Jan 31, 2004

CEO of the ATP, Mark Miles presents Roger Federer with a cake after becoming World Number One during day thirteen of the Australian Open Grand Slam at Melbourne Park January 31, 2004 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Getty Images)

from Tennis.com:
Swiss Sports Minister Samuel Schmid phoned Roger Federer to congratulate him and Swiss President Joseph Deiss sent Federer a telegram beginning "Bravo!" Federer plays Marat Safin in the Australian Open final. He is assured the No. 1 ranking, a first for a Swiss man, regardless of the outcome. "At the peak but not at the end of the road,'' said Federer's hometown newspaper, Basler Zeitung.

The Geneva newspaper Le Temps noted what Federer and Martina Hingis have done for Switzerland. The only other countries to have No. 1 male and female players are the United States, the former Czechoslovakia, Germany and Spain. The mass circulation Blick, on the front page of its sports section, featured a cartoon of Federer in a crown and robe, standing on top of a tennis-ball world. "Roger, welcome to the Number One Club," the paper said.

from The Globe and Mail:
Martina Navratilova, a Roger Federer aficionado, advanced to the final of the mixed doubles event for the second year in a row as she and Indian partner Leander Paes defeated South African Liezel Huber and Israeli Jonathan Erlich 6-4, 6-4 yesterday at the Australian open. Asked who her favourite male player is, Navratilova, 47, responded quickly, "Oh, Roger, I love to watch him play. I've been keeping my fingers crossed for him this tournament. He's just like an artist, and I like his demeanour as well."

The reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon mixed doubles champion [with Paes] has had a little competition with her team -- her coach, her trainer and her trainer's fiancé -- and correctly predicted Safin would beat Roddick and Agassi as well as Federer's victories. She has a good chance to win the prize -- a T-shirt. About the final, she said, "I'll pick Roger because I've picked him all the way. But Marat played awesome tennis [against Agassi] on Thursday."

from BBC:
John McEnroe has described Roger Federer as the "greatest talent" the sport has ever seen. McEnroe was speaking after Federer eased past Juan Carlos Ferrero to reach the Australian Open final and become world number one for the first time. "He perhaps is the greatest talent in the history of tennis and that's saying something," McEnroe told BBC Five Live. "It is putting a lot of weight on his shoulders but he has the potential to be greater than Pete Sampras."

McEnroe said Federer also deserved to be compared to the American's childhood idol Rod Laver who twice achieved the Grand Slam, winning all four major titles in one year. "Rod Laver could hit every shot," said McEnroe. "Roger is two or three inches taller than Rod and he's got this technology that allows him to get incredible racket speed - but he also possesses touch."

from Eurosport:
As for Roger Federer, he knows what to look out for: "He is very tall, I will have to make him run a lot," Federer told Eurosport. "The most important thing will be being able to read his serve, otherwise I will not be able to break his serve. My own serve will be important, because he's one of the best returners on the Tour. A very good start to the match will be the key."

Jan 30, 2004 from Yahoo! News:
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Roger Federer routed Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 on Friday to reach his maiden Australian Open final and take the world number one ranking for the first time. The Wimbledon champion and second seed knocked all life out of his opponent in 89 minutes before kneeling on center court and saluting the awe-struck crowd. "They are really special," Federer said of the fans at Rod Laver Arena. "Centre courts at grand slams are always very special but here in Australia they are really nice, they always get into it."

"I love it," said Federer, when asked of his new status as No. 1. "I knew I had the chance to be number one in the world," he sighed with relief. "Maybe I have a poker-face most of the time but I felt nervous." Those nerves were never on show as the stylish Swiss hit shots lesser players can only dream of, humbling the French Open champion and third seed in the process. "I am confident. I mean, have you ever seen a number one in the world who is not that confident?" he joked on court.

"There is a lot of joy, satisfaction and pride in becoming the first Swiss to make it to No. 1 on the men's side. No. 1 is something I've been close to in the past but I didn't take my chance." Federer said. "I couldn't believe the chance I had," Federer said of Montreal. "I missed it there, and that was the defeat that hurt me the most last year, and now to have made it and served it out is just really nice. For me, this tournament counts like all the others. There are some who say the contrary: because not everybody came in the past, because you had to take the boat to get here. But now, it's not a problem." Federer will face mighty Marat Safin in Sunday's final.

Federer can be assured vocal support from the ever growing Swiss contingent. "The Swiss are neutral when it comes to other things but when it comes to sport they are freaking out right now," he laughed. Looking forward to Sunday's showpiece, Federer said: "(Marat is) a great player, it will be a great match. He's in the finals and it's very nice to see." If Federer can reach the heights he scaled in this semi-final, it is hard to see how Safin could live with him.

On the Rod Laver Arena he bore down on the net, setting out his game plan from the beginning. Slashing his serve out wide or into the Spaniard's body, he followed his first one in and cut off the rangy Spaniard's angles. On his second serve he stayed back, thrashing ground strokes from side to side as Ferrero scampered to hunt the ball down.

Far from opening defensively, though, Ferrero patrolled the baseline looking for the smallest of openings, pummeling the ball into the smallest of gaps in Federer's armor. Little could separate the men in the first set. Federer fought off three break points in the seventh game, fighting back from love-40 to nose ahead once more.

Again Ferrero drew level, unerring in his accuracy. In the 10th game, Federer pounced. Unloading on the Spaniard's serve he cracked a series of returns and on his first set point, an under-pressure Ferrero flicked a forehand long.

Opening up the second set, Federer kept the heat on, drilling a serve at the Spaniard to hold as Ferrero simply shrugged his shoulders and returned to his seat. Clearly rattled, Ferrero was broken instantly, hooking a crosscourt forehand into the tramlines before falling behind 3-0. Dressed all in black, the Spaniard tore a bandage from his left thigh at the next changeover, desperate for anything to change his luck. A clutch of solid first serves allowed him to get on the scoreboard for 3-1, and buoyed, he set about the Federer delivery with renewed vigor.

However the Swiss player's deft touch rescued him, a delicately floated backhand forcing the Spaniard off balance and he missed as Federer eased 4-1 ahead. nother piledriver of a forehand gave Federer another break and a 5-1 lead, leaving Ferrero to thump his racket into his left thigh in fury and frustration. Two minutes later the Swiss was two sets up after less than an hour and Ferrero could only stare into space.

Out of ideas and with patience wearing thin, the baseliner attempted ever more audacious drop shots and angled volleys -- more often missing than not -- but managed to stay with the Swiss early in the third set. His fragile confidence was finally shattered in the seventh game when Federer broke him for a fourth time in total, tearing a return back onto the Spaniard's toes. Serving comfortably he moved to 5-3, one game from victory and he made no mistake, forcing Ferrero to return a forehand long after yet another heavy serve.

Roger Federer kneels on center court as he waves to the crowd following his semifinal win over Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2004. Federer won in straight sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. (Photo by AP)

Jan 29, 2004 from Reuters:
Roger Federer will lead a four-man Swiss squad for next week's Davis Cup World Group first round tie with Romania, the Swiss Tennis Federation announced in Geneva on Thursday. Federer will be joined in the squad by Michel Kratochvil, Stanislas Wawrinka and Yves Allegro. Captain Marc Rosset has left out Ivo Heuberger and George Bastl, who were both in the party for Switzerland's 3-2 defeat to Australia in last year's semi-final. Switzerland faces Romania in Bucharest on February 6-8.

Jan 28, 2004 from Yahoo! News:
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Revenge-hungry Roger Federer outclassed nemesis David Nalbandian, 7-5, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, to advance to the semi-finals of the Australian Open Wednesday. The world No. 2 survived a tentative third set to exact revenge for his fourth-round loss to Nalbandian at Melbourne Park last year.

From double break point down at 5-5 in the first set, Federer fired four successive aces to set the tone of the match. That flurry of big serves unsettled Nalbandian and Federer promptly broke the eighth seed in the next game to seize the initiative on Rod Laver Arena. "That was to polish up the stats." In a more serious vein, he added, "I took a lot of chances. I don't think I've ever hit four aces in a row. They came at the right time and were maybe the key to the match, who knows?" said Federer, who will top the world rankings for the first if he overcomes Juan Carlos Ferrero in the semi-finals.

Federer dropped serve in the seventh game of the second set but, combining Swiss precision with steely determination, struck back immediately to level at 4-4. Two games later, he tightened his grip on the match, converting his third set point when Nalbandian dumped a forehand into the net under intense pressure. The pony-tailed Argentine, who had sportingly given a point back to Federer in the second set after a wrong line call, forged a number of chances but only converted three of 11 break points.

His frustration boiling over at the start of the third set, Nalbandian slammed his racket on the ground after Federer escaped another jam in the third game. The 22-year-old, whose only victory over Nalbandian in six previous meetings came at the Masters Cup in November, had to toil to settle another score with the 2002 Wimbledon finalist. He squandered three break points for a 3-2 lead in the third set and Nalbandian punished him for it, striking the decisive blow in the 11th game.

Federer responded like a champion, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth set with a whipped forehand cross court. Nalbandian never recovered and Federer set up match point in the ninth game with ace number 20. Another thundering serve gave Federer the match after two hours 41 minutes. He hit 50 winners compared to Nalbandian's 26 and served 20 aces to five.

"There were a lot of unforced errors," Federer said. "I took a lot of chances. I served well in the first two or three sets maybe, and afterwards it was not that great a match, I thought. But I'm still very happy obviously." "I'm lucky I can play a one-handed backhand because then I can mix it up a lot," he said. "It's so much fun to stay for two weeks at the same place because normally you leave after a week and after what I experienced at Wimbledon I obviously want to live through that more times in my career and this is a very good start to the season," he said.

Federer would become the 23rd player to become world number one since the ranking system began in 1973 with victory over third seed Ferrero Friday. The Spaniard can return to the top spot by beating Federer and then winning Sunday's final. "I think my math is good enough to figure that out," Federer said, referring to the complicated points ranking system. "We always have tough matches," Federer said of the Spaniard, who has a shot of his own at the No.1 ranking. "Obviously, with his game, it matches up well against mine. I'm looking forward to it. I'm ready."

Roger Federer waves to his supporters after his quarterfinal win over Argentina's David Nalbandian at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2004. Federer won in four sets 7-5, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. (Photo by AP)

Jan 27, 2004 from The Age:
"Now you have these highly organised press conferences," a tennis writer Philippe Bouin, of the French sports newspaper L'Equipe says. "Maybe 50 players a day over several rooms. Take Roger Federer, for example. He is Swiss-German. He'll give a press conference in English, then one in Swiss-German, then another in French then another in German. Then the same thing for radio and the same thing for TV. He might play for an hour then spend two hours with media. They know now that we - how can I say? - amplify what they say for the public, for the crowd. It's not as simple as it used to be."

Jan 26, 2004 from Reuters:
Roger Federer produced a masterful display of precision tennis to outclass Lleyton Hewitt 4-6 6-3 6-0 6-4 in 138 minutes in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Monday. Playing at the peak of his powers, Federer ruined Australia's annual national day celebrations when he clinically disposed of the last surviving local player.

Hewitt made a flying start, breaking Federer in the opening game of the match when the Swiss let him back into the game with a double-fault. Hewitt saved two break points in his first service game as Federer tried to respond straight away but the Australian held his remaining service games with ease to grab the first set in 34 minutes.

Federer had been unusually nervous, committing a string of unforced errors as Hewitt began applying the pressure, but he was quickly into the groove in the second set. He broke Hewitt for the first time in the sixth game after the Australian briefly lost his concentration after being called for a foot-fault, then saved a couple of break points to square the match at one set all.

Hewitt led 40-15 in his opening service game of the third set before his game suddenly started to unravel with Federer reeling off six games on the trot to take a two sets to one lead. Federer got the decisive break in the fifth game of the fourth set with a series of spectacular running forehands including one when he retrieved a Hewitt smash from between the tramlines. Hewitt had some chances to break back but each time Federer answered the challenge before serving out for victory, sealing it with an emphatic smash. Federer piloted 53 winners past Hewitt, the majority off his majestic forehand wing, delivered 14 aces and broke serve five times when Hewitt made only 16 winners and five aces.

"I'm very, very happy to have taken my revenge on him, because it hurt me big time, losing that Davis Cup match," Federer told tennis legend and television commentator John McEnroe on court afterwards. In reply, McEnroe told him: "You're one of the greatest tennis players I've ever seen." "Every time Lleyton and I play we have great matches, and this was a great battle. This is very big for me and my career. I'm chasing number one in this tournament," Federer said. "When I heard that Monday is Australia Day I wasn't too happy because I knew it was going to be even worse than anything I ever expected, but the crowd was good, it was a good atmosphere."

from Swissinfo:
The world of tennis has been rocked by a series of doping scandals, with a number of players testing positive for the banned steroid, nandrolone. Earlier this month Britain’s Greg Rusedski joined the list, prompting Switzerland’s tennis federation to issue fresh warnings about the risks associated with banned substances.

Speaking last week at the Australian Open, Switzerland’s Roger Federer was clearly irritated about the effect the scandals were having on players’ morale. “We can’t go on like this if, every time we take a nutritional supplement or an energy drink, we could be putting our health and our reputation at risk,” he said in Melbourne. Federer, who has qualified for the tournament's quarter-finals, is one of many players who are unhappy with the fallout from a string of positive doping tests.

Jan 24, 2004 from AFP:
MELBOURNE - Roger Federer showed the form that won him Wimbledon last year as he blew past Australian wild card Todd Reid in straight sets to reach round four of the Australian Open on Saturday. Reid, a promising 19-year-old from Sydney never looked in the match as Federer romped to a 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 win in one hour 14 minutes.

Federer broke Reid's service eight times and went on a run of 14 unbeaten games from 2-3 in the first set to 4-1 in the third set. The stylish Swiss dominated the match with 31 winners to six and constantly ran Reid around the back of the court.

Jan 22, 2004 from Yahoo! News:
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Roger Federer outclassed American qualifier Jeff Morrison 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in 94 minutes on the Vodafone Arena to reach the third round of the Australian Open Thursday. Looking sharp in the Melbourne heat, Federer wrapped up the first set with an amazing reflex volley and continued to dominate his 156th-ranked opponent, despite never fully extending himself. The stylish Swiss has been in terrific form and demonstrated his title credentials with another sublime performance. Federer faces local wildcard Todd Reid in the third round.

Roger Federer hits the ball into the crowd after winning his second round match against Jeff Morrison of the United States at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004. Federer won the match 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. (Photo by AP)

Jan 20, 2004 from Reuters:
Roger Federer demolished American Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-3 6-4, 6-0 on Tuesday in a superb start to his quest for the Australian Open. Federer breezed through the first two sets and put on a master-class in the third to wrap up a one-sided match in 89 minutes at Rod Laver Arena. The clean-hitting Federer overpowered his 117th-ranked opponent from the baseline and was razor-sharp with his volleys, winning 20 out of 24 points at the net in scorching conditions.

Federer dominated the match, firing down 13 aces and registering 42 winners. He did not face a break point in the entire 89-minute match and broke serve five times himself. The stylish Swiss will play American qualifier Jeff Morrison in the second round on Thursday.

Jan 19, 2004 from News.com.au:
John McEnroe said he was not concerned about Wimbledon champion Roger Federer's patchy pre-tournament form. "Practice is less important to the confidence of a player such as Roger Federer," he said.

Jan 18, 2004

Roger Federer makes a backhand return during a practice session at Melbourne Park on the eve of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2004. Federer the number two seed will play Alex Bogomolov of the United States in his first round match. (Photo by AP)

from St. Petersburg Times:
"Roger Federer is the most talented player since Rod Laver," ESPN commentator Cliff Drysdale boldly proclaimed. "He has every shot. There is no part of his game that you can say he's lacking. It may well be a race between (Andy Roddick and Federer) in 2004."

from The Age:
Marat Safin believes he belongs in the company of Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Juan Carlos Ferrero et al. "I think there will be times that they will beat me, that I will beat them, so it's going to be a competition like it was before with Becker, Sampras, Agassi."

Who, then, is the next Pete? Safin himself? "No, it's Federer. Federer I think is Sampras. He has the potential. He's very talented and he has more or less the same game. he needs more improve(ment), but he plays as nice as Pete. He is very talented, definitely. Very good hands, very good serve. But I think for me the most talented of all times was (Marcelo) Rios. But unfortunately he doesn't want to continue his tennis career, because when it's too easy for you, then it's boring."

Jan 17, 2004 from Yahoo! News:
MELBOURNE (AP) - Roger Federer beat Alex Corretja 7-5, 6-2 in the Commonwealth Bank International exhibition. Corretja trailed 4-0 in the second set and hit what appeared a winner. But Federer made a lunging backhand pickup that barely dropped over for a point. A disbelieving Corretja stared briefly, then turned his back to Federer and pulled down his shorts, showing his underwear. Federer was laughing so hard he had to delay the next point.

Roger Federer smiles after Alex Corretja pulled his pants down after a lucky shot during their exhibition match at the Kooyong International Tennis Tournament in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by AP/POLFOTO)

from CBI Official Site:
Spaniard Alex Corretja has replaced American Andy Roddick in the play-off for third and fourth spots against Roger Federer in today's Commonwealth Bank International schedule. Roddick suffered severe blisters on his feet in yesterday's tough match against David Nalbandian.

Jan 16, 2004 from Australian Open Official Site:
The International Tennis Writers Association (ITWA) Has named Roger Federer and Justine Henin-Hardenne its 2003 Players of the year. Winners of the ASAP Best Ambassadors for the Sport of Tennis were Kim Clijsters and Younes El Aynaoui. Federer was a clear winner over his closest challenger, Andy Roddick. Juan Carlos Ferrero came third. "Roger's impeccable performance at Wimbledon, his astounding title run at the year-end Tennis Masters Cup and his overall fine play on all surfaces gave him the edge over Roddick," said ITWA President Richard Evans. All winners will be presented with Montblanc pens at the Australian Open following the recent vote of well over half of ITWA's 103 worldwide members, who represent publications and radio outlets that reach more than 75 million people world wide.

In the 'Ambassador' category, El Aynaoui won a close contest where seven men received votes and was trailed by Andre Agassi and Paradorn Srichaphan. Federer, Gustavo Kuerten, Carlos Moya and James Blake were the other men who received votes. The 'Ambassador' category recognizes cooperative players who spend the most time attempting to work with the media so as to promote the sport to the public. ITWA members come from five continents. Its board of directors includes representatives from England, France, the United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil and Lebanon.

Jan 15, 2004 from Yahoo! News:
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Andre Agassi pummeled Roger Federer 6-2, 6-4 Thursday at Kooyong International. It took the American only 22 minutes to snatch the opening set under a bright Melbourne sun as Federer struggled to contain the 33-year-old's pace. Smashing his backhand all over the court, Agassi broke Federer to love in the first game of the second set and the Swiss walked back to his chair looking downtrodden and disillusioned. The second set was a little closer but Agassi never looked like letting it escape from his grip.

Jan 14, 2004 from ABC and Reuters:
Roger Federer defeated Thomas Johannson 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 in his opening match of the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament in Melbourne. Federer found the going tough against Swede Johansson, but in the end his class proved the difference.

Johansson broke Federer's opening service game to take a 2-0 lead before the world number two hit back immediately. He then broke the former Australian Open champion's serve at 4-4 and served out. Federer pinged a smash away into the outer reaches of the arena to clinch the opening set in 33 minutes. Games went on serve in the second set but Johansson was too strong in the tie-break, taking it 7/2.

Both players staved off break chances in their opening games of the third set, before the Swede wilted to give Federer a 3-1 break and a lead which he never relinquished. It proved to be no more than a delaying tactic, though, as Federer swiftly re-imposed his will. Serving for the match at 5-3, Federer looked home and dry but double-faulted on his first match point. Two points later, though, he made no mistake, punching in a serve to Johansson's body and the Swede could only steer the ball wide. The Swiss star recorded 37 unforced errors to Johansson's 24 but fired 29 winners to 18.

from The Advertiser:
An ATP spokesman yesterday said about 1100 in-competition drug tests were conducted. Only 60 out-of-competition tests, involving 46 players, were undertaken. Figures obtained by The Advertiser show Roddick and Roger Federer were the most tested male players in the world last year. Roddick was urine-tested 16 times in competition and underwent six blood tests. Wimbledon winner Federer had 20 urine tests and two blood tests.

Jan 13, 2004

Tennis players (L-R) Thomas Johansson from Sweden, Robby Ginepri from the U.S., Taylor Dent from the U.S., Sebastian Grosjean from France, David Nalbandian from Argentina, Andre Agassi rom the U.S., Roger Federer from Switzerland and Andy Roddick of the U.S. stand together for a group photo after a media conference in Melbourne January 13, 2004. (Photo by Reuters)

from Herald Sun:
The restaurants of Chapel St attract a steady stream of tennis players during the two weeks of the Australian Open, none more so than Caffe e Cucina. Manager Riccardo Bianchini said scores of players had dined at the Italian restaurant, usually in the more private upstairs room.

"John and Patrick McEnroe, Roger Federer, Carlos Moya, the Williams sisters, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati, all the Italians . . . the list goes on," Mr Bianchini said. "They enjoy it, I think, because they can come in without too much of a fuss being made. People tend to respect their privacy. Anyway, for Italians, unless you're a soccer player, we don't worry too much."

Jan 12, 2004 from BBC:
In April last year a breakaway player's union - the International Men's Tennis Association (IMTA) - was formed in response to growing criticism of the ATP. Leading players including Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin and Roger Federer signed up, concerned about what they perceived to be the declining popularity of men's professional tennis and the way the ATP was running the game.

Jan 10, 2004 from Watsons Water Champions Challenge Official Site:
Roger Federer, perhaps a little more relaxed than he should’ve been, lost his serve early on in both sets, and he paid the price. Juan Carlos Ferrero, in top form, again made few mistakes, served excellently, grinding down Federer from the baseline. Federer did show us a little magic – some angled cross-court backhands that seemed impossible, some classic serve and volley play reminiscent of the great champion, Pete Sampras. He managed to bring some life to the crowd – a cheering battle between the East and West side stands ensued throughout the match, the East side coming out on top – “come on J. C… Vamoose Ferrero!” Ferrero, to a delighted East stand audience, and an overall pleased crowd, took the match 6-4, 6-4, becoming the 2004 Watsons Water Challenge Champion.

Three great days of tennis finally came to an end with the crowd-pleasing Martina Navratilova winning the mixed doubles with Federer, adding another crown to her sated treasure chest. The Watsons Water Champions Challenge 2004 proved to be one of the best tournaments held in Hong Kong. The vision of the Catton family was well rewarded by a standing ovation from a packed stadium. In Federer’s words – “This has been an excellent tournament… perfect preparation for the Australian Open, smoothly run… I really hope that I’ll be invited to play next year” So do we, Roger.

Organizers of the Watsons Water Champions Challenge announced this evening the participation of Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer in the Mixed Doubles Final. Elena Dementieva and Martin Verkerk have stepped aside to allow Martina and Roger to play in the Final.

Co-Tournament Director Terry Catton said, “Elena and Martina have graciously stepped aside to allow Hong Kong fans to see Martina for the very last time. She has announced this will definitely be the last year on the tour, and it will certainly be her last professional appearance in Hong Kong. We are also grateful to Martina and Roger for their willingness to do this. For the interest of tennis fans, we applaud all parties in coming to this decision.”

Jan 9, 2004 from The Advertiser:
Roger Federer shook out the rust from the off-season break to defeat Max Miryni 6-3 4-6 6-4 at the Hong Kong Challenge exhibition event at Victoria Park. It was a patchy display from Federer. "I felt good in the beginning but obviously every year it's tough starting off because I haven't played in such a long time," Federer said. "It was tough to get a rhythm and I lost the rhythm in the second set. He came out with a few good shots and luckily for me I could break him one time in the third."

Federer said he was not bothered who he faces at the weekend and was glad to have negotiated the challenge posed by Miryni, arguably the best doubles player in the world. "I'd rather play anyone other than Max," Federer said. "He is very uncomfortable to play against."

The 22-year-old said he planned to work on his usually flawless serve and volley game as he prepares for Saturday's final and the first grand slam event of 2004, the Australian Open, which gets underway in Melbourne on January 19. "I want to improve my serve. I still think I can get more power down my serve and I can improve my volleys a bit and be a little bit more sharp at the net," he said. "My movements have become much better over the last few years but there are some little things to improve."

from Watsons Water Champions Challenge Official Site:
First up on centre court was Roger Federer and Max Mirnyi. Federer was the firm favourite. In a well-fought match, Federer finally managed to break Mirnyi serve and take the match 6-4 in the final set. A special treat followed with Martina Navratilova taking to centre court again in an exciting mixed doubles match. She, partnered by Federer, took on Elena Dementieva and Martin Verkerk, and Verkerk’s serve. At 6-1 down, Navratilova got her second wind and showed the Hong Kong crowd why she has 20 Wimbledon titles to her name. With a sneaky little game of hide ‘n’ seek behind the big Canon camera and a few words to her younger partner, she managed to crack a few returns back and force a break of Verkerk’s serve. The crowd were on their feet, egging on a huge comeback. Some excellent tennis was seen in the next few games – Federer punching back a few volleys at the bullying Dementieva; Navratilova showing us that an old dog who already knows all the tricks needn’t have to learn them again. The fighting duo clawed their way back to 6-5, before graciously bowing out to their over-powering opponents 8-5.

from Herald Sun:
Pat Rafter rates Swiss champion Roger Federer technically the best player in the world. Despite his two close calls at lifting the Wimbledon trophy, Rafter said there was no reason to think he might have usurped Lleyton Hewitt (2002) or Federer ('03) as the All-England kings. "I just found there were so many other great players out there. You have had to beat so many good players to win a grand slam," Rafter said. "We've seen the emergence of Roger Federer. He is the greatest, most complete player I have seen. He's going to be awesome."

Jan 8, 2004 from AP:
HONG KONG - Roger Federer began his 2004 season Thursday by beating Max Miryni of Belarus 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the Champions Challenge exhibition. Federer will play Juan Carlos Ferrero or Martin Verkerk in the final. Federer clinched the first set easily, but struggled to maintain form in the second against Mirnyi's big serve. He recovered in the third, breaking his opponent in the sixth game to set up the win.

The World No. 2 said afterward he was still a little rusty from the end-of-season break. "It's tough to start off the year because I haven't played in such a long time, especially against a player like Max, who relies on his serve a lot and keeps the points short," the Swiss star said.

HONG KONG, CHINA: A young girl hits a ball to Swiss tennis star Roger Federer at a tennis clinic before the start of the Watsons Water Champions Challenge tennis tournament in Hong Kong 08 January 2004. Federer will play Max Mirnyi of Belarus in their first round match later today. (Photo by AFP/Getty Images)

Jan 5, 2004 from ATP:
After receiving The Credit Suisse Sports Award for the most successful Swiss athlete of the year Roger Federer was voted 'Swiss of the Year' by the Swiss TV audience at the Swiss "Oscars" night on TV. Federer first had to win the sports category, SwissAward, (voted by a 100 man jury) and was then voted Swiss of the year, competing with other categories, by the Swiss TV audience.

"I didn’t count on this at all and I'm totally surprised," said Federer. Federer’s name will be engraved in stone at the Aelggli-Alp (mountain) located in central Switzerland along with the winners from previous years. "To receive this award makes me very proud. I guess I'll have to pack my backpack now and have a look at the Aelggli-Alp," Federer said at the Gala.

Also, Roger Federer has won the ATP European Player of The Year Award for 2003 as voted by the European ATP tournament directors. The Swiss star who finished 2003 at No. 2 in the ATP Champions Race, will receive a Waterford Crystal engraved trophy.

Federer earned more titles than any other ATP player in 2003, winning seven tournaments. Federer also scored more match wins (78) than any other player in 2003. The ATP European Player of the Year Award is based on diverse criteria such as the final ATP Champions Race position of the player, attitude towards media and sponsors, cooperation and support of the European events. Spain's Carlos Moya won the inaugural award last year.