|
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Love of the game
By Krissie Na Khlongtoey, Bangkok Post
Roger was presented to a select audience on Saturday night as the Ambassador for Swiss watchmaker Maurice Lacroix. He was the epitome
of “cool” and “control”, the precise qualities that he displays on
court at all times (except, of course, when he has just won a
tournament).
This is his first time playing in Thailand, and the second time in
Asia after Shanghai. “I’ve been to Phuket on vacation two years ago. I
like Thai food, Thai culture, Thai massage,” he enthused. “I'm looking
forward to playing here, especially with the air-conditioned courts. I
would love to play Paradorn and Andy Roddick.”
According to Roger, he started playing tennis almost as soon as he
could hold a tennis racquet. Soccer was his other love, but in tennis
the success came faster – Swiss champion – and the rest is history. He
declined his former team’s invitation to join their practice though.
“They said they would go quite hard, and if one guy forgets I’m Roger
Federer and takes me down and I’m injured, I might think, ‘Okay, that
was wrong to come here.’”
For the young Federer, Boris Becker was his first tennis hero,
followed by Stefan Edberg. Now, it’s his turn to be a role model, and
it is a role he takes very seriously. “It’s important to get the image right for the young. I hope to inspire kids, and it is a way of giving something back.”
Although he manages to make all his wins look so easy, it hasn’t
been an easy road to take. “Four or five years ago, you’re not sure
where you are. Now the last few years I’ve been feeling very well on
the court. I’ve had a lot of confidence. I enjoy playing the big
stadiums in the world, in front of many fans. When I was younger, I
lost a lot of matches and suffered from motivation problems. I
had to become a man, be strong mentally and physically, get used to it.
Now I feel very secure both on and off the court.”
For exactly this reason, he feels that the road towards becoming No.
1 was much more difficult for him than staying No. 1, contrary to what
most people would expect. “It was a long way for me to get to No. 1. I
had to put a lot of pressure on myself – ‘You’re so close, let’s do one
more step.’ Once I became No. 1, I was playing very free, really
enjoying myself. It’s great to be introduced as No. 1 in the world,
Australian Open champion, Wimbledon champion, US Open champion. It
sounds to nice so I wanted more. So I won three Grand Slams this year
and many other tournaments. And I’m here in Bangkok. Hope I can do well
and make some fans over here.”
And the perks of being No. 1 that continue to motivate him?
“I get to meet many people, I travel the world, staying in nice places,
and I’m rich,” he says matter-of-factly. “I know it’s not going
to last forever, but the legend will stay in record books and people’s
minds,” he adds, implying that as another motivation for him to relish the moment.
It is not just a matter of talent that keeps him winning tournament
after tournament, and with such ease. “It takes talent, a lot of hard
work, as well as good technique, I suppose,” he said smiling.
The hard work involves a routine of practice as well as gym
workouts. “On days that I have no match, I practise three to four hours
a day, but when I have matches, I will play two hours a day. On the day
of the match I just warm up for half an hour. I have to save my energy
during a tournament. But after a holiday I have to start slowly, get
the body ready again, say ‘Hello, wake up please!’ I also have to work
out with weights and jogging in order to build up speed and endurance.”
He seems to be one of the few tennis players who have not been plagued
by injury. “To have a great career, you have to stay healthy. I try to
prevent injury by having the right schedule, travelling with a massage
therapist; I do a lot of stretching, a lot of massage, prepare well for
a tournament, give myself enough time, not try to play too many in a
row. But this has been an exceptional year, and I have to watch
out. I’m always playing at the limit this year with my energy level.
It’s necessary to take vacations when I need it. I’ll have a three week
vacation in December.”
To have done all this without a coach is rather exceptional. He
split with his coach just before the Australian Open earlier this year,
and he won the tournament despite all odds. “If I can win the
Australian Open without a coach, there’s no hurry for me to rush to a
new coach.” It’s a formula that seems to have served him well so far.
He must have had a number of high points in his career, especially
during this past year, having won three Grand Slams already. He admits,
however, that his most satisfying moment was defeating Pete Sampras in
his first Wimbledon final.
Despite his link with Maurice Lacroix, both embodying the so-called Swiss precision,
he admits that he does not boast the best on-time record. “I’m so-so
with time. As a Swiss, and ambassador of a watch like Maurice Lacroix,
I should always be on time. But I’m always five minutes late so I
always put my watch five minutes early but sometimes I’m still late.
This is something I have to improve.”
|
