federer has the best whole package and is the most constant player on all different surfaces.

And Nadal?

On clay I would have prefered to play against Federer then him. What Nadal showed last year in the Paris final against Federer was the best what I have ever seen from a player on clay. He is also much better on the other surfaces as many people think. Nadal still gets underestimated. He is for sure weaker on serve as Federer. Nadal has to play a lot more tennis because of this and has to move much more. When he can’t do it that good like now he is less dangerous.

Who would you have prefered to play in Wimbledon against – Federer or Sampras?

Maybe the chances for a victory in Wimbledon against Federer would be a bit better than against Sampras in his best time. But that’s just speculation. How nice that such a discussion about the best player have been caused by a Swiss.

Do you find Federer’s success even more impressive because he is Swiss?

Absolutely. We don’t have any worldstars in Swiss sport apart from him.

What’s with Stéphane Lambiel?

Lambiel a worldstar? No way! That’s exactly what people in Switzerland don’t realize: There are worlds between Federer and Lambiel. But it is obvious why Swiss don’t see this: There hasn’t been something like this so far.

How long is Federer going to play? At first one thought he would play until 2012, but now he said he can imagine to play as long as Agassi. That would be until 2017.

Maybe Federer is going to play until 2025. Jimmy Connors also played when he was 44 years old. But he has to be fortunate enough to stay healthy to be able to play as long as he wants to.

Assumed he is staying healthy, do you really think he is going to play 16 more years?

I can’t imagine that he can do anything better than to play tennis. It’s a lot of fun to be able to do something that good. But there are people who would regret it if he would lose more then before. That’s nonsense in my opinion because one should concede a player like Federer that he is going to play as long as he wants.

Most people take it for granted that Federer is going to win in Basel for the 4th time. How about you?

Even for Federer it won’t be easy to win in Basel. But it will be a bit more easy for him than for any other player (laughs). He is the favourite in every match. But it’s not a matter of course that he is going to win.

We would like to ask you to build the perfect tennisplayer.

For serve it’s Ivo Karlovic for sure, for best offensive Federer, for best defensive Nadal. At the net the former players were better, especially Edberg. Federer has the best forehand, Borg was the most fast one. The best backhand have Nalbandian and Nadal.

And what could Heinz Günthardt contribute to the perfect player?

My reflexes weren’t that bad, one could use them.

Has it never been a topic that you would become Federer’s coach?

No, never. But it would really be exciting.

The pressure would be very high.

I can’t imagine that the pressure would be bigger as of the time when I worked with Steffi Graf.

What more can one teach a player like Federer?

It’s the point to keep the variation as balanced as possible with these topplayers. Of course you can give them tactical advices. I would have told Federer this year at the French Open to use more drop shots – something which he has done in the end anyway. You don’t have to change that much at a player on this kind of level, it’s only about shades.

When did you have the last contact with Steffi Graf?

3 weeks ago.

That was before Agassis doping confessions have been made public. What was your first thought when you heard about it?

I don’t understand his motives to publish something like this.

Maybe he just wanted to promote the publication of his book.

I can’t imagine this. He might sell a few books more now, but at the same time he has damaged the name Agassi. He is going to lose money in the end. I don’t know what to say about it, but I’m not the only one who feels this way. I haven’t read something yet about the topic which was helpful. Everyone is upset as Agassi wasn’t only just standing for great tennis. No, he has the image of a family guy, who is very religious and who collected over 100 million $ for children. His world seemed to be perfect, but apparently only in our ideas.

Compared with the other tennisjournalists you have a big advantage: You have been once a topplayer.

I don’t know if this is an advantage. As more as I accompany the tennis the less I understand it. I always have to smile amusedly about all those who believe they know everything. Tennis is so complex that even after 4 decades I still don’t know how this sport works. I would say: Everyone are experts, but no one is a real expert.

Which has been your biggest misjudge?

It has been when I was a player. I once played a doubles match and on the other side was a player named Broderick ****. We were surprised that he was playing on the professional tour because he wasn’t able to hit a ball properly. But what happened a few weeks later? He won in the 1st round of the Rothenbaum tournament in Hamburg against Boris Becker. I had to confess for the first time that I didn’t knew if someone would made it or not.

Did you knew it of Federer?

I saw him for the first time when he was 17 years old and won the juniors title in Wimbledon. You could see his enormous potential. His play was already back then exceptional, just like his personality, a mixture of ease and self-confidence. I said to Urs Leuters, the sports boss of Swiss television, that something big could arise and it would be a pity to miss it.

Source: BaZ, 05.11.2009
 
#789 ·
What more can one teach a player like Federer?

It’s the point to keep the variation as balanced as possible with these topplayers. Of course you can give them tactical advices. I would have told Federer this year at the French Open to use more drop shots – something which he has done in the end anyway. You don’t have to change that much at a player on this kind of level, it’s only about shades.
Absolutely. Heinz seems excited at the prospect of coaching Fed. It would be great if Fed reciprocates.
 
#793 ·
Roger's schedules never surprise me anymore

he'll play where he is offered 3,000,000 app fee or is only a drive from one of his homes
 
#796 ·
This is Roger's schedule as it was posted in the 'news' section on his website on November 2nd. Unless he says otherwise I'll take this over the apparently incorrect information on the 'schedule' link on his site.

http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/rogers/news/newsdetail.cfm?uNewsID=975
ATP - ROGER'S 2010 SCHEDULE

Roger's tournament schedule for 2010 is out: he is planning to play a total of 18 tournaments coming year, plus hopefully the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

The 2010 schedule is as follows:

Capitala World Tennis Championship, Abu Dhabi
Qatar Exxonmobil Open, Doha
Australian Open, Melbourne
Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, Dubai
BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells
Sony Ericsson Open, Miami
Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome
Estoril Open, Estoril
Mutua Madrileña Masters, Madrid
Roland Garros, Paris
Gerry Weber Open, Halle
Wimbledon, London
Rogers Cup, Toronto
Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Cincinnati
U.S. Open, New York
Shanghai ATP Masters 1000, Shanghai
Davidoff Swiss Indoors, Basel
BNP Paribas Masters, Paris
Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, London
 
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