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October 2003
Roger Federer Fanletter October 2003
By Roger Federer
1. Initial comments
2. Quote of the time
3. Roger Federer Fan Calendar 2004
4. Thoughts on my last two months
5. Information on the newsletter
6. Our new webmaster
1.ments Initial com
Dear friends
I was overwhelmed by all the feedback and the discussions on my new website. It looks like we
have managed to set up a platform that suits your needs and expectations. I would like to thank
you for all the advice and comments that you have placed there. As you certainly understand my
agenda is very full and I am thus not able to read all your news in detail. But I thoroughly enjoy
taking a glimpse of your posts in quiet moments.
We are very aware of all your suggestions for further functionalities on the website and are
working on their implementation. My team and myself would like to thank you for these hints as
they are of great value to improve the site. I am very pleased that we have got a platform for
exchanging information from now on. Looking forward to more active communication and many
thrilling moments!
Kind regards
Roger Federer
2. Quote of the time
‘I have learnt to be even more patient.’
(After the rainy intermezzo at the US Open)
3. Roger Federer Fan Calendar 2004
The new Roger Federer Fan Calendar is ready just in time for Roger’s home tournament, the
Davidoff Swiss Indoors. The calendar is full of great pictures and useful info on the ATP Tour
2004. Of course the stats and facts on Roger are not missing either!
Fast orders will be rewarded with a special price for the calendar (CHF 24.- when ordering
before October 19th). And for all orders before that date 5 signed copies are up for grabs!
International orders are possible, you will receive an email in return to clarify all details.
Please place your orders via the following website: www.strijbis.com/rogerfederer.
4. Thoughts on my last two months
The time in North America was very intense – 5 weeks is a long time to be traveling. I am rarely
on the road for that long a period throughout the year.
The start in Montreal was very pleasant. It was my first participation in the tournament and
therefore a new experience as well as a new challenge. I enjoyed many special moments, for
example the game against Max Mirnyi, my former doubles partner. Besides playing tennis I had
the pleasure of meeting many interesting people such as Vince LeCavalier, the captain of the
Tampa Bay Lightnings. And a game of streethockey against Bo D’Heur (last year’s Stanley-Cup
winner) was also on my off-court programme. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the very friendly
audience in Montreal. It was a perfect setting to celebrate my birthday in.
After yet another loss against David Nalbandian at the US Open I must admit that I am not
happy with my overall result, though. It will definitely be one of my goals for next year to achieve
better results for this period of the season.
After my stay in the United States I was at home for 3 days to relax. Straight after that I had to
get my things ready again and was on a flight to Australia. We wanted to prepare best we could
which meant arriving Down Under fairly early. That also meant going from one jetlag straight to
the next, but the possibility to qualify for the Davis Cup Finals was very import to me.
The time in Australia was definitely one of my highlights of this year. I thoroughly enjoyed
spending one and a half weeks with the whole team. The preparations in cold and windy
conditions went very well. We also had plenty of fun next to the tennis court playing card games,
chess and backgammon.
Losing to Lleyton Hewitt after a two set lead was certainly one of the toughest defeats in my
career so far. It was great to have the team around, that helped me get over it very fast. It is just
that team spirit which makes the Davis Cup so important to me. I would like to thank the whole
team for that.
After Australia I was off for a week, before leaving for Vienna. I arrived early, once again, in
order to start the preparations. My performance there certainly shows that the planning was
perfect. I am enormously delighted by my first title after Wimbledon since it is also the first title
that I have successfully defended. Taking home the doubles title with Yves Allegro was terrific,
too. To Yves it was the first final in his career and thus also his first title. We have known each
other for a long time already, since I was about 13 years old. We also used to share an
apartment in Biel and have had plenty of great experiences together. By showing such a great
performance on the court we will certainly be an excellent option for further Davis Cup
encounters. That is also one of the reasons why I have chosen Yves as my doubles partner.
Apart from playing tennis I enjoyed the time in Vienna with my girlfriend Mirka. We took
advantage of the beautiful town and also managed to do some shopping. Furthermore I was
invited to the ORF TV Studio for their sports show.
At the moment I am very busy and one match is followed almost immediately by the next. I am
happy with the shape I am in and my results at the moment certainly confirm that fact. Madrid
and Paris are two very important tournaments which I am putting my main focus on at the
moment.
Soon I will be playing at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel. The enormous public interest as
well as the comments from all my fans have been overwhelming. I am looking forward to playing
in my home town very much. I feel a lot more relaxed than in former years but will nevertheless
approach the tournament with the necessary seriousness.
My motivation for the coming months is enormous and I am looking forward to the rest of the
indoor season.
5. Information on the newsletter
As a registered user of www.rogerfederer.com you will receive a newsmail like this
approximately every 6 weeks. I would like to use it as a media for informing you about current
happenings, comments and reports on personal issues. Unfortunately it is not possible for you to
reply to the sender of this newsmail directly. But if you have any comments or suggestions then
please feel free to place these in the forum on the website. We have inserted a category
‘newsletter’ for that purpose. Thank you in advance for your help.
6. Our new webmaster
Simon Kessler is responsible for all contents on the website from now on. Simon coordinates
and develops ideas, organizes the pictures and texts, keeps the categories up to date, writes
and translates texts, keeps an eye on your discussions, etc. He will make sure that the spectrum
of information will be adapted to your needs more and more. We have already integrated many
of your ideas into the website and are still working on many open issues. Thank you for your
cooperation and also your understanding that certain new functions or pages take time to set up
for programming and also clarifying legal issues, copyright, etc.
Simon is 27 years of age and an active sportsman himself. He works in the field of sports
marketing. We are very fortunate to have Simon on our team and are convinced to be able to
provide you with an excellent internet-platform with his help. Thank you Simon and good luck!
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