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September 9, 2007
King of court Roger Federer is a prince off it
By Filip Bondy, New York Daily News
He embarrasses opponents on the court, destroys their hope and
all sense of possibility. He grinds their games into particles of dust,
on grass or hardcourt. He strides the grounds as the undisputed
champion, the untouchable genius.
And yet, it is impossible to find anybody yesterday at the U.S. Open
to utter a bad word about Roger Federer, the sweet soul with the
sadistic forehand. No resentment. No petty jealousy over some personal
slight, real or imagined.
The big guys. The little guys. They all love him.
"A gentleman," says Pete Pistone, the security guard who leads the
players onto the court for each match. "You never see him get upset."
"He's exceptionally calm all the time," says Joe Ceriello, who
handles ticket requests from the players, including Federer. "He walks
through the lounge very friendly, and you can see the other players
appreciate him."
"A class act," says Stan Smith, the former champion, who has become
friends with Federer. "I've been alone with him after his matches in
the locker room at Wimbledon. He has a feel for the history of the
game. He knows what's important."
Everybody is a fan, a friend. Federer's personality is as seamless
as his liquid tennis. He glides through life, too, without a grunt.
He not only participated in the tsunami relief efforts by tennis
players, Federer helped to organize them. He stops for autographs, even
out of sight of the cameras. When the kid in the transport area can't
find a pen and asks him to wait right there, Federer waits patiently
for two minutes and then signs the boy's ragged piece of paper.
He has a smile for the juniors, for the women.
"Our tour is separate, but Roger always makes a point of saying
hello to the women," says Jim Fuhse, consultant to the WTA Tour. "And
his girlfriend (Mirka Vavrinec), when she was on the tour, she was
sweet too."
You want dirt? There is no dirt. There is a sex club in Moscow,
Nightflight, owned by Swedes and world famous for its beautiful women
and hookers. After matches at the tournament there, most of the male
players head to the club to gape, at the very least.
When Federer was in Moscow, says one tour official, he stayed at the
hotel and played cards. He did not go to Nightflight. Saint Roger.
He is strung like his own racket, neither too tight nor too loose.
If you want tales about his bad behavior, then you must go to Federer
himself. He will tell you that when he was much younger, he would cry
and smash rackets when he lost. Then he stopped. End of story. End of
scandal.
After he finished beating Andy Roddick early yesterday morning with
another nearly perfect performance, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-2, Federer was
asked ironically by an announcer on the court whether his training
sessions were "a piece of cake." He responded with humor, "Piece of
cake."
Somehow, Roddick took minor offense to this exchange.
"I think contrary to what he said, I don't think it was a piece of
cake for him," Roddick said, in the postmatch press conference.
It sounded like Roddick was trying very hard to dredge up some kind
of antipathy, some modicum of bitterness. He was Jimmy Connors, working
himself up about stone-faced Bjorn Borg.
But on second thought, pressed to commit some bile to the moment, Roddick backed off.
"I know Roger has more class than that," Roddick said. "I was just
making the point contrary to what was said out there. You guys can take
that and run with it however you want and make something out of it, but
that's not the case."
Four years ago at this Open, Ivan Ljubicic said some nasty things
about Roddick, and insisted that other players shared his opinion. This
columnist went to other tour players to ask them their opinions.
Federer had only nice things to say about Roddick, of course.
On the court late Wednesday night, Federer wiped the court with
Roddick in the third set the way he wipes his brow: With finesse, and
no glint of machismo. He next faces Nikolay Davydenko in a semifinal
tomorrow. Federer is 9-0 and has dropped only three sets to Davydenko,
who has nothing bad to say about Federer.
It is always a love-fest, even when he drubs them at love.
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