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January 15, 2005
Federer in the court of kings
By Chip Le Grand, The Australian
Serving aces or serving as an ambassador for his sport, Roger Federer is a champion for the ages.
AN hour after toiling under the hot Melbourne sun, Roger Federer is back to immaculate.
Gone is the tennis attire, replaced by a crisp white shirt and designer
jeans. Gone is the headband, the hair is freshly washed, conditioned
and styled. Gone is the wristband; on Federer's wrist sits a hunk of
gleaming metal that has prompted the wardrobe change -- after his
post-match press conference Federer is due upstairs for a promotion for
a Swiss watch-maker.
But whether upstairs or downstairs, on court or off it, Federer is at ease. Maddeningly, graciously, at ease.
If Federer defends his title at this year's Australian Open,
debate will grow louder about his place in tennis history. Comparisons
with Pete Sampras will abound, along with musings about Rod Laver, the
last man to win a calendar Grand Slam. Already, at age 23, Federer is
being spoken of as a once-in-a-generation player.
But however Federer is eventually judged against the greats in
terms of titles won, there is something less tangible the young Swiss
has already achieved. Since tennis became the global sporting business
it is today, has anyone ever had such a complete handle on everything
that goes with being the No.1 player in the world?
From the Hopman Cup in Perth to Memorial Drive in Adelaide,
Sydney's Olympic Park to the sun-worn bleachers of Kooyong and
Melbourne Park itself, all the talk this summer has been of Federer.
Barely a day goes by when players such as Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi
or Andy Roddick, sporting superstars in their own right, or past greats
like Laver, are not asked about Federer: how to beat him; how good he
is; how their own games stack up against his. One after the other, time
after time, they have publicly sung his praises.
For another player trying to prepare for a Grand Slam
tournament, this might be disconcerting. Nice for a while perhaps, but
eventually distracting. For Federer, accepting such acclaim is simply
part of the job. No more or less difficult than compiling a staggering
92 per cent winning record, satisfying a corporate sponsor or answering
the same press questions that have been posed since this time last
year, when he won the Australian Open and first secured the No.1
ranking.
"That is just the way it is, you can't change it," Federer
explained this week. "It is always quite normal that you are being
asked about the No.1 player in the world because he sets the standard
in tennis right now and right now it is me.
"I had such a great season last year. I guess I had a good
season like nobody has had in 15 or 20 years, so it is normal that
right away everybody compares me to the all-time greats. Now it is up
to me to prove it and to be up there for a long time.
"I know how tough it is. To wake up every morning and to do it
all over again, it is hard at times. You always arrive at tournaments
as the huge favourite and that is not such an easy thing to handle on a
daily basis. There is so much going on, much press, much attention, you
are always being followed, and you have to get used to it like I did. I
can handle it well luckily, so this actually gives me a good feeling
for the future."
Like the fundamentals of Federer's near flawless game, this has
not come by accident. Federer makes life at the top look easy, but only
because he has established strict rules of engagement which govern the
way he deals with sponsors and the public, opponents, an occasionally
fickle sports media, and even family and friends.
Where many a top player has railed against media critics or
tennis officialdom, Federer goes out of his way to ensure hostilities
are restricted to the court. Where some world No.1 players have had
frosty relationships with their contemporaries, Federer enjoys a
cordial relationship with most players in the locker room. Where many a
player has preferred to have family members in their travelling support
crew, Federer likes his mother and father at home -- involved in the
burgeoning Federer business, but out of the public eye.
Tim Henman played Federer at Kooyong yesterday and managed to
keep the Swiss on court for only an hour before losing in straight
sets. Henman is a good friend and regular practice partner and says he
has detected little change in him since Federer wrested the top ranking
from Roddick, his opponent in today's final at Kooyong.
"I think anybody who has known him for a long, long time would
say it is the same person," Henman said. "Probably that stands out
because maybe it hasn't been the same with other people in the past.
"He looks like he enjoys everything that goes with it. He
obviously enjoys the success on court, but he is comfortable with the
attention from the fans and the attention in his home country and I
think it is a great asset because there doesn't seem like there are
many things that are making him uncomfortable."
Federer's 2004 annus miraculus has made him one of the most
recognisable faces on the planet. But whether it is sharing a court in
Doha with a relatively unknown Spaniard or a stage in New York with
United Nations boss Kofi Annan, Federer appears meticulously prepared.
On the court, this was not always the case. There was a time when Federer struggled to control his temper.
He has candidly recalled a misspent youth of smashed racquets
and training camp ejections. Veteran tour observers recall a teenage
Federer, in an early appearance at an ATP event in Key Biscayne,
putting on a vintage display of pout and petulance in a straight-sets
loss to Dane Kenneth Carlsen.
The difference with Federer is that he quickly understood such
tantrums and theatrics did neither himself nor his game credit. For a
year and a half he worked with a mental trainer -- "it sounds worse
than it actually is," he joked -- to find the right balance.
"I try to be very consistent in the mental part of the game
when I am playing because I realise that is important for me," he said.
"In the past I was not behaving very well and that was making me lose
matches so I had to change. But by changing that I don't think you
should change your personality. You have to be comfortable with the way
you act on the court.
"At one stage I was too nervous, too wild, swearing, throwing
raquets, all those bad things. Then I got into a mood where I was too
quiet, which was very strange for me. It was very difficult to get over
that and start pumping the fist again and saying 'hey listen, I am
happy with that shot'. That took me about two years where I was
fighting with myself to get the attitude right on court."
From an uncertain start, Federer has also worked hard to
cultivate the public image he now enjoys and amicable relationship he
has with the travelling tennis press corps. Earlier in his career,
Federer was frustrated by what he saw as a misrepresentation of his
character and personality. More recently, he has developed a reputation
as one of the tour's most accommodating players. He makes it part of
his job to get along with those reporting on his sport.
"I think it is important that I enjoy working with the media,"
Federer said. "I see them every day and if I start fighting with them,
or get in a mood not to answer their questions, this is when I can get
into problems. I am who I am and I really just don't try to change for
the media, because I want to stay natural."
There is a pattern here, one of a professional sportsman
systematically removing any potential hurdles -- whether it be bad
press, bad court behaviour or unnecessary friction with rival players
-- which could otherwise make an already gruelling job more difficult.
Calendar Grand Slams and Australian Open titles
notwithstanding, Federer has set himself two major goals this year: to
defend his Wimbledon title and retain the world No.1 ranking.
Federer will today be joined by mentor Tony Roche, who has
accepted on a part-time basis perhaps the easiest and most difficult
coaching assignment in tennis.
But whatever happens over the next two weeks -- and it is hard
to foresee anything but another Federer triumph on current evidence --
there is an unmistakable feeling that Federer has settled in for a
long, comfortable stay at the top.
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