Sports - Roger Federer Appreciation #1 - Page 3

*Catherine* · 03-03-2008, 05:42 PM

Its nice to have another devoted fan!

People are definately happy he is losing some matches

And are saying he's losing his touch. I dont think so, but..

Anyways..for anyone interested in the rankings and points..and what this does to his #1 ranking,..

Nothing. Even if Nadal wins he doesnt take the number 1 spot. Not only that, Nadal has tons more points to defend the the events coming up. After the hardcourt season the pressure is completely on Nadal. If he fails to complete his amazing clay court streak it will strike him hard, his ranking points will tumble..

A few things from his press conference..

"It was nothing to do with his game," insisted Federer.

"It was a tricky game for both of us. One of the big guys had to go out.

"It's difficult but it could have been worse. It wasn't a bad match but that's the only positive I can take from tonight.

"I thought I was missing forehands by two or three metres. That's awful. You have it lined up and suddenly it's out which comes as a shock."

He also admitted to being rusty..

Avatar · 03-04-2008, 11:19 AM

Can the media (the usually brilliant Guardian, I'm looking at you) please stop trying to create controversy where there is none?

How's what he said "slamming Murray's tactics"?

Very few players can play 15 years just being a baseline-player, waiting for your opponent to make mistakes - that's what Federer said. Nothing controversial about that.

*Catherine* · 03-04-2008, 11:35 PM

Thats why I'm not reading articles

The media create controversy around Roger every chance they get. Over the years Roger's been misquoted, had remarks taken out of context or they've just been lost in translation. And over the years some of his comments, when reproduced in part have made him appear arrogant

I'm not surprised they made a bigger deal out of these comments than was neccessary.

I've never heard Roger go out of his way to bad mouth an opponent. He was probably asked directly to comment on Andy Murrary's game. If that is the case, then he would do what he always does - answer honestly..and then reporters run away and type that he was a sore loser and all that great stuff..Maybe Roger is too brutally honest sometimes but thats something I really love about him

Anyways..some quotes from the conference that weren't in that article..

"He played well and hung on when it mattered,"
"Andy was too good for me.”

*Catherine* · 03-07-2008, 10:05 AM

For anyone wondering about upcoming events and the points system..someone did up this neat little table..

Roger has huge potential to gain so many points and further his lead

ETA:

A rather long article, but its Roger talking about his health...

Quote:

Federer’s Dominance Is Being Challenged

By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY
Published: March 8, 2008

Roger Federer’s most intriguing season continues on Monday with a singles match in New York that will not count in the rankings but has still managed to sell out 19,000 seats in Madison Square Garden.

Federer’s latest exhibition duel with the now-retired Pete Sampras is just that: an exhibition. But it comes at a particularly sensitive stage of Federer’s brilliant career — one in which he has looked surprisingly vulnerable to the slings, arrows and energy of the younger generation.

He has played just two tournaments in 2008 and lost twice to 20-year-olds, with Novak Djokovic manhandling him in straight sets in the semifinals of the Australian Open and Andy Murray upsetting him in a tighter match this week in the first round in Dubai after Federer had taken a five-week break from competition.

In both defeats, Federer looked less fleet and fluid than usual and also less than convincing with his signature forehand.

Crisis? Beginning of the end of his long reign? Perhaps, but Federer, as it turns out, has not been practicing full disclosure until now.

At age 26, he has not just been struggling with young, gifted and hungry opposition. He has also been struggling with his health.

Last month, after falling ill for the third time in six weeks, he underwent extensive tests in his native Switzerland and in his part-time residence, Dubai. According to Federer, the conclusion was that he had contracted mononucleosis.

Federer had already experienced food poisoning before the Australian Open, which severely disrupted his preparation for that tournament, eventually won by Djokovic. But Federer, who complained of feeling sluggish during the Open, said it now appears that the mononucleosis was the more serious issue.

“The doctors said I must have had it for at least six weeks, which went all the way back to December,” Federer said in a telephone interview from Dubai, explaining that he had now been medically cleared to compete.

Mononucleosis is an infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It can produce flu-like symptoms and extreme, lingering fatigue. Physicians often discourage those with mononucleosis from taking part in intense physical activity because of the risk of rupturing the spleen, which can become enlarged because of the infection.

“When I heard it was mono, I was actually even more happy to have made the semifinals of the Australian Open, because probably a doctor would have said, ‘You’re not allowed or can’t play,’ ” Federer said.

But Federer was still quite concerned initially. He was well aware that mononucleosis forced Mario Ancic, a former top-10 player from Croatia, to miss six months of the 2007 season, including Wimbledon.

“There was a soccer player in my home club in Switzerland who was out for two years,” Federer said. “You hear two years, and you hear six months. So I was like, oh my God.’ ”

Federer said he was unable to practice for about 10 days in February and received medical clearance to begin training normally five days before the tournament in Dubai began on March 3.

“They weren’t sure I was over it, but now I’m creating antibodies, and this really shows you are over it,” he said. “But I lost a lot of fitness. I was feeling so great in December up until the moment I got sick, so this has been my problem the last couple weeks: really getting back on track. I haven’t practiced and couldn’t really work out the way I wanted to, because you have to be very careful with mono.”

Federer said he came down with a fever in December before traveling to Australia but sought no medical treatment. After his health problems in Australia, he took a long-planned two-week break from the game, which included attending the Super Bowl. But he said he soon fell ill with flu-like symptoms again and returned to Switzerland for tests.

“I had felt great the day before and then awful the next day,” he said. “And this is really when I said,: ‘O.K., something is wrong. I have to totally check things out here.’ ”

Even in perfect health, Federer was entering what looked like the most challenging season of his career. His struggles have come amid the emergence of Djokovic and with an overstuffed calendar that includes the Olympic tournament in Beijing. He is still on a quest to win his first French Open, the only Grand Slam singles title he lacks, and also will be attempting to break his tie in the record books with Bjorn Borg by winning a sixth straight Wimbledon.

Now, 2008 looks even more challenging, and it should be fine theater to see how a champion accustomed to winning big titles without much adversity will react.

“I hope I didn’t lose too much energy through what I’ve been through the last few months, but honestly I’m still positive about it,” he said. “In some ways it only makes me more motivated to lose sometimes, and now I finally have the green light and finally I can give 100 percent in practice again, because it wasn’t fun sort of being there sort of halfway. I didn’t enjoy that too much. But again, it was interesting, and you’ve got to go through those moments, as well. I know that. Through a career, a long career maybe as No. 1, you have to go through injuries and sicknesses.”

Until now, Federer has largely been spared major health concerns and has played in 33 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, winning 12 of them, 2 short of Sampras’s career record. He won three of the four major titles in 2006 and did the same in 2007. But despite his stuttering start in 2008, he said it was too early to claim that his era of dominance was ending.

“I don’t think it’s fair to assess it this way,” he said. “For me, it was only a matter of time before the younger guys were going to come up. Now that they’re here, they’re good and everything, but I’m still No. 1 in the world.”

He said those players were doing well, but he added: “I think it would be very premature, almost a little bit rude toward me because of everything I’ve already done over the last few years. I think it’s not fair if you just say, ‘The guy has lost two matches, played two tournaments and didn’t win both, and it’s over for him.’ ”

Questioned on the value of playing an exhibition, even for a huge payday, at this now-delicate stage of the season, Federer said he had no regrets and actually hoped it would give him some match practice heading into the Masters Series event next week in Indian Wells, Calif.

Federer agreed to the Madison Square Garden match after he and Sampras became friends while playing three exhibitions in Asia late last year. The 36-year-old Sampras generated some unexpected buzz by winning the third contest on a very quick indoor court.

Federer said he did not mention the mononucleosis until now because he did not want to detract from victories by Djokovic or Murray. But Federer was still criticized in the British news media for being uncharitable in defeat after he commented in Dubai that Murray had not changed his game in the past two years and was surprised at how defensively he was playing.

Federer, who said he has now learned the English term “sour grapes,” said he was trying only to provide “constructive criticism” and did not mean to imply that he did not respect Murray’s game.

“He beat me after all,” Federer said. “It’s unfortunate, because that’s not what I meant at all.”

He added: “I’ve always thought he was one of the most talented ones of the whole group, even more talented than Djokovic to be honest. I thought he would do the most first before Djokovic, but Djokovic played really well the last year and started this year unbelievably.”

rach3 · 03-07-2008, 08:08 PM

thanks for the article

*Catherine* · 03-09-2008, 09:47 AM

Another article..

Quote:

A time of urgency for Federer

By James Beck
The Post and Courier
Sunday, March 9, 2008

Roger Federer is an amazing human being.

Mononucleosis can sap an individual's strength to such an extent that it can be difficult and dangerous to engage in any physical activity. Athletes have been known to be sidelined by the illness from months to years.

Some athletes never fully recover from the energy-draining illness. They come back, but they've lost the edge that separated them from their counterparts.

I'm no medical authority, but I remember back in high school when a promising young athlete was hit by mono and sat out the entire year. It's the dreaded sickness that all young athletes fear. It can attack the most skilled and talented, turning great athletes into average ones.

But Federer nearly won a Grand Slam title while suffering from mono. Despite apparently contracting mono in December, he still advanced to the semi- finals of the Australian Open.

What an inopportune time for Federer to fall to such an illness — just three Grand Slam titles from owning the record. And he'll be 27 years old in five months.

It's a time of urgency for the world's No. 1 player. He's lost his last two matches, but he can't afford to take an extended leave from the tour. Instead, he is embarking on back-to-back two-week tournaments in Indian Wells, Calif., and Miami. This is an ambitious plan under the circumstances, even for a player of Federer's greatness.

Before that undertaking, Federer is scheduled to take on the king of Grand Slam titles, Pete Sampras, in an exhibition match Monday night at sold-out Madison Square Garden.

Watch match live

Madison Square Garden is a long way away, but the USTA is trying to put you in the stands. USTA.com will provide free live video of Monday's 8 p.m. exhibition as it picks up the Tennis Channel feed with the help of broadband company TVUNetworks. The full match will remain available on-demand on USTA.com for seven days.

Remember, Sampras dealt Federer a defeat in their last exhibition, back in November. Of course, Federer may have been suffering from mono then and didn't know it. He has been cleared by doctors, but recent play suggests he may still be feeling the aftereffects of the illness.

*Catherine* · 03-10-2008, 01:57 PM

So the match with Pete is tonight

Nice to see Roger looking relaxed and ready to go

And heres a bit about the press conference...

Quote:

So this really is a unique moment in history, and I sensed that at the press conference. One thing that amazed me was the degree of credibility everyone present seemed to accord this event. Nobody expressed the kind of skepticism or outright cynicism that such extraveganzas often incite, or hammered away at the So how real is it? theme. It was as if it doesn't matter: what you have here was two great champions who clearly feel the utmost respect - and a good deal of personal warmth - toward each other. And they've agreed to go out and let a few rip.

I have the utmost respect for Roger Federer and the way he has gone about doing this. I can name a dozen top guys who either would never have agreed to play a match of this kind (so you tell me what the up-side is for The Mighty Fed) - perhaps including Roger's opponent tonight. For at one point in the presser, Sampras very honestly expressed his feelings about the issue: "I have to give Roger a lot of credit. He doesn't have to do these exhibitions. Back in my day, if Mac (John McEnroe) had asked me to do something like this (at a comparable stage in our careers) I'm not sure I would have done it."

Make no mistake about it, one of the main reasons - perhaps the main reason - this event is happening is because TMF is not just an open-minded and secure champion, he's also a good sport. Somehow, a lot gets lost in translation when that phrase is used. "Good sport" may be a description that has less gravity and fewer implications that "open-minded" or "secure", but in some ways it's a more critical and rare quality in an individual like Federer.

TMF lives daily with pressing demands and expectations (just look at the reaction to the bumps he's hit lately on his champion's trail), yet he's willing to expose himself just because. . . it would be fun. Interesting. Memorable for him, as well as presumably, everyone else. Think of great tennis players and ask yourself: what have they done outside the playing field that, first and foremost, shows them to be good sports? Not worthy champions, not responsible individuals, not even kind or decent or responsive people, but something that is in some ways smaller, but also sweeter and often less subject to praise or payback - good sports.

My main interest in this match is how the men will react emotionally when they play on such a great stage, before a packed house, if the match happens to be close. At what point does A friendly little hit with my pal, Pete Sampras, or A chance to roll out my big second serve, one last time, against Roger become: All right, dude, I'm stepping on the gas - outta my way!

Would it be unseemly for either or both men to get caught up in the moment and go flat out to win in a way that isn't usually a part of the exhibition gestalt? I asked them about this. This is what Roger said:

"Seoul (the first of the three exhibitions the men played in Asia last fall) was different. Pete didn't want to be embarrassed and he didn't know where his game was. For me it was easy, I could afford to lose a little more easily than now. Actually, I'm a little more nervous this time around, what with being in this arena, in this city. But sure, it's fine to get carried away in an exo, and if the match goes that way I'm sure we might go a little crazy, try some of those crazy shots you can do in an exhibition. . . My worry is that Pete will get a chance to hit those jump overheads."

At that point, Sampras interrupted, "That would be nice. Let me hit at least one of those, okay?"

But Sampras quickly turned serious and admitted that he does feel nervous. He described that the surface in Macao, where Sampras beat Federer, was "like ice. . . almost unfit for tennis" - which was code for It was tailor-made for what I do best, serve!. . .

The surface tonight will be significantly slower, giving both men the chance to use off of their tools and weapons. Sampras was prudent and not exactly filled with hubris as he discussed his game:

"I can still serve pretty well, I serve and volley okay, but I don't move as well as I once did and I'm not as sharp because I only play sporadically. So my consistency and confidence are not quite right. Now, I toss the ball up and I'm not sure what will happen. I know what I want to happen, I know what I hope will happen, but I'm not sure what will happen. What I hope for, mostly, is that I can hold a few times, kind of get into the match. If I can do that, I'll be okay. . ."

Later Sampras would turn to Federer, and joke: "I just want to ask you, Roger, if I can just hold two times. . ."

In Sampras's eyes, Federer's has the best mind in tennis, and his greatest weapon is his forehand. He he also likes TMF's serve and his versatility, but above all else it's the way Federer moves that separates him from the pack. "Roger is the best mover in the game, and I saw that the first (and only) time we played (in their only meeting, Federer beat Sampras in a great five-setter in 2001)."

For his part, Federer paid tribute to the quality of Sampras's second serve, saying, "Pete changed the game with the way he would go for his huge second serve, instead of just kicking the ball into play. Many of the guys today go for their second serve in a similar way, and they just didn't used to do that."

Of course, given Federer's recent history (he revealed last Saturday that he was suffering from mononucleosis, and lost before the final in the only two tournaments he's played, The Australian Open and Dubai), it isn't as if consistency and confidence are at career high levels for him, either. But he says he's much better now - that biggest hit he took from mono was in the days before the Australian Open. "What's missing now is the matches," he said. "Otherwise, I feel fit and fine."

Sampras, of course, has heard those The King is Dead rumors along with everyone else. So it was hardly surprising when he came to his pal Roger's aid. "Roger is the guy with the bullseye on his chest now, he's the guy who's the target. When push comes to shove, if I were a betting man - and I don't be on tennis, honest! - I'd say that in the big, big events, this will be the last man standing, this is the guy who will be holding the trophy."

He turned and looked at TMF and added, "They (the media) need a story, Roger, and this is their story."

*Catherine* · 03-12-2008, 07:04 AM

Well the draw is out for IW..

Its funny cause usually my eyes go to whoever who Roger might play in the semi's. But for this tournament I'm actually literally looking one round at a time.

The good thing? No #12 seed in the first round.

I just want Roger to get as many matches at possible under his belt. As he said that's what he needs...So I am..cautiously optimistic

Good to see Nadal & Djokovic can't both defend their points.

*Catherine* · 03-13-2008, 07:34 AM

Some practice pics from IW...

I read he was practicing with Haas, so thats a good sign

Avatar · 03-13-2008, 04:51 PM

This song is brilliant:

And go Roger at IW!

*Catherine* · 03-13-2008, 06:11 PM

Excellent song

rach3 · 03-13-2008, 10:46 PM

brilliant song!!

*Catherine* · 03-15-2008, 06:15 AM

Roger's first match at IW....

Should be a good match for him..

*Catherine* · 03-17-2008, 07:30 AM

Well it was a good match for him, winning 6-3 6-2 !

Heres a few neat little clips showing a few of many great shots by Fed (Not mine, BTW)

And his interview after..

Quote:

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Is Federer back?

ROGER FEDERER: One match, and I don't know, I guess I was never away, either. But no, I mean I'm happy the way it went today, and it was good conditions to play, after all. I was expecting much more cold and more wind, you know, but it was fine, so it was nice.

Q. I was going to probably ask the same thing. Do you feel any more pressure on a tournament like this because you've sort of gone missing for a while?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I haven't played much, and I think this is the difficulty. But then again, every first round you play in a big tournament or any tournament is always a bit of pressure if you're No. 1 seed.
I mean, it just -- it's there, and you just don't feel at ease like you do feel in a second or third round. And that's the big -- it's a big break to make. When you start a tournament you start it well and get on a roll, and now I guess for the second round I'll be much more relaxed.
Even though I wasn't nervous or anything, but you just have a tendency to just be a bit more unsure in the first round because you don't know the conditions that well yet.

Q. What about your level coming off your illness?

ROGER FEDERER: Excuse me? My level?

Q. How do you feel your level is coming off your illness? Are you where you want to be?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I think I was expecting a fairly good match, solid, not too many chances. You know, I wouldn't play too risky. Got off to a good start. I got that. Could have taken many more chances I think today and could have won even more easily.
But the way it went I was very happy. Came up with some nice plays at the moment. So, yeah, I was very pleased with my performance today.

Q. Healthwise, do you feel you're at or close to 100%?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I had no issues today. I felt like I was pretty quick out there. You know, my movement and everything, I was happy with that. No breathing problems, no, you know, no pains or aches, so everything was fine.

Q. Are there any similarities between your game and Novak Djokovic's game? Maybe he take something from you, do you feel?

ROGER FEDERER: Hard to say. I mean, he has good double-handed backhand that changes quite a bit. I guess there's always some sort of similarities when you both play aggressive from the baseline. I guess one thing you could say at the moment is he's playing the big points well, you know.
So that's something I did for many years, and that's probably the biggest similarity I see at the moment.

Q. Could you just clarify one thing: In Dubai after you lost to Murray, you assessed his game. Some of those comments were taken as criticizing him. Were you criticizing him?

ROGER FEDERER: No, I wasn't. I heard rumors too that people were saying I was criticizing him. I wasn't, and if I was, it was at a very high level, you know, so I'm sure he knows that. There's no reason to apologize, you know.
If the press turns around my words, you know, I can't do anything about it. You know, it was -- it was minute after the match, so of course there was confusion I had in my head going around with the illness I had and the match I just played, which wasn't too bad.
All I just said was I thought he was a more aggressive player, and all he was doing was just keeping the ball in play. That's what I said, you know. But he can do both. I know it and he knows it, so I don't think we hate each other, you know.
We had a chat, so everything's okay. Not about that, but something else.

Q. Had you ever heard of mononucleosis?

ROGER FEDERER: I did, yeah.

Q. Do you sense just because of the infrequency you played and the illness and the way you played that there's more eyes on your performance in this tournament?

ROGER FEDERER: Hmmm.

Q. Than in the past?

ROGER FEDERER: I'm not sure if much would have changed if I would have won Australian Open and Dubai. Focus would have been the same. I came in here last year with an unbelievable winning streak, so there's always -- No. 1 player in the world doesn't go under the radar anymore. It doesn't matter how I play, and so...
No, maybe some -- I think the fans really are excited to see me back on the court and really want me to do well. When we're on the practice courts, everybody's wishing me well and happy to see me again sort of thing and cheering my on. This is the biggest change I felt over the last few weeks here.

Q. You talked about the ability to play the big points well. Could you go through that for me, and what's the key? Is it focus? Intensity? Relaxation? What is the key to playing those points?

ROGER FEDERER: Little bit of everything, you know. Momentum, experience, knowing how to play the moments well. Having a good enough game to be able to play the best shots at the right time and believing in yourself. Everything that comes together really, I think, on the big points.

Q. You said that you lost the December work that you did with Pierre Paganini?

ROGER FEDERER: Not December.

Q. The January work?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I pretty much could actually work everything I wanted in December. Then I had a big setback right before the Australian Open, you know. So instead of maintaining a good level I probably lost a lot of energy because I was feeling bad.
And then lost some more time in -- before Dubai where I maybe lost an extra 10 days. That was really sort of the time I missed, so I'm not far behind, but a little bit. And I'll make sure I catch up with that throughout the next couple of weeks.

Q. How are you handling your work between tournaments?

ROGER FEDERER: You mean for the future now?

Q. Yes.

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I'm going to catch up with him more regularly, and I'm going to do another three-, four-day buildup in Miami. I'm going to see him there again. I'll see him again before Estoril. I'll see him before Monaco, as well, after Monaco. So that should be plenty then, looking ahead.

Q. Did you ever have a night in the hospital through all these three times?

ROGER FEDERER: No. They wanted to keep me there, but I said, Roger Federer doesn't stay in the hospital for this. If I have a problem I'll come back, but let me first get worse, you know.

Q. You've only played once in about six weeks. People who play in clubs and stuff would miss it if they didn't play very often. Did you miss playing the one time just in the last six weeks?

ROGER FEDERER: You mean miss playing?

Q. The enjoyment of it and wish you could have played little more?

ROGER FEDERER: No, it was my plan. I didn't miss any tournaments, I didn't miss any -- really much. I was just ill, you know. I didn't feel so good, you know.
I knew I was going to spend a lot of time on the practice courts. I started to enjoy that. It's nice for me to get away again and come back. I feel good about my decision, because I'll play plenty for the next few months; you know my schedule. So it's going to be intense.
And the only thing you always miss is when you play in so much of the practice courts that, you know, you want to see the fans again, sort of wave to them, you've won a match, you know. People talk again.
It's nice to be in the limelight once in a while. That's maybe what I've missed, but I knew that was going to come, you know, with scheduling.

Q. When you were sick and couldn't do anything physically, what sort of things did you do? I can't imagine you started watching soap operas or anything, but...

ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, I was -- well, in Australia I guess it was obvious. You just try to get over it. Just try to play as soon as possible, you know, not taking too many chances on your health and trying to do everything as good as you can.
In Dubai I was just sort of sleeping a lot, trying to get over the sickness. And when I got sick in Switzerland I was at a friend's place and, again, same thing. I was so tired I didn't get up or have a drink almost. I was just waiting for it to be over.
So that's the sort of thing I was doing. Recovering.

Q. Last year you talked about the streak coming in here. Was last year's loss just another loss for you when you lost here, or did it hurt more because you had a chance to, you know, set some historic records?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, it would have been nice, you know. I'm not saying it didn't affect me or hurt me in any way. I would have loved to break, was it Vilas' record?

Q. Yes, Vilas.

ROGER FEDERER: It would have been nice, but it's not something you go for. It just happens or it doesn't. I was just disappointed losing in the first round, especially being a defending champion here.
I think I played so well. I think I won it three times in a row. So being on an unbelievable roll. I played great tennis. I played some of my best tennis here on this type of court.
To come here and lose first round and then you got almost two weeks to kill before you play again in Miami, that was sort of the disappointing part. Coming here, everything's working, played well in Dubai, sort of like Andy, and you come here and lose first round.
It's just sort of -- sort of takes you back to reality, but in some ways it was good for me, too, I guess, because I was winning so much. So it's nice. People remind you you still have work to do.
You know, you want to improve, and that's how I saw things. I bounced back and I played okay afterwards on clay and at Wimbledon.

And now he plays Nicolas Mahut

rach3 · 03-17-2008, 09:06 PM

thanks for the clips and interview.