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Jul 3, 2009 from Telegraph:
This morning, Roger Federer was doing his Pied Piper thing, drawing the crowds towards Court 16, where he was practicing for his semi-final against Tommy Haas.

from The Times:
Federer, as generous as only the greatest player ever can be, is delighted about his friend (Tommy Haas)'s resurgent form.

"I've trained with him a lot, and I knew that it was just a matter of time before he started getting good results again," he said. "We've got closer recently, training then going for something to eat together afterwards. It's great when someone shows the determination to come back after injury, but I am happy the way I'm playing. I am prepared for a tough weekend ahead of me, but 21 semi-finals in a row is amazing and means the world to me."

from Wimbledon:
The argument may go on long into the future but with every tournament and every Grand Slam that passes, Roger Federer's case to be crowned the greatest player of all time gets stronger and stronger.

1 Today Federer is bidding to become the first player to appear in the Wimbledon final for a record seventh straight year. If the Swiss star achieves this record streak it will break the previous record that has stood since 1922 when the Challenge round was abolished.

2 In reaching the semi-finals, Federer has already become the first player to reach the final four here on seven straight occasions and more impressively he has not lost once.

3 Outside of the Wimbledon walls this is Federer's 21st consecutive Grand Slam semi-final. The remarkable feat sees the 27-year-old extend his own record. His nearest rivals for this particular record are Ivan Lendl and Rod Laver who both retired with a record of 10.

from London Evening Standard:
Tim Henman: "I definitely think he'll win several more slams. I just find it staggering how many times I read Federer is over the hill, that he is not going to win another major and that Rafael Nadal has his number.

"For me, you're talking about the best player that's ever lived and he's only 27. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he kicks on again. I don't think there has ever been such a compete player."

Jul 1, 2009 from AP:
WIMBLEDON — Roger Federer neutralized Ivo Karlovic's huge serves Wednesday to reach the Wimbledon semifinals and move a step closer to a record 15th Grand Slam championship.

In a match featuring short points and few rallies, Federer conjured up a few great returns to break the 6-foot-10 Croatian twice and secure a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (3) victory on another sunbaked day at the All England Club.

Federer reached his 21st consecutive semifinal at a Grand Slam tournament and extended his winning streak to 17 matches with another vintage performance on his favorite Centre Court.

"I love the record I have of reaching so many semifinals in Grand Slams in a row — 21 is quite a number," Federer said. "It shows how consistent I've been."

It was Federer's ninth win in 10 matches against Karlovic, who was playing in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Karlovic served 23 aces to raise his tournament total to 160, but it was Federer who never faced a break point in the match. The second-ranked Swiss star won 74 of 85 points on serve and was taken to deuce only once, in the sixth game of the third set. Federer got out of that jam with a 129 mph service winner and a 128 mph ace.

"It's difficult because there's not really any baseline rallies on his serve or on my serve," Federer said. "You expect a tough scoreline all the time. It's not easy to break him. I'm very happy to break him twice and win the match."

The statistics told the story: Federer had 39 winners and only seven unforced errors, to 29 winners (almost all on serve) and 17 errors for Karlovic.

Federer grabbed the upper hand early when he broke Karlovic in the fourth game of the match with flashes of brilliance.

He got to break point with a reflex backhand return winner off a 130 mph serve and then ripped a forehand return winner off a 122 mph serve, pumping his fist and shouting, "Come on!"

It was the first time Karlovic had been broken during the tournament after winning 80 consecutive service games.

The first extended rally of the match — and one of only a handful during the entire contest — didn't take place until the fourth game of the second set, a 15-stroke point that ended with a Federer forehand winner 35 minutes into the match.

The second set turned Federer's way when he broke Karlovic in the 11th game with four straight winners: an overhead, a forehand passing shot down the line, a reflex backhand return off a 126 mph serve and a passing shot that glanced off Karlovic's racket frame.

The third set ended with the 13th tiebreaker the two men have played against each other in 25 sets of tennis. Karlovic's limitations were exposed as he made several glaring errors, missing badly on what should have been easy putaways.

from New York Times:
On Wednesday, Federer defused Ivo Karlovic in straight sets and improved on one of the most phenomenal records in tennis by reaching the semifinals of his 21st consecutive Grand Slam tournament. The closest men to him are Ivan Lendl and Rod Laver, whose streaks did not go past 10.

“I’m really proud of this streak because it’s not going to be easy to beat it,” Federer said.

from London Evening Standard:
As Boris Becker said after this latest masterclass (quarterfinal match): “Federer is the greatest.”

from Reuters:
Of head racket stringer Roger Dalton's current customers Vince Spadea has the highest tensions while Roger Federer, who takes a dozen rackets on court, likes a mixture.

"Roger tends to like them fairly low although he will have a range so that he can go up and down."

from Sports Business Daily:
Wimbledon viewers were upset this morning when ESPN failed to show Roger Federer's quarterfinal match and did not provide score updates during the match. Instead, ESPN was showing the less popular Tommy Haas-Novak Djokovic match. The reason: NBC gets to choose one match to show in their window. The broadcaster chose the Federer-Ivo Karlovic match, even though it could not be aired live. "We're following history," said an NBC spokesperson, referencing Federer going for his record 15th Grand Slam title. By contract, ESPN cannot show highlights or provide score updates during its Wimbledon coverage. However, an ESPN spokesperson said it was providing those updates on "SportsCenter," ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile. NBC is making live feeds of the Andy Murray-Juan Carlos Ferrero and Andy Roddick-Lleyton Hewitt matches available on NBCSports.com.

Jun 30, 2009 from ASAP Sports:
Q. And another legendary buddy, Roger Federer is a little busy this week in London. Have you been in contact? Do you guys have a competition, first to 20 majors wins? Can you both win on Sunday?

TIGER WOODS: Am I in contact with Fed, yeah. We probably text about every day, but what he's doing over there and what he's done throughout his entire career has been pretty phenomenal, just his consistency in the slams, the biggest events, he's always there. Every single Slam he plays in he's in the semifinal or better.

And for him to win 14 and now all four surfaces has been -- all four events has been pretty cool to see him and get to know him. And again, just like him, how hard he works off the court to be prepared, to go the distance to win. He works so hard. It's just frightening how hard this guy works. But he makes it look so easy, and hopefully I can win, but more importantly, hope he gets to 15.

from NBC Sports:
JOHN MCENROE ON ROGER FEDERER'S PLACE IN HISTORY: "That's one of those questions there's no answer to. It's just a matter of opinion and lots of people have different opinions. Rod Laver was my idol and he won two grand slams. So it would be hard to say anyone is better than that because I don't think you will see guys even win one grand slam. Roger has won on all surfaces. I think Pete Sampras may be a better fast court player than Roger Federer, but all around I think Roger is the greatest player I have ever seen."

MCENROE ON FEDERER AND TIGER: "The thing that Roger has done getting to twenty grand slam tournaments in a row is like Joe DiMaggio. I'm biased as a tennis player but I think his achievement is even more difficult than what Tiger Woods pulled off. He's running and he's playing on different surfaces. Doesn't Tiger only have to play on grass? But Tiger is magnificent, obviously. Even though I think they have inspired each other, ultimately they are looking at their own sport and I think it has been helpful for both of them that they have had this friendly rivalry from a distance and developed a friendship. I know Roger is a class act and I've met Tiger a few times and he seems like the same way. So it ends up impacting both sports."

from Wimbledon:
Given that he is one of the few players who have collected both junior and senior titles here at Wimbledon, it is perhaps no surprise that Roger Federer is a big hero to those youngsters trying to take the first of those steps.

All the players competing in the boys’ and girls’ singles were asked to name their favourite player for the ITF Junior Circuit’s media handbook. Among the boys, Roger was nominated twice as often as Rafael Nadal, with Marat Safin the third most popular star.

The girls revealed a far wider range of inspirations, stretching back as far as Steffi Graf – even though Australian Isabella Holland was aged just seven and hadn't even picked up a racket when her hero retired.

But even with the girls Federer was twice as popular as anyone else. The now-retired Justine Henin was the second most nominated player.

from Guardian:
The biggest draw in town - or rather, village as this stretch of Wimbledon prefers to be called - is still Roger Federer, and the Rajdoot can lay claim to being his personal chef. In the first week alone, Federer has called three times to order a takeaway.

So does he get a loyalty discount? Mimom Rahman smiles. "All takeaways get a 10% discount," he says. "But I do deliver to him in person and everyone else has to collect. I just wanted to meet him." Did you? "Well, I was a bit disappointed because his wife answered the door. So I asked her if Roger could come out and he did. I've got a photo of me with him on my phone."

It helps that the Rajdoot is located in the heart of Wimbledon but the food has to be pretty special to attract such loyalty. I'll have whatever Roger has, I say. "That's butter chicken, pilau rice and eight naan," Rahman replies. "I told him he had over-ordered on the naan."

Jun 29, 2009 from Daily Record:
WIMBLEDON - Roger Federer came out on top of a "serving contest" on Centre Court to book his place in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

Federer fired down 23 aces as he battled past Robin Soderling in a repeat of the recent French Open final, the five-time Wimbledon champion winning 6-4 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (7/5).

"Today was pretty much a serving contest," admitted Federer of a match which featured just one break of serve. "It was just hard to get through, a dangerous match.

"I thought Robin served great and thank God he served a double fault in the tie-break otherwise it could have gone to four sets.

"I'm happy to be through four matches already, I gave myself a chance back in the quarters and I'm looking forward to my next match."

In sweltering conditions at the All England Club, Federer made a slow start and seemed content to take a cautious, somewhat defensive approach, allowing his opponent to dictate the rallies from the baseline with his powerful groundstrokes.

But the world number two finally stepped up a gear when required to break Soderling's previously dominant serve in the ninth game, taking advantage of a double fault and forehand error for a 5-4 lead before serving out for the set.

Soderling started the second set as impressively as he had the first, not dropping a single point in his first three service games and then coming back from 0-30 down in the fourth.

He was unable to exert any pressure on Federer's serve however, and a tie-break was required to decide a set in which only three games went to 30.

The first seven points duly went with serve as Federer again demonstrated his superb defensive skills, and it was Soderling who was first to crack with a tame backhand drifting wide.

That gave Federer the mini-break and although Soderling got back on level terms at 5-5, Federer took the next two points and with it a two sets to love lead.

Soderling, who has lost all 10 of his previous matches against Federer, saved a break point in the second game of the third set before both players again dominated on serve.

Only one point was dropped between them in the next six games before Soderling surprisingly created two break points in the ninth game.

However, the Swede's attacking intentions let him down at the crucial time as he went for too much on his returns and failed to get a ball back in court as Federer held on.

Another tie-break was required and Soderling was on the verge of taking it when he led 5-4 with two serves to come, only for Federer to produce a brilliant forehand winner which had his opponent looking up at his coach in despair.

from AP:
After 11 straight losses to Federer, Soderling was asked if there was any game outside of tennis in which he could beat the man.

"I think I will beat him in marathon easy," he said. "I'm pretty good at marathon. I'm a strong guy. I think I'm stronger than him."

Federer wasn't ready to concede.

from Independent:
"I play Roger at ping pong in Davis Cup ties," Wawrinka said. "I have beaten him at ping pong, but it's not easy." He agreed that he was quite different in personality to Federer, particularly on the court. "He just plays in a more relaxed way and always makes it looks easy," Wawrinka said. "We're quite similar away from the courts, but on the court we're not the same for sure. He's the best player ever and he's playing so well."

Did he think he would be doing his fellow countryman a favour if he could beat Murray today? "That's not what I'm thinking when I go on court," Wawrinka said. "For sure if I won on Monday Roger would be happy, but that's not what I'm thinking."

from The Times:
The positive of having Federer as his compatriot is that Wawrinka can do his own thing, largely untroubled, which is just the way he likes it. “I prefer to be quiet, it is easier that way,” he says.

The one image of Wawrinka that stands out above all others occurred when he and Federer had just won the Olympic gold in Beijing last year — “I don’t think I would have that if it were not for having the greatest player of all time on my side,” he said — when Federer stood over a prostrate Wawrinka and simulated warming his hands over his team-mate’s body. “He said I had the fire and that he wanted something of it in him, too,” Wawrinka said. “That is a picture I will cherish. Roger is a genius, an unbelievable player and an unbelievable person.”

from Wimbledon:
Q. There's been some controversy about the Wimbledon playing committee perhaps picking players for their looks rather than their tennis talent on Centre Court. They are saying that good looks are a factor with who plays on Centre Court. What do you think about that as an extremely accomplished tennis player who should be on Centre Court?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think Roger's hot, but he's married, so...

Jun 28, 2009 from Daily Mirror:
Tim Henman has been impressed by Roger Federer's first week at Wimbledon and thinks he will overcome Robin Soderling in their last 16 clash and reach the men's final in a week's time.

Henman said: "All this talk about Roger wobbling because he dropped one set the other day is just ridiculous.

"With Rafael Nadal pulling out he has a great chance of winning Wimbledon.

"The first week went really well for him and this coming week favours him in terms of the order of play. If things go according to plan he will play Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

"It is a nice bonus for Roger to have the whole weekend off. Yesterday he could really get away from everything. And I am sure he will have a good prac-ticsession today.

"Nothing I've seen in the first week has changed my view. He is favourite to win."

Some argued that his defeat against Nadal in the Australian Open Final - which left Federer in tears - was the moment power shifted in men's tennis.

from New York Times:
...The next year, Sampras was eliminated from Wimbledon in the fourth round by a teenager with more tools than a Swiss Army knife. The 19-year-old who pulled off the seismic upset was Federer, the No. 15 seed, who prevailed 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5, and pronounced it “the best win of my life.”

Sampras saw that day a player with the ability to someday surpass his record. “But I didn’t know then if he had the whole package: the game, the heart and the mind,” he said.

In 2003, Federer won his first major title, at Wimbledon. By 2006, Sampras had accepted that he would not hold the record for 33 years, as Emerson had. His reign would be short-lived.

“To put up the numbers I did, I knew it was going to take someone who’s not just a great player but also willing to give up some of his life, sort of eat, breathe and live the sport,” Sampras said. “Roger is willing to sacrifice and be a great champion.”

Of course Sampras would have liked for his record reign to outlive him.

“Absolutely,” he said. “But I can honestly say I don’t have an issue with Roger passing me. He gets the job done and does it with class.”

from AP:
Those who've never seen his forehand should buy tickets or turn on the television now, because this season is Santoro's last.

Failing that, then picture an avant-garde sculptor chain-sawing through ice, a millimetre-perfect two-handed downward and delicate slice.

With a racket, in Santoro's soft hands, that downward cutting motion puts huge spin on the ball. For two decades, it has bamboozled opponents, prompting some to run home to try it themselves.

"I've seen Federer do it on a practice court a million times," says Mike Bryan, who with brother Bob has won all four majors in doubles. In 2006, they beat Santoro and partner Nenad Zimonjic in the Wimbledon final.

"Everyone is always mimicking the Fabrice Santoro forehand," Bob adds. "It's become legendary."

Jun 27, 2009 from Wimbledon:
Q. It's been pretty rare that someone has finished the year No. 1 and regained it. You have a unique perspective on that. What are the variables that make that so difficult?

LLEYTON HEWITT: Yeah, I'm not sure. It is an extremely tough thing, you know, just to get to No. 1. But obviously to get it back, I guess, normally you got to play quite a lot of tournaments as well to be able to get it back, I think.

Obviously, Roger would be extremely close to getting it back from Rafa now that he's not defending here. Yeah, it would be a great achievement, as you said.

Q. What is your sense of appreciation for Roger's accomplishment as he approaches the possibility of breaking Sampras' record for majors, given your experience in majors?

LLEYTON HEWITT: It's amazing what Roger's done. Every record that he's equaled or broken is amazing in itself. Yeah, the way that he's been able to go out and be so consistent in so many Grand Slams back to back is, yeah, an incredible effort. It's hard enough just to do it for a couple years. He's been able to do it for, you know, five or six years now in a row.

But, you know, something like 20-odd Grand Slam semifinals in a row which is, yeah, a little bit unheard of. Yeah, physically you've got to be extremely strong to be able to do that, but obviously mentally as well. Not to have lapses in the first week of a Grand Slam, it's not that easy.

Q. When you watch him play, what do you appreciate most?

Q. Is there anything you can take from the male players in your game?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yesterday I watched Federer play. Uhm, I think I can learn a lot from him, just the way he plays on the grass. I think grass is such a specific surface, and you really have to understand it to do well. And this is the first year that I feel, you know, I'm sort of starting to use grass for my advantage, and, you know, try to work it.

Federer does that so good. So it was great to see that, and it give me encouragement that I'm actually in the right way.

Q. What are your thoughts in general about Roger Federer when you watch him play, knowing that he may be setting the record for all-time majors won?

ANA IVANOVIC: It looks so easy when he steps on the court. It looks so easy, doesn't it? And I think he's such a great champion. I mean, I was so thrilled for him when he won French Open. I actually had little tears in my eyes when he was doing the speech. And I think he deserves it so much. And he worked so hard.

Jun 26, 2009 from Sporting Life:
WIMBLEDON - Roger Federer's quest for a sixth Wimbledon title gathered pace with a 6-3 6-2 6-7 6-1 triumph over Philipp Kohlschreiber on Centre Court.

Federer set the tone for the match by rifling down two aces in his first service game before claiming two breaks to march 4-0 ahead.

Despite Federer's early dominance, Kohlschreiber dug in and managed to break serve in the next game before holding to slash the deficit to 4-2.

The German 27th seed continued his fightback in the next game, however Federer won the crucial points and calmly served out to claim the first set 6-3 after 36 minutes.

Federer started the second set as he began the first, breaking Kohlschreiber's serve before assuming total control.

Federer's accurate serving and superior groundstrokes, especially his sliced backhand, caused the German a multitude of problems and he eventually served out to take the set 6-2 and move 2-0 ahead.

The opening of the third set was a familiar story, Federer breaking the Kohlschreiber serve in the first game.

The German, however, fought back courageously and the set produced the best tennis of the match, both players trading heavy groundstrokes.

Federer had to save a break point in the fourth game and in the eighth the German reclaimed the break with a superb running forehand pass and a fortunate net cord.

The match had turned into a competitive struggle, and when the set went to a tie-break it was Kohlschreiber who wrested the initiative to win his first ever set against Federer 7-6 (7-5).

After working so hard to stay in the match, Kohlschreiber once more donated his first service game of the fourth set to Federer.

From there on in Federer simply took his frustration at dropping a first set of the tournament out on the German by racing into a 4-1 lead.

from Globe and Mail:
After his win over Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roger Federer was informed of Karlovic's win and that set him off on a minor dissertation about playing him. "This is no lack of respect for Karlovic," said Federer, 8-1 against the Croat, "but it [playing him] is not really a tennis match.

"Sometimes it's a bit of luck, a bad decision at the wrong time. What can you do? I lost to him [7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (5)] in Cincinnati last summer. I broke him once and he never broke me.

"Once you're in the tiebreak, he knows and you know that it's 50-50.

from Wimbledon:
Roger Federer's straight sets victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the second round held greater significance than merely setting up today's tie against Philipp Kohlschreiber, with it being the Swiss player's 46th win at Wimbledon.

That remarkable total matches the record set by Andre Agassi, who is likely to lose his All England crown if all goes to form on Centre Court this afternoon.

We have another literary talent at Wimbledon today: writer and poet Nii Ayikwei Parkes, who has just written his first novel Tail of the Blue Bird.

Nii, who as well as being a novelist has been a full-time poet for the last seven years, is seeing his first Grand Slam tennis today.

Nii's dad, who was a big fan of Bjorn Borg, passed his love of the sport down to Nii while he grew up in Ghana. But it is the man who beat Borg's record of Grand Slam successes that Nii favours out of the current crop of players.

"I like Roger Federer," said Nii, 35, "He's so graceful and never loses his temper, like I do when I play tennis."

Nii hopes to catch some of the Swiss ace's match with Philipp Kohlschreiber today and is particularly keen to see how the crowd react.

from Wall Street Journal:
The bump in romance—and the possibility of romance affecting play—has put British bookmakers on guard. "If we heard that Roger or Andy were having relationship problems, we would factor it in," says Rupert Adams of the London-based bookmaker William Hill.

...Much to the dismay of many female players, Mr. Federer married one of their own in April, former pro Mirka Vavrinec, and is officially off the market. "He was great eye candy," says France's Marion Bartoli, who took his picture off her wall after she heard the news.

from Daily Mail:
John McEnroe has taken his angry complaints about no longer being allowed access to the locker room — without a competitor's pass — to the highest level, phoning All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie for an explanation.

McEnroe is understood to have accepted Ritchie's point that there can't be one rule for McEnroe, however great a champion he was, and another for everyone else.

And the world's top two, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, wanted to strictly limit access to the changing rooms.

Jun 25, 2009 from Champions Series Tennis:
By Todd Martin - Before I speak too much about Wimbledon, let me have a word about Roger Federer's amazing accomplishment in Paris culminating a career Grand Slam and logging his 14th major title. Fourteen! Are you kidding me? That is an extraordinary number…it might be 15 in a couple weeks, too.

What's best about Fed is the way he does it. Yeah, it looks great and the shot-making is incredible, but his composure is truly out of this world. I remember wondering when he was down 2 sets to 0 against Tommy Haas in the Round of 16 of the French Open…when is he going to show some anxiety…he never did. Despite playing horribly the first 2 sets Federer showed no panic whatsoever and came back to win in 5 sets. The good tennis then came in force for his remaining 3 matches.

After the award ceremony Fed had the gall to say that he could relax now. Oh no! Watch out Wimbledon!

from London Evening Standard:
A Wimbledon ball girl floored by a player today said she was determined to return to SW19 in the hope of getting on Centre Court - and closer to her idol Roger Federer.

Erin Lorencin was shaken when 6ft 3in Frenchman Michael Llodra stretched to meet the ball, crashed into the umpire's chair and clattered into her.

The 15-year-old was crouching by the net on Court One when Llodra landed on top of her. The 29-year-old picked her up and gave her a hug to help her get over the shock.

Erin, who goes to Graveney School in Tooting, was left "a bit bashed up" by the collision but has insisted she is keen to get back on court. Speaking outside the family home in Earlsfield, her father Nendra said: "She was a bit shaken up at the time.

"But she composed herself and was fine by the time she got home, if a bit bashed up. She was just a bit embarrassed for that to have happened to her on television."

The 49-year-old architect revealed his daughter, who plays at her local tennis club, is desperate to be a ball girl in any of Federer's matches on Centre Court.

He said: "She may not get on to Centre as there are no guarantees, but, after this, I hope she does because it is every ball girl's dream. And she would definitely want it to be when Roger Federer is playing. He is her number one."

Jun 24, 2009 from Sporting Life:
WIMBLEDON - Roger Federer wasted little time booking his place in the third round of Wimbledon with a routine 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Federer needed just 27 minutes to win the first set against his unseeded Spanish opponent - breaking in the third and fifth games to race 5-1 ahead before claiming the set 6-2

Garcia-Lopez, who is at a career-high ranking of number 42 in the world, did force two break points on Federer's serve early in the second set, but failed to take them and was quickly made to pay.

The world number two correctly challenged a line call to get to deuce and, after an error from Garcia-Lopez, then produced a stunning backhand winner to claim the break.

Another flashing winner, this time on the forehand, helped create another break in the seventh game and Federer then completed the set with an ace, taking it 6-2 for a two-set lead.

For the third set in succession Federer claimed a break of serve in the third game, and it was simply a matter of time before he completed another routine win.

To his credit, Garcia-Lopez kept battling and a flashing backhand winner helped stave off a second break of serve, only for Federer to then hold serve to love to emphasise his superiority.

The 27-year-old duly completed a 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory in just 89 minutes to secure his place in the third round against number 27 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.

"I thought all the sets were pretty similar, he won the first service game and I broke him in the next," said Federer, neatly summing up the pattern of an underwhelming match. "I thought one end (of the court) was definitely easier to play from.

from Wimbledon:
Roger Federer has just been spotted on the press balcony – seemingly surrounded by hundreds of fans. And how he deserves their adulation following his display today.

With Rafael Nadal only the second defending champion in the past 80 years to miss Wimbledon through injury, Roger Federer's longevity at the summit of the game takes on fresh significance.

After his second round victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a match that saw him use his trademark economic yet ruthlessly efficient style to drop only eight games, talk soon turned to his major rival's absence, particularly in light of the Swiss making it to 20 Grand Slam semi-finals in a row – by far and away a record.

"Injuries and defeats come to us all sooner or later," the second seed said earnestly. "Sometimes people need more respect for their opponents. When Djokovic lost in the second round last year, [people were surprised but] it was Marat Safin he was up against – and he can play a bit of tennis! And then Safin lost in the first round here [to Jesse Levine], so it shows that you should always have respect."

Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, viewed Nadal's enforced absence as the inevitable consequences of the world No.1's all-action style of play. "The way he moves around the court and hustles for everything, it's going to take wear and tear on your body over years," the Australian explained. "I think everyone realised it was going to happen at some point - it just depended on when."

When pressed for his opinion, Federer was the epitome of magnanimity. "It's a shame for the tournament, that's the main thing. Did I expect it? Probably. All the greats have had to miss a Grand Slam or two at one stage in their careers."

Except for a certain Roger Federer, of course. "Yes, I've been lucky in that respect," he said. "Obviously preparation plays a part of it, but yes, I've had a little bit of luck."

In the Open era, just six men have won Wimbleodn without playing a warm-up event on grass. Bjorn Borg won all five of his titles straight off the claycourt season while the other winners were Stan Smith (1972), Jan Kodes (1973), Boris Becker (1989), Andre Agassi (1992) and Roger Federer (2007).

from London Evening Standard:
Nevermind Andy - the only Murray on tennis ace Roger Federer's mind at Wimbledon this year has been Ruby.

The five-time Wimbers winner has been calling a local Indian takeaway for a curry almost every night since arriving for the tournament last week.

He's such a loyal customer that the owner of Rajdoot Restaurant even gives him a 10 per cent discount.

And he's not the only one with the hots for a curry - Lleyton Hewitt, Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick and retired players Andre Agassi and Martina Navratilova also shun the bright lights of the West End to eat at the local curry house.

But Federer, 27, has started to raise a few eyebrows by ordering a chicken tikka masala at £8.65 virtually every din-ner time. We're starting to think that it might be his secret weapon in the dressing rooms before each match.

Rajdoot waiter Mo Rhaman, 25, personally delivers the food to the tennis ace and his pregnant wife Mirka.

from ASAP Sports:
Q. Could you reflect on your return to Paris, a pretty special moment given what you achieved on that court, and also being there next to Roger after he got that magic number 14.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, well, he got the magic number French Open. The quantity has less relevance with where he found himself that day than getting over the line in Paris and winning in a tournament that's eluded him for his career, and a career that he could have won I think five or six times. I mean, pretty amazing to watch him get over that line there.

And I had even a more interesting perspective, seeing that while I was there one year doing that, watching it sort of over his shoulder really drives home just how rare these moments are and how special they are, and to share in it meant the world. I just really think the guy deserved it. He's earned it. He's been playing clay for the last five years, if it wasn't for Nadal, he probably would have won five of those things and arguably won two Grand Slams back-to-back, the stats sort of speak for themselves. For him not to have won there in his career would have been a real crime.

Q. Where do you feel when you see people starting to compare the greatest of all times from the different eras? Do you think that's possible or do you think it's hard to take a Laver and compare them to a Sampras and Federer and yourself and Connors, etc.?

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I suppose it's hard to do. Obviously it's hard to do, but you know, you can look inside generations and sort of the best of their generations, but I guess stats are one thing that people are pointing towards. I sort of caution everybody (not) to get hung up on the number of slams. That seems to be a 90s phenomena, how many slams you win.

I mean, when you look back over the history of our game and you look over the history of our peers, champions from generations past, that was never a benchmark. Borg won 11 Grand Slams and played one Australian Open when it was played on grass and he dominated grass for so many years.

So I mean, Borg was sort of breaking Emerson's record and doesn't seem like that would have been that far of a reach to go pull that off. Nobody sort of considered Laver better than Emerson, even though Emerson had more Slams.

So I'm not sure what the criteria should be of how you measure the greatest of all time, but we should at least acknowledge that using a quantity of Slams is not -- has never been the benchmark.

So with Roger winning in Paris, I think the greatest thing that he accomplished was obviously rising to the top of just how many he's won, which is pretty amazing, but beyond that, you know, being a dominant player every part of the year is a testament to his overall achievements and so it's hard to argue against somebody that's accomplished what he has. What's your take on that?

Q. I wanted to circle back quickly to an earlier question. People love to debate whether it's baseball or tennis who is the greatest ever, and of course the attention on Federer and Sampras. From your opinion from a player's perspective, who do you think has been the greatest ever and can you give me some specific reasons to support that.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, sure. I tell you what I can speak to, is those I've competed against. I can't put Rod Laver into context what he did; in some respects is God-like. I don't know how you can win four in one year and then not play for four years and then do it again four years later.

But I'll make sort of a couple points here. I'll start with the answer, and it's what I said after I lost to Federer in the finals of the US Open. I said I've never played anybody better. This is the best player that I've ever competed against, and it might have seemed like a reach to say it at the time, because it's easy to get hung up on numbers.

But I was speaking specifically from just places on the court that you can't hide. I mean, there's no safe zone with him. He can hurt you from any part of the court. A great champion tends to have one or two strengths, about you one shot for sure that transcends everybody else, we saw that with Pete and his serve.

Federer at the peak of his career had maybe three or four departments of his game that you could argue individually and separately are the best in the world, whether it was his movement or whether it was his forehand or whether it was his court sense; his ability to bring three or four major weapons to the table, and not really have a weakness, I had never seen it before.

As it relates to just historically speaking, how you sort of try to understand this in context of accomplishment, we have never been a sport that has measured itself by quantity. It's never -- it's not how we've done it. I mean, when you look historically in the game, you are looking at Roy Emerson was never really considered better than Rod Laver. The reasons were, Rod didn't play a number of years and whatever as risks were used, nobody ever considered Emerson better than Laver or quit the game at nearly 26 years old with 11 Grand Slams and had only played one Australian Open, which was played on grass, which was a surface he dominated. So the benchmark for all our peers historically had never been how many can I win.

Now that Federer won in Paris, we tend to say, well, he's tied Pete. That's great. That's an amazing accomplishment to accomplish what Pete did. It's an amazing accomplishment to tie the quantity. But what happened in Paris that made it so special was he found a way to get over the line in a tournament that had eluded him throughout his career, and he's been the best clay-courter, best clay-courter besides one player over the last five years.

Jun 23, 2009 from ATP:
With an eye on overtaking Pete Sampras's Grand Slam titles record and Rafael Nadal's No. 1 ranking, five-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer has shown up boldly attired at the 2009 Championships. Gone are his more conservative blazers and cardigans of Wimbledons-past: in their place, the Swiss has donned a military-style jacket, complete with his signature ‘RF" logo embroidered in gold.

Federer, who worked with Nike representatives to come up with his Wimbledon ensemble, gave fans a sneak peek of the jacket on his Facebook page ahead of The Championships. "I love that it's more contemporary whilst still looking clean and sophisticated," he wrote.

The Swiss superstar debuted his new getup in the opening match of The Championships, as he walked onto Centre Court with an eye-catching, golden shoulder bag emblazoned with his initials. He warmed-up in a coordinating gold-trimmed vest, collared shirt and trousers, and wore Nike tennis shoes bearing a golden trophy with the number ‘5'.

"Everyone was talking about it in the locker-room," Federer said at a post-match press conference. "People were saying ‘Wow, looks great!'"

from Independent:
Annabel Croft: "My champion of champions is Roger Federer. It has to be. It's the way he conducts himself around the circuit, as well as his tennis, which makes me feel that way. He is a hugely impressive individual in and for the game.

"He shows such grace and dignity around the place, is a fine spokesman for the men's game and that is why there was not an individual in the men's locker room who did not want him to win in Paris.

Jun 22, 2009 from Wimbledon:
WIMBLEDON – Roger Federer justified his role as favourite to win the 2009 men's title by swatting aside the challenge of Yen-Hsun Lu from Taipei 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 on a Centre Court where, despite overcast conditions, the new roof remained open throughout.

Federer's warm welcome to officially open the 2009 Championships was probably a mixture of affection for the five-time champion and approval for his eye-catching and stylish apparel - long trousers, jacket with the collar turned up and, underneath that, a fitted waistcoat, all in white and all discarded prior to the Swiss marching out to hold his first two service games to love.

The 64th-ranked Lu's ability to battle was best demonstrated in the fourth game of the opening set when he fought off four break points, and followed this up by breaking the Federer serve for a 3-2 lead as the world No.2 netted a backhand.

Federer reached break point with a net cord that fell dead on Lu's side of the netting and was level at 3-3 after the Taipei player's forehand error.

Facing a break that would have put Federer 5-3 up, Lu again battled his way clear of danger and it seemed the Swiss might face the indignity of a tiebreak. But at 5-6, and despite serving successive aces, Lu faced a set point when he missed a simple dink volley. Federer needed no further incentive, and a backhand winner put him a set ahead after 48 minutes.

Federer raced into a 3-0 lead in the second set before Lu was able to stem the flood of Swiss winners with more brave and impressive attacking that earned him warm applause.

But the Swiss was not to be denied, taking a 5-2 lead by swatting aside a couple of break points and holding serve with that tennis rarity - a winner hit around, rather than over, the net, a feat that Federer greeted with another rarity, a raised fist.

Federer closed out the second set in rousing fashion, winning the game to love with his seventh ace of the match to go two sets up after one hour and 14 minutes.

An early break in the third set allowed Federer to unveil his repertoire of stunning shots and, hard though Lu continued to resist, the Taipei player grew increasingly prone to error.

Q. People say you can work on your mental toughness. Can you work on your confidence? Is that something you can really shore up?
MARDY FISH: Part of it is mental toughness. I mean, every player goes through times where -- even the great Roger Federer goes through times where he feels like he's not playing well. But somehow he obviously has a mental game that's better than pretty much everybody. I don't know how to do it. But it would be a good question to ask him. I'd like to ask him, just one-on-one, how he does that. It gets everybody, and it's tough. I mean, I can't emphasize it more. It's a huge thing in tennis.

Q. One of the big arguments is after Roland Garros, many said that, hey, Roger is now the best of all time, yet has a pretty decent losing record to Rafa and Andy, as well. Could you just comment on that?
MARDY FISH: Just his record in general or if I think he's the best of all time?

Q. Just the irony that he's said to be the best of all time.
MARDY FISH: I think if you throw a few results of certainly Pete against his rival, which I think we all can say was Andre, he had a pretty good -- he had at least a .500 record or around there with his rival. But I don't think he had a winning record against everyone. I think Wayne Ferreira was a guy that played him really well, Krajicek, there are always guys that play everybody, that match up better than most.

With that being said, boy, it's tough to start -- as great as Pete was, six years No. 1 in a row, it's really hard to start the conversation that Roger is not the best once he gets to No. 15. Where do you start? As great as he was - in my opinion once Roger got that French Open - he's been so good on clay anyways, and if he got to 15, 16, 17 Slams, people would come back to the French.

from Sports Illustrated:
Reggie Miller said people have been giving him a hard time about putting Kobe Bryant in the same breath with Michael Jordan. Miller says that people are too hung up defending legends of the past. In the same vain, Miller said that people have to admit Roger Federer is the best tennis player of all time.

from Telegraph:
Laura Robson: "I was gonna wait outside so I could say hi [to Roger Federer], but he wouldn't know me - he'd probably be like..'stalker'."

Jun 21, 2009 from New York Times:
"It's been easy to digest winning in Paris, not hard," he said. "For me, it did me an enormous amount of good to be in Switzerland for a week, to do nothing except a bit of physical training and to see my family, my friends and everyone. It did me a lot of good in the head and to prepare for what was to come."

Federer said he still had not been able to answer all the congratulatory text messages and e-mails he received and still had not succeeded in speaking directly with Pete Sampras.

"We still haven't managed to talk to each other," he said. "But I'll try again, and he'll keep trying, too."

...The British press, always quick to look for Wimbledon rubbing points, has already been emphasizing that Federer has not always been appropriately respectful or complimentary in defeat against the 22-year-old Murray. But Federer said he was at peace with his approach.

"That surprises me," he said. "But there were some matches where I was not 100 percent, like in Shanghai for example. It was visible. It was clear. I was sick. I had a sore back and all that. I'm not going to say he's the best player of all time if I had a sore back and also considering that I wasn't far from beating him.

from KARE-11:
By Eric Butorac - I've been here at Wimby now for 3 days training and getting acclimated. My day yesterday (Saturday) was quite a busy one because it was filled with meetings. Last year I was elected to a 10 man player council which represents the players side of the ATP tour. It's quite a fun time to be on it cause in the 10 man council includes Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. We spent the better part of the afternoon discussing rule changes, anti-doping issues and what we can improve for 2010. The comment of the day came from Roger when a newly elected board rep entered and said he was so happy, he wanted to cry. Roger said, "C'mon, don't be like me." (referring to the number of times he has been moved to tears after winning or losing a tournament).

from Boston Globe:
Grunting has altered the strategic landscape of tennis, whether we like it or not. But purists can take heart: there is still Roger Federer, who plays with power, finesse, a chess master's agenda, and, as Navratilova noted during her rant, zero noise. When he was winning everything, his opponents' grunting no longer sounded like an advertisement of power. It began to sound like men struggling just to stay in the game. Nadal changed that - a grunter who could beat Federer physically and then mentally - but one starts to worry that Nadal's audibly Herculean effort will eventually wear him down, if not out.

Federer's failure to grunt, in other words, can be seen not as retro, but as an impressive adaptation to the evolution of the game. In a world of grunters, it may be the quiet man who is king.

Jun 20, 2009 from PA:
Roger Federer's match against Yen-Hsun Lu will be the first on Centre Court at Wimbledon this year following the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal.

The defending champion traditionally opens proceedings on the first day, but Nadal has been forced to withdraw with tendinitis.

from Independent:
Nick Bollettieri on Roger Federer: "Full of confidence, he's regained the respect of the tour after winning the French Open to equal Sampras's 14 Grand Slams. You have to make the best player who ever lived the favourite (for Wimbledon). Gentleman genius."

from Guardian:
The chrysalis became a butterfly in 2003, when the Swiss won his first Wimbledon title, which was also his first slam. Until then his prodigious talent had been recognised by everybody, from his sponsors downwards, yet it remained stubbornly muted at the highest level.

"People kept saying to me, 'Why doesn't he win one of the big titles?'" his former coach Peter Lundgren said. "I said, 'Wait, wait, wait. It will come.' I was 100% sure but even Nike were worried. There was a lot of pressure on him, but before he won Wimbledon for the first time he was simply not ready either physically or mentally. And then it all changed." And with a vengeance.

It was typical of the man that after he won the French Open this month, Federer sent messages to the people who had kept faith in him. The one to Lundgren said: Thank you for always having belief in me.

from Wimbledon:
Q. You mentioned before your thoughts on Nadal dropping out. What are your thoughts about Federer going for the major's record?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, I mean, that is amazing. Fifteen, you know, it's incredible.

Q. What do you like most when you watch him play?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, what is there not to like about Roger? I mean, he's so smooth. And, you know, what I like about him even more now is, like, he has so much passion and so much, you know, desire to win. I love to see that in him.

Q. What do you appreciate most about Roger Federer?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I think the passion with which he plays the game. It's certainly not easy to play at such a high level for such a long period of time. Uhm, and, you know, I feel like he had such a long run of winning so many Grand Slams.

At the end of the day, people sometimes maybe forget that in a way he's really human and he was able to, you know, have a few letdowns and not win as many matches as everyone thought he should win. But then he comes out and he proves everybody wrong. You know, he's a tremendous athlete and plays the game so well. Uhm, I mean, you know.

Q. How closely will you follow his progress, even though you're competing here on the other side?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I mean, I love to watch the game, so whenever I'm home and I have free time or I'm getting treatment, the TV's on, I'll definitely watch the matches, for sure.

Jun 19, 2009 from New York Times:
"I was so happy to experience a moment like that (2008 Wimbledon final) with Rafa and to take our rivalry to such a high level that it destroyed me less than people think," Federer said in Paris in an interview with the French newspaper L'Equipe. "Playing that final, I was really aware that I was taking part in a magical moment in the history of tennis. I was disappointed one hour, not more. Life went on."

Believe him on the "one-hour" bit or not. But Federer clearly has recovered. Tennis likes to chart its champions along smooth, legible curves. There is the rise, the peak and the decline, be it rapid or gradual. But Federer has played tricks with the geometry, surrendering his hegemony and No. 1 ranking to Nadal only to continue winning Grand Slam titles, including the one he and his legacy needed most this month at the French Open.

Win his sixth Wimbledon and he will stand alone with 15 major singles titles: one more than Pete Sampras, who also played some tricks with the game's traditional geometry late in his career.

from Lancashire Evening Post:
Mandla Mashimbyi (professional cricketer): "I'm a great tennis fan, and when I watch Roger Federer it is an education, seeing how he handles the pressure.

"Federer just seems to stay calm all the time and has this amazing aura. I so admire that."

Jun 18, 2009 from Guardian:
Peter Lundgren had tears in his eyes; Grigor Dimitrov had stars. Together they watched Roger Federer win his historic French Open title on television in the players' lounge at Queen's.

Lundgren, who received a message from Federer after Roland Garros, thanking him for always believing in him, remembered how difficult the early days had been with the often volatile young Swiss. "Roger was tough at the beginning. He did not have the motivation sometimes. He was lazy." Then came a dramatic turnaround.

from AP:
Roger Federer is building something of a reputation as an on-court crier, and he remembers well the first time he wept after winning a match.

It was July 2, 2001, at Wimbledon, the tournament that means more to him than any other. Federer was 19, up-and-coming and making his Centre Court debut in the fourth round when he stunned Pete Sampras, who was 29, seeded No. 1 and seeking an eighth Wimbledon title.

"I used to cry almost after every single match I lost as a junior. It's not at all a feeling like it's the end of the world - of course not, because tennis is not everything - but some people can control it, some people can't," Federer said.

"Crying after a victory is something that started when I beat Pete."

Federer eagerly awaits returning to the grass-court Grand Slam.

"When you get there, you start to get into your frame of mind: It's just, like, 'All right, let's go again here. I know what it takes. Settle in. Enjoy being a member,"' Federer said with a little laugh.

from Daily Mail:
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: "Rafael Nadal's the champion but Roger Federer's won five times, he won the French this year and I think he's very confident. It's going to be tough to beat him this year. I think the French were happy to see Federer win the tournament in Paris because he lost three times in the final. Him winning was a good thing for everybody – for tennis, for the tournament, for history."

Jun 17, 2009 from Daily Mail:
Tennis is facing a new betting scandal only days before Wimbledon after bookmakers were forced to void wagers on a grasscourt match in Holland.

The odds on world No 67 Oscar Hernandez, who played Daniel Kollerer at the Ordina Open on Monday, were slashed from 5-6 to 1-5 and a £4,000 bet was placed on him to win by a mystery punter.

All bets were cancelled and the authorities were alerted. Hernandez, the only one of the two men on whom money was placed, won 6-3, 6-2.

Both Spain's Hernandez and Kollerer, the world No 91 from Austria, are in the main draw at Wimbledon. Tennis chiefs will almost certainly ask their integrity unit to investigate the incident.

from Inside Tennis:
Leander Paes said he would give away one of his doubles trophies just to see Federer win.

from Forbes:
Roger Federer ($33 million) is tied for 11th with Shaquille O'Neal on Forbes' list of "The World's Highest-Paid Athletes."

Jun 16, 2009 from Wimbledon:
The lovely thing about Aorangi Park in the week before the main tournament is the laid back atmosphere. Players and coaches are relaxed, jokes are exchanged, everyone has a smile on their face and the competitive edge is put to one side.

In fact, there is a distinct 'local tennis club air' about the place. That is until you witness the sheer precision and speed of the balls that are struck, oh, and when Roger Federer ambles in… as just happened.

The Swiss master wandered into the practice area and was greeted with congratulatory words by tour professionals, including racket stringers, for winning his first French Open title in Paris just a couple of weeks ago.

from Reuters:
LONDON – A year after Bjorn Borg wrote off Roger Federer's chances of capturing the 2008 Wimbledon title, the Swedish great was once again backing the Swiss to triumph at the All England Club.

"Coming into Wimbledon I think he is relieved in a way that he won Paris, because that was one of his main ambitions, goals to try and win Paris," Borg told Reuters Television Tuesday.

"So coming into Wimbledon he feels very confident, he has equaled (Pete) Sampras's record of 14 grand slams.

"We all know how Roger is playing on the grass, he plays unbelievable tennis on the grass. I think he is going to have a big challenge from Andy Murray, if I have to pick up two guys for this year's Wimbledon I would pick Murray and Federer."

Federer's success in Paris made him only the sixth man to win all four majors. According to Borg, that put Federer on the summit when it came to deciding who was the best of all time.

"For me Roger is the greatest player ever who played the tennis game. It's always good to see him play and win and we are going to see so much more of Federer in the future, he is going to win more grand slam tournaments."

Former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova agreed.

"It's a combination of how many grand slams have you won, how many tournaments have you won, how many years you were number one and he's got all those combinations," she said.

Jun 15, 2009 from Ski Channel:
NBC's Mary Carillo referred to her as "a Federer Freak", and I doubt Lindsey Vonn would object. Two-time World Cup Overall champ Lindsey Vonn finally met the man she had always wanted to meet: Roger Federer. Not that this was any secret. Her two globes for winning the overall titles are sitting in a glass cabinet next to an autographed picture of Mr. Federer. She told The Ski Channel that if she could ride the chairlift with anyone, dead or alive, it would be Roger Federer.

Vonn, doing some dryland training in Austria, jetted over to see Roger win his first French Open. After the match, a beaming Vonn congratulated Federer on his 14th grand slam title.

Jun 12, 2009 from Tennis Week:
"I texted him after he won in Paris and said, ‘I always told you could do it,' and he texted back saying that he remembered how I was always telling him he could achieve anything."

Peter Lundgren laughed delightedly. Few people know Federer as intimately and he can track the important moments of his career better than most.

"The real turning point came at that first Tennis Masters Cup in Houston in 2003 when he beat the three players he always had the most trouble with — Andre Agassi, Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Nalbandian," Lundgren recalled. "He actually beat Agassi twice — in the round robin and then again in straight sets in the final. That was the breakthrough. After that there was no stopping him."

And even from a distance, Lundgren is still able to predict important moments. He was watching Federer's first doubles match in Beijing when he set off on a path that would bring him and Stan Warwinka Switzerland's first gold medal.

"I was interested to see how he would approach it and what sort of form he was in," Lundgren remembered. "The match was on TV at home and he won his first service game to love. ‘That's it,' I said to my wife. ‘They'll win now.' She didn't understand how I could be so sure but I just knew. And I knew it would give him a huge lift for the US Open which he won a few weeks later. Winning with Stan made it all the more special for him because he's such an emotional guy as people have come to realize. He felt he'd done something great for his partner and his country and that carried over into the US Open."

Lundgren was not surprised to hear that Soderling had admitted after losing to Federer in the Roland Garros final that he felt the Swiss had not allowed him to play.

"I can play against Nadal but Federer doesn't let me play," Soderling had admitted.

Jun 11, 2009 from Miami Herald:
Andy Roddick posted his congratulations on Twitter shortly after the match: ''props to fed.. . . thats an unreal accomplishment and puts and end to the GOAT question in my humble opinion.'' When a fan wrote Roddick back suggesting he was a Federer ''apologist,'' Roddick retorted: 'yeah either that or knowing how tough this game is firsthand, and giving credit where credit is due. . . . if that makes me a `fed apologist' then i am guilty as charged . . . i was a fan of tennis long before i was a pro, and have an appreciation of the history of our game. that being said i absolutely cant wait to mix it up at wimby. . . . should be a great next month!!!''

Jun 10, 2009 from Ana Ivanovic official website:
Ana spoke of her joy at watching Roger Federer historic triumph at the French Open title on Sunday.

"I was so happy for him," said Ana who, like Federer, is a resident of the city of Basel. "I was taking a flight on Sunday and I just arrived at the departure lounge during the final game. I saw the the last few points and then the trophy presentation.

"It was a very touching moment. I was crying a little bit even. I was so pleased for him."

Debate about whether Federer is the greatest of all-time will rage on for eternity, with Australian Rod Laver another contender, considering that he twice won all four Grand Slam titles in a single season and was ineligible to compete in major tournaments for several years.

Jun 9, 2009 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Dear fans

I am sorry to announce that I have decided to withdraw from this week's Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

I sincerely apologize to the tournament organizers, my competitors, and my fans in Germany. I only hope they will understand that I still feel emotionally overwhelmed and exhausted by the incredible events of the past few days. It is hard for me to admit, but I simply cannot imagine giving my best effort in another tournament right away and I don't want to risk injury if I am not 100% prepared. I need to rest and recuperate.

I look forward to returning to Halle in 2010 to go for my sixth title. It is one of my favorite events on the ATP World Tour.

I also want to thank all of you for your unbelievable support these past two weeks. You are the best, and you helped me make a dream come true.

from TENNIS.com:
Did anyone catch the Tony Awards Sunday night? Robert Fox, a producer of Best Play winner "God of Carnage," called his ensemble cast—James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels—"the acting equivalent of Roger Federer" during his acceptance speech.

...Last week Diane Pucin of the Los Angeles Times' "Fabulous Forum" sports blog confirmed what we all suspected: Roger Federer has nice parents. A representative of FitKidsUSA responded to Pucin's column about the way Rafael Nadal handled his loss at Roland Garros and the way LeBron James handled the Cavs' loss in the Eastern Conference Finals. (Recap: Nadal showed up at his press conference; James left the court without congratulating members of the victorious Orlando Magic and then skipped the press conference, incurring a $25,000 fine.) The FitKids rep, Kathleen Goyette, says she contacted Roger Federer's foundation to help out with her organization, and within 12 hours Rog's mom, Lynette, had written back with information on how the two organizations could work together.

Jun 8, 2009 from AP:
PARIS – Roger Federer's French Open victory cut the points gap between him and No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the ATP rankings by more than half.

The second-ranked Federer trailed Nadal by 4,490 points before the tournament at Roland Garros; the deficit is 2,070 points in Monday's rankings.

"I know it's going to be hard to take it away from him," Federer said.

BASEL – Roger Federer's birthplace will rename its international tennis venue for its most famous sporting son.

Basel sports director Peter Howald said on Monday that St. Jakobshalle will be called Roger Federer Arena following a planned renovation.

Howald said the city had discussed ways of honoring the new French Open champion.

from Reuters:
HALLE – Roger Federer will decide Tuesday whether to defend his grasscourt title at Halle after victory in Paris left him "emotionally drained," tournament spokesman Frank Hofen said.

"Federer will decide Tuesday if he will start," tournament organisers said in a statement after contacting Federer's manager Tony Godsick.

from Gerry Weber Open and AFP:
Former Halle champion Tomas Berdych has spent a lot of time in front of his TV in the last couple of weeks.

"I watched a lot of matches of Roger Federer and crossed my fingers for him," he said.

"It was fantastic to see Roger finally win at Roland Garros in the final, I was with him all the way and played every shot alongside him," beamed Berdych.

"It was the one title to elude him and this one was special for him, maybe he will need a few days rest.

"It would be nice for the tournament if he came, but that has to be his decision. I am not sure I would come if I was in his shoes."

Berdych added he was happy to be back on grass and is just looking forward to his second-round match and not thinking ahead to potentially meeting Federer in the semi-final, should the Swiss star decide to travel.

Q: Coming back to Roland Garros, 5 points away to beat the new champion. Any regrets?

TOMMY HAAS: After the match, I obviously I felt a little … not really regrets. I didn't play a bad point there on break point. And you thought about "wow, I'm so close to beating him". Even the games after, two game points to 5-4 and I missed the backhand, then I double faulted and didn't win that game. In the fifth set at 2 All, he just played the bigger points much better than I did which he seems to do a lot if you look at all the other matches. But when I watched him celebrate yesterday and I saw all the historic moments and him now probably being the greatest ever, I don't really have any regrets. I'm happy the way I played and happy I gave him such a tough battle. And that's it.

from CNN:
Federer's historic weekend win was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge who also tagged the Swiss simply the best that tennis has seen.

"Today I wrote to Roger Federer to congratulate him on this unique success because I consider him to be the best player of all time," Rogge told a media briefing in Brussels on Monday.

from Daily Mirror:
By Greg Rusedski - Roger Federer's win at the French Open makes him the greatest player in the history of our sport of tennis.

What makes Federer's achievement even more impressive is that many doubted he would ever win another Grand Slam title after his defeat to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final.

But after struggling in the earlier rounds at Roland Garros, he has bounced back in style.

I've known him for years and he hasn't changed. He is the nicest No.1 we have ever had and a great ambassador for the sport. I'm really happy he has achieved this milestone.

I used to consider Rod Laver the greatest-ever player even though he missed five years of Grand Slam tournaments when he turned pro.

from Wall Street Journal Blogs:
Roger Federer entered last weekend with 13 Grand Slam titles to his name and a permanent saved seat at the best table in the tennis pantheon's VIP-only area, but without a victory at the French Open. Following his straight-set demolition of Robin Soderling in Sunday's French Open final, the biggest question facing him from the flattering tennis media is a much less irksome one for him — is he the greatest ever, or just one of the greatest?

Federer has the support of WSJ guest blogger Tom Perrotta, who liveblogged Federer's 6-1, 7-6, 6-4 victory. "The 'greatest of all time' debate goes on endlessly in every sport," Perrotta writes, "but in tennis, the debate is over. One can't compare players of previous generations, and there's no doubt that a player like Federer owes a lot to the greats who came before him (they served as his models). There's no argument about this, however: No tennis player has dominated the game as convincingly (and with such artistry) as Federer. We might never see anyone do it again."

Federer had done essentially everything in tennis except win the French Open, which made the victory doubly sweet, Barry Flatman writes in the Times of London. "Finally he has the full set of Grand Slam titles," Flatman exults. "What a wondrous time for the man so many dared to write off as a spent force just a few weeks ago. What a truly awesome achievement by a player who is supremely gifted but nevertheless repeatedly demonstrates that there can be no short cuts from continuous hard work and true dedication."

from Sports Business Daily:
NBC yesterday aired a new 30-second NetJets commercial immediately following the men's French Open Men's Final that congratulates Roger Federer on his record-tying 14th Grand Slam victory. The spot begins with a small private jet on the tarmac and Federer, who is wearing Nike shoes and a Nike sweatjacket, dragging a cart toward the plane, though the contents of the cart are off-screen. Two baggage handlers then appear, with one of them asking, "Can I take that for you, Mr. Federer?" Federer: "No thanks, I got it." The cart appears heavy as Federer struggles to get it to the plane, at which point it is revealed the cart contains Federer's Grand Slam trophies. The following message then appears on-screen, "NetJets congratulates Roger Federer on his record-tying 14th Grand Slam singles title." As the plane is seen taking off, one of the baggage handlers says, "Pretty soon, he's going to need a bigger plane."

Gillette today runs a full-page ad in USA Today and the N.Y. Times congratulating Federer on his record-tying win. The ad features images of Federer, Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter. Nike also runs a full-page ad in USA Today congratulating Federer with a quote from Jimmy Connors, "In an era of specialists, you're either a hard court specialist, a grass court specialist or a clay court specialist. Or you're Roger Federer."

from London Evening Standard:
In any future remake of The Third Man, Orson Welles' famous quote may now need rewriting: "In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock . . . and Roger Federer".

After yesterday, there can be no buts about his status as tennis' GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), yet equally impressive as the victory was the ensuing speech.

The Fed is equally fluent in three languages, so it seemed uncannily perfect that he marked the 65th anniversary of D-Day by starting in French, moving smoothly to English (a clear rebuke, this, to that posturing ponce Mnr Sarkozy for not inviting the Queen), and ended by liberating his mastery of French once again. Not a word in the tongue he'd have been using had things gone wrong in 1944, and his sensitivity towards our veterans' feelings garlanded him with credit.

from Sports Illustrated:
SI's Jon Wertheim joined the show to discuss Roger Federer's French Open victory. Here are some of his takes on the historic win:

-- To Wertheim, Federer's victory seals his claim to the title of the greatest player in tennis history.

-- Wertheim says that Federer's victory isn't discounted because Rafael Nadal wasn't in the final. Wertehim says Nadal was in the tournament, so it wasn't that big a difference.

-- Wertheim was impressed with how Federer handled that streaker. "It was almost touching how freaked out Federer was," Wertheim said. Wertheim said that Federer is just like one of us, except very, very good at tennis.

Jun 7, 2009 from AFP:
PARIS - Roger Federer gloriously completed a career Grand Slam on Sunday by capturing a record-equalling 14th major with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 win over Robin Soderling in the French Open final.

Federer finally won a Roland Garros crown at the 11th attempt and in his fourth successive final. His victory took him level with Pete Sampras as the holder of 14 Grand Slam titles.

He also moved into a select group made up only of Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi as men who have won all four of the Grand Slam events.

"It was probably my greatest victory, I was under big pressure. I did it and it's phenomenal," said Federer who broke down in tears after being presented with the trophy by Agassi and while the Swiss national anthem was played.

Soderling, who has now lost 10 times in 10 meetings with Federer, admitted the Swiss was a deserving winner.

"Roger was too good for me today, he played much better. He is a worthy winner and for me he is the best player in history," said Soderling. "He gave me a lesson in how to play tennis."

Federer broke the first game on a Soderling double fault and was soon a second break to the good to lead 4-0 when a sweetly-timed drop shot left the Swede stranded behind the baseline.

The 23rd seed stopped the rot with a hold to trail 4-1, but Federer quickly nipped further ahead to 5-1.

Soderling's uncompromising forehand was looking more like a blunt instrument in the damp and chilly conditions.

His service game crumbled again in the seventh game as Federer claimed the opening set. It had taken just 23 minutes with the Swiss losing just two points on serve.

The final was then delayed by a worrying security breach during the fourth game of the second set with Federer ahead 2-1.

A spectator, dressed in red, waved a flag of the Barcelona football club in the world number two's face before he was wrestled off Court Philippe Chatrier by security guards.

But the Swiss star wasn't disrupted from his elegant stride, either by the intruder or the rain which started to steadily fall.

Although Soderling slowly rediscovered his service power, it was Federer who was comfortably dictating the points and he fired down four aces in the tie-break to open up a two-sets lead.

He was a break ahead in the third set to lead 1-0 before Soderling carved out, and squandered, his first break point of the match in the fourth game.

Federer then sent down his 16th ace of the tie to stretch to 4-2. He came out to serve for a place in history but faltered to 30-40 with a wild, running forehand.

With pregnant wife Mirka looking anxiously on, he averted the crisis and went to match point with a confident volley and claimed victory when Soderling netted a service return after 1hr 55min on court.

from Reuters:
"It might be the greatest victory of my career," said Roger Federer.

"It takes away so much pressure. Now, I can play in peace for the rest of my career.

"Nobody will never tell me again that I have not won Roland Garros."

Federer was presented with the Coupe de Mousquetaires by Andre Agassi, the only man before him to have won the four Grand Slams on all surfaces.

"That he gives me the trophy, it's too much, it was very nice of him to come here this year," Federer told French TV channel France 2.

"He told me 'it seems like it's destiny for you, you deserve it'."

Federer thanked the crowd for their warm support throughout the tournament.

"It feels good to be on the podium as the winner for once," he said. "It is a magical moment."

"Congratulations for your wonderful tournament," he told Robin Soderling.

A smiling Soderling said he was beaten by the "best player in history."

from ASAP Sports:
Q. Tiger, Jim Furyk was made sure to let us know that he thanked us for beating you off, talking about how your swing's gone and all the rest of it. He said, great, now look at what I've got to deal with. Do you, when you hear of all this, is it extra motivation for you to say I can still be the guy that I was? And then just actually a totally separate question. Did you watch Roger Federer this morning?

TIGER WOODS: Sure.

Q. What was some reaction?

TIGER WOODS: Frustrating in the sense that I've -- coming off of what I came off of, I win one tournament and have four top tens or whatever it was, and excluding the Match Play, I had 18 straight top tens. That's not bad.

But people said, you know, you're not that good anymore. I'm pretty consistent. Just give me a little bit of time so I can work on my game. Now I'm able to start doing that. Able to work on the things -- I take so much joy out of practicing. That was the hardest part. I wasn't able to practice the way I used to. I usually hit a lot of golf balls, play a lot of holes, but I wasn't able to do that. Now I'm able to start doing that again.

As far as Roger, he was impressive to watch. Talked to him a little bit yesterday and a little this morning. It's just phenomenal just how he's moving again. He's not hurt. He was hurt for a while there. His back was bothering him, and then he had the whole mono thing last year and had to deal with that.

It's just truly remarkable when he gets it going. He just hits shots that nobody else can hit. It's fun to watch.

Q. Did you feel the emotion of him to finally break through?

TIGER WOODS: Absolutely no doubt. I was pulling for him. I was as nervous as can be for him. A couple times there, Soderling had break point in the third set. Roger is off a break, and I'm like don't lose this break. I was yelling at the TV, the whole deal.

from Reuters:
"His win today at the French Open, tying Pete Sampras's record for major titles and the completion of a career grand slam firmly places him in a special place as the greatest player of all time," Billie Jean King told Reuters in an email.

"He has earned his place and he has proven he belongs. Roger is a champion for the ages."

from BBC:
Roger Federer confirmed his position as the greatest tennis player of all time with his victory at the French Open, says BBC Sport commentator John Lloyd.

"He's completed the set and in my opinion he's got to be the greatest player of all time," said Lloyd. "He's now won on all four surfaces and I think he's going to win more."

"He just wanted to win this title, he doesn't care who he plays in the final," said Great Britain Davis Cup captain Lloyd. "In an ideal world if he played Nadal in the final and won it, great, but he just wants to win the title. He's done that now, we can put it to rest.

"He'll now feel so relieved that he could win three, four, five more before he's finished."

"The way Federer took him (Soderling) apart in that first set was just magnificent," said Lloyd. "He came out and played like it was the first round and not the final where he was about to make history by winning all four Grand Slams. It was quite remarkable.

"I thought he might get a little bit more nervous but the first set was the best he played in the whole tournament.

"He knew he had a 9-0 record against Soderling and had only lost one set in those matches, and he thought 'I'm going to dominate from the first point to make sure you have no chance to get into the match', and that's what he did.

"Federer knows that Soderling is dangerous when playing his best, and these two weeks he's gone up three levels mainly because the mental side of his game has improved dramatically.

"He was a big threat. Federer would have been wary of the pace of his shots and thought he would have to play well, but he played brilliantly - job done."

"I would put Federer as the favourite for Wimbledon now after the way he's won the French and looked so convincing," said the former Australian Open finalist.

"Nadal didn't play well here, although there may have been an injury, but he didn't look particularly good from the first round and we don't know how bad his knee is.

Jun 6, 2009 from Roland Garros:
Q. Sveta, to get to this point where you go back to Moscow and you start putting things together, what was really the most important thing? Taking pressure off? Not worrying about winning? Believing more in yourself? Being more independent?

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I came back to Moscow, and I had so many people telling me, You wouldn't be able to play here. You are not able to train here, because it's too much information; it's too much destruction, too much night life or whatever.

And once -- yeah, here we go. In Olympic Games, I really had tough times because I lost first round. It was big one for me, you know. I was not ready because the schedule was so hard.

I had my friends, basketball players, the girls, they asked me -- I asked them if they wanted to go to see tennis. They said yes. They came to the club, and they told me they saw Roger and they say, Can we have picture with him? And I was like, You know how I love Roger, and I never came to him myself asking him for picture. I never did.

For me, it's better to do something for other people than for myself. So I did go to him and say, Can you do the picture? So while I was looking at him and, he was looking at me and said, What do you want?

But, you know, me for me it was big, because I never -- like I knew once he said he likes my tennis and stuff. I also appreciate. I didn't believe it, but... (laughter.)

Yeah, because they said Roger said that. I said, Where? Show me this, because I won't believe what you're saying. He was very nice. He did picture with the girls. I had a talk with him like for 10 minutes, and I never spoken to him before. I was talking to him about the problems I had.

He was listening, and said, Look, I want to move from Spain. I want to go to Russia. Everybody telling me this. I don't know what to do. He say, Look, you can only depend on yourself. You can control it. If you can concentrate and live in Moscow, do this. If you cannot, only you can judge, you know. Only God I say can judge us. You know, this is it.

I really believe in it. I came back to Moscow and I work hard, and I had my time to do everything. I had my time to do everything. I had my passion, I have my friends, I am in my home country. I'm very patriotic. I love being there.

This is a moment turn, because I start to work hard. But still, I let it go. I said, Whatever happens, I just do whatever I feel doing. I gave my best. This is it.

Q. You said many times that you like Roger. Are you going to watch tomorrow his final, and are you going to root for him?

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I wish I could, but, youknow, I have not been to Moscow for two months, and I'm just crazy to go there. I going to have only four days, and I don't know yet. What time is the final?

Q. 3:00.

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Maybe if I take the early flight I can watch it back in home on TV. Maybe my friends convince me to stay here. I don't know yet. But for the moment, my flight is around 12:00 to leave to Moscow.

Q. What would it mean if he would win for you?

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I was thinking a little bit about it. You know, it means a lot to me if Roger wins and I win. I think when I won the US Open I think he also won.

Jun 5, 2009 from Reuters:
PARIS – Roger Federer kept his dream of a maiden French Open title alive when he battled past Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro 3-6 7-6 2-6 6-1 6-4 in a nail-biting semi-final Friday.

The Swiss was one set from defeat when he turned on the style to set up a final with Robin Soderling, who ushered out Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

"I am a bit lucky but I fought," said Federer, who will on Sunday equal Ivan Lendl's record of 19 grand slam final appearances.

"I have an outstanding record against him (Soderling) but he played a fantastic match against (Fernando) Gonzalez," he added after the Swede earlier won in five sets against the Chilean.

"He (Soderling) has a lot of credit since he is the one who knocked out Rafa, who was the man to beat in this tournament," added Federer, who has defeated the Swede in all their nine previous encounters.

Federer got off to a miserable start as Del Potro relied on his big serve and punishing forehand to dictate the play.

Backed by a 15,000 capacity Center Court crowd, he prevailed after three hours 29 minutes on his second match point to book his place in a fourth consecutive final on the Paris clay.

Federer had started confidently, moving Del Potro around the court and setting up two break chances in the second and fourth games.

The Argentine saved them with an ace and a service winner before taking control of the match, stepping into the court to dominate the points.

He broke for 3-2 when Federer netted a forehand and the same error from the Swiss in the ninth game gave Del Potro the first set after 38 minutes.

The 20-year-old Argentine had never taken a set from Federer in their five previous matches.

The Swiss forced a tiebreak in the second after all games went with serve and that is when he showed glimpses of his brilliant best.

He won the tiebreak 7-2 when Del Potro sent a forehand long, triggering a prolonged roar from the crowd.

It failed to unsettle the towering Argentine, who broke in the first game of the third set and continued to look comfortable on his service games.

At 15-15 in the seventh game, it looked like Federer was warming Del Potro up at the net, simply feeding the Argentine with the ball instead of finding a passing shot.

Del Potro won the game when Federer sent a chipped forehand long. As the clock ticked past the two-hour mark, the Argentine bagged the set, his Swiss opponent firing a forehand wide.

Federer then started to mix up his game with sliced shots and was rewarded for his tactical change when the Argentine dropped serve in the fourth game of the fourth set by firing a forehand long to the delight of the partisan fans.

He broke again in the sixth game, following up on serve to send the contest into an unpredictable decider.

With his teeth now sinking firmly into his prey, Federer stole his opponent's serve in the first game of the fifth set as Del Potro's game continued to crumble.

The Argentine briefly regained his poise in time to break back for 3-3, only to drop serve again with a double fault.

Federer could sense victory and kept his composure.

from New York Times:
"It's always fun to see people try to break records," said Paul Annacone, Sampras's longtime coach, in a telephone interview from London on Friday. "Obviously, I didn't think Pete's record would be caught so quickly. But Roger has just had such an amazing run. He's such a class act, and it couldn't happen to a better guy. I hope it's a good day Sunday. I hope it's good tennis, and I'd like to see him hold that trophy up at the end of it."

Annacone said that view is shared by Sampras, who has become friendly with Federer in retirement through playing exhibitions. "I talked with Pete two weeks ago in L.A., and he said he didn't think the record would be caught that quickly either, but he said, 'Roger is a great guy and great player, so hats off if he gets there and passes it because I know how hard it was to do.' "

There are some eerie parallels. When Sampras won his 14th major title, his wife, Bridgette Wilson, was pregnant with their first child and watching from the stands in New York. On the verge of his 14th, Federer's new wife, Mirka Vavrinec, is pregnant with their first child as she watches him in Paris.

"I'm doing great," Vavrinec said Friday after her husband's latest five-set escape.

...If Federer wins, his achievement at all four majors will be without equivalent. He has won three titles and reached four finals in Australia. He has reached the final four times in Paris. He has won five titles and reached six finals at Wimbledon. And he has taken five titles at the United States Open.

He has achieved all this in a seven-year span and is still just 27.

from Globe and Mail:
There has been much speculation about the projected date of birth of the first child of Roger Federer and his wife Mirka. Any time from Wimbledon until after the U.S. Open - a stretch of almost three months - has been mentioned but the couple has been remarkably successful at keeping it a secret. Roger has dropped hints that the child will be a boy but some Swiss media types wonder if he might be setting them up for a surprise.

from WRS:
Is Roger Federer more powerful than the President of the United States? According to Forbes magazine's latest "most powerful celebrities list" he is. The world number two tennis player comes in at 27th position compared with Barack Obama's standing at 49th. He's dropped four places since last year's list. The actress Angelina Jolie is top of the tree, having taken the crown from talk show queen Oprah Winfrey.

from fashionologie:
Yesterday, Anna Wintour arrived to take in Jason Wu's Cruise 2010 show at the Greenwich Hotel in New York, but took a phone call and left four minutes before the show started, leaving Wu's publicist confused. A Vogue staffer told Fashion Week Daily: "She had a plane to catch. But she saw Jason's entire collection earlier and really liked what she was looking at." Today, she showed up in Paris with boyfriend Shelby Bryan to watch her favorite athlete Roger Federer try to win the elusive French Open.

Jun 4, 2009 from Reuters:
LONDON - Tim Henman said Roger Federer was the favourite to break his Roland Garros duck and become the sixth male player to win all four majors in his career.

"I think it would make him the best. I really hope he can win it, it really would be the icing on the cake," Henman told Reuters.

"If you were to ask me who was the best player I had seen and the best player I had played against he would win on both counts. He's so humble and down to earth."

Far from being content to rest on his laurels, Henman believes Federer will not follow in the footsteps of Bjorn Borg and retire early and will aim to put the grand slam record out of reach.

"He's got plenty of his career ahead of him, his game technically and mentally takes so little out of him. I would much more question Nadal because his game is as physically demanding as it gets," the Briton said at an event organised by sponsors Robinsons on Thursday.

from The Times:
The receipt of the ITF's Philippe Chatrier Award at its world champions' dinner was the vehicle for Martina Navratilova to speak directly to the game's leaders. She made critical reference to the assault on the eardrums led here this year by Michelle Larcher De Brito, Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Navratilova did not name players individually but they know who they are.

"Roger Federer doesn't make a noise when he hits the ball - go and listen," Navratilova said yesterday. "The grunting has reached an unacceptable level. It is cheating, pure and simple. It is time for something to be done."

Among other concerns she believes tennis needs to deal with are constant delays of a game because of incessant bouncing of the ball in the service preparation - "it is just too much," she said - and the size of the racket heads and improvements in string technology that are ridding the game of its variety.

But it was the racket of a different sort that really perturbed Navratilova, commentating here for The Tennis Channel.

"I remember how it was when Monica [Seles] and I were competitors and she began to grunt," she said. "I couldn't hear the ball. I thought to myself, 'Do I mention it to the umpire, do I say something to her? What should I do?' And Monica was a friend. I had to say something in the end.

"A player is in a difficult position because if they make too much of a fuss, the crowd can turn against them. It is the umpires who have to act because if they start enforcing the hindrance rule and give point penalties, it will soon stop. The grunts are louder and lasting well into the opponent's strike zone."

Navratilova said yesterday that no one in tennis authority had spoken to her after her speech about either its content or its significance, which is a worry, because her views ought to be roundly supported and acted upon without delay.

Jun 3, 2009 from PA:
PARIS - Roger Federer made his 20th consecutive grand-slam semi-final with a convincing straight-sets victory over 11th seed Gael Monfils at the French Open.

The Swiss was in solid form as he swept to a 7-6 (8/6) 6-2 6-4 win on Philippe Chatrier court.

Federer was forced to save break points in the first and 11th games as an evenly-fought first set went to a tie-break. He saved a set point at 5-6 before clinching the 250th tie-break of his career (250-132) with a forehand volley winner at the end of a riveting rally.

Federer was even more consistent in the 28-minute second set. Again his forehand and serve were hitting the spot and he broke twice, in the first and third games, to take the set and leave an off-key Monfils with a mountain to climb.

The Frenchman called for the doctor prior to the start of the third set, a stomach problem appearing to be the issue. The same doctor would be summoned again at the end of the third game, with the set going with serve with Monfils 2-1 ahead.

The atmosphere by now was somewhat stale and Federer gradually applied the pressure. In game nine, Monfils saved a first break point but on the second he slammed a forehand into the net.

from ATP:
Federer is just the fourth man to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals on five or more occasions. René Lacoste reached five semi-finals between 1925-1929, Henri Cochet matched the feat between 1926-1930 and Eric Sturgess advanced to a record six semi-finals between 1947-1952.

from Roland Garros:
Q: Who would be your ideal partner for mixed doubles?

Svetlana Kuznetsova: Roger Federer.

Jun 2, 2009 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger was awarded the Prix Orange as voted by the French public and press online for a record fifth consecutive time.

The Prix Orange goes to the ambassador of sportsmanship, 2009 marked the 29th edition of the award. "It is a pleasure to receive this award again, it is maybe because I spend so much time with the press," said Roger.

Jun 1, 2009 from AFP:
PARIS – Roger Federer battled back to defeat Tommy Haas 6-7 (4/7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to reach the French Open quarter-finals on Monday.

It was Federer's fifth career recovery from a two-set deficit and he did it for the second Grand Slam in succession.

At two sets to the good, 31-year-old Haas had a break point in the eighth game of the third set which, had he seized it, would have given him the chance to serve for the match.

But Federer saved it with an inside-out forehand and the German began to wilt with the Swiss reeling off 14 of the last 16 games.

Despite having lost eight of their 10 meetings, Haas went into the clash knowing he could push Federer in a Grand Slam showdown, having twice taken him to five sets, at the 2002 and 2006 Australian Open.

Federer won all his service games to love in the first set. But things did not go his way in the tiebreak when he missed a couple of routine shots to let Haas take a 5-2 lead and the German wrapped up the set after 47 minutes.

The Swiss broke to lead 2-1 in the second set, but the German levelled at 4-4.

Federer saved a set point in the 12th game, but a loose forehand gave former world number two Haas another opportunity which he gleefully seized when the second seed dumped a lazy forehand into the net.

Federer then crucially saved a break point with an inside-out forehand to hang on at 4-4 in the third set, broke back to lead 5-4 and then confidently served out for the set.

Federer raced through the fourth set with three breaks to level the tie. Having committed 26 unforced errors in the first three sets, he was spotless in the fourth.

Haas was feeling the strain and a wild, tired forehand gave Federer a break to lead 3-2 in the decider which soon became 4-2 on the back of three aces from the Swiss.

Another break gave him a 5-2 advantage. Haas saved one match point but was powerless on the second when he fired a forehand wide of the mark.

from Roland Garros:
Q: Which part of your game would you like to improve?

Juan Martin Del Potro: I'd love to have Federer's attacking game.