Apr 29, 2004 from Roland Garros Official Site:
The world number one fell at the first hurdle at the last two French Opens. Does that mean Roger Federer has a mental block when it comes to playing in Paris? Unlikely. Since last year’s shock first round exit, the Swiss superstar has conquered virtually all his demons, and is no doubt looking forward to putting his painful Parisian past behind him. And on current form, who would bet against him adding Roland Garros to his growing list of Grand Slam titles?

On Monday 26 May 2003, the crowd at the Philippe-Chatrier court looked on in amazement as Roger Federer capitulated to Peru’s Luis Horna. That shock defeat, coming after the previous year’s loss to Hicham Arazi, meant Federer tasted first-round elimination for the second successive time at Roland Garros. The defeat to Horna was particularly unexpected, since Federer had arrived in Paris as one of the favourites for the title following impressive wins in Marseille, Dubaï, and Munich, and a runner-up spot in the Tennis Masters in Rome. No-one could have predicted that Basle’s finest son would collapse in straight-sets in the very first round.

"I spoke about it long and hard with my coach (Peter Lundgren),” he later told Centre Court magazine, “and I realised that mentally, I was jaded. I was in great shape physically, but I needed some time to get over the disappointment. Losing in the first round of a Grand Slam hit me hard."

His fitness should not be a worry then, but Federer’s chances of going all the way may well depend on the draw and the weather. Avoiding the big clay court specialists early on will surely help him gather momentum, while a bit of last year’s scorching sun would make for fast courts that would suit this Swiss craftsman just fine. Whatever happens, watching Federer try to break his jinx promises to be one of the most fascinating aspects of the 74th edition of the French Open.

Apr 25, 2004 from Eurosport:
It's official, Roger Federer, the world's best player, has had silicone implants. Not content with his more than adequate equipment, that won him Wimbledon and Australian Open titles, the Swiss has had cosmetic surgery on his racket and has even had it coloured in his favourite design.

And, just to be different he's the only one in the tournament to wear a blue shirt. The 22-year-old is hoping that the "molecular nanotechnology" will give him an extra edge on the clay-courts this championship. The new technology developed over the past two years by Amer Sports, the company that owns the Wilson brand, involves the injection of silicone oxide crystals into the microscopic air pockets between the graphite fibres in an ordinary tennis racket.

"The rackets feels good and I like the design, so I might as well change to it," explained the world number one. Federer's racket is even coloured red and white, to mirror Switzerland's national flag. Amer Sports, hope that by the time the U.S. open begins, that Justine Henin-Hardenne and Serena Williams will have followed suit.

Apr 23, 2004 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger Federer is not “only” the first Swiss tennis player to be Nr 1. He is not “only” a player who everyone in the world of tennis calls “The Virtuoso of String Instrument”. He is also and mostly an attractive, sensitive and faithful young man. One who managed to combine an extraordinary – and perhaps unique – talent and an incredible strength of character. The book is only available in french for the moment.

A very gifted man indeed, but also a real professional, competely aware of the demands of high tennis standard. This book is about such a man, one who won so many victories all around the world. One whose career has just begun and will know a lot more success.

Roger Federer by Roger Jaunin Incl. illustrated Biography. 128 pages, 13 x 23.5 cm, ISBN: 2-8289-0799-6. Price: CHF 25.-

Apr 18, 2004 from The Globe and Mail:
By Tom Tebbutt - It was announced Saturday that Andre Agassi and Roger Federer have withdrawn from this week's Tennis Masters Monte Carlo, the first 2004 Masters Series event on clay. Top-ranked Federer cited fatigue as his reason for pulling out.

The Swiss Federer may be criticized by some, but deserves praise for taking a page out of Agassi's book and scheduling wisely. Tennis needs Federer for years to come and if being cautious and measured about his planning at age 22 leads to him still being at major factor at 27 or 28, the sport as a whole will benefit.

At the moment, Federer has no coach and no agent — letting his girlfriend handle some media duties and his parents take care of the finances. About not having an agent, Federer told U.S. writer Jon Wertheim in February: "The more people you have around you, the less it becomes about tennis." That is independent thinking worthy of the game's best player.!

Apr 12, 2004 from Reuters:
For Switzerland captain Mark Rosset, the search goes on for an able number two to support world number one Roger Federer. Rosset's surprise gamble on the inexperienced Ivo Heuberger backfired against France when the 133rd ranked player slumped to a dismal opening day defeat to Arnaud Clement.

Heuberger was replaced by Kratochvil for the reverse singles but to little avail. "I will not accept another performance like the one from Heuberger on Friday," said Rosset, a veteran of 58 Davis Cup matches. "But I thought Yves Allegro played very well alongside Federer in the doubles. He is a bright hope. Michel (Kratochvil) showed a lot of passion in his defeat and there is more in him. It cannot always be up to Federer."

Federer has won 14 of his last 15 singles rubbers for Switzerland but believes it is time for another player to help share the burden of responsibility. "This weekend was another chance for a player to take glory and, for the team, that is perhaps a good thing," said Federer. "I am disappointed to lose but we have many talents and I hope they will come through."

from Roger Federer Official Site:
The Swiss Team was rather disappointed on Sunday evening, but was nevertheless in a good mood. 'It is a pity. We were close to beating them but in the end they were better. We showed a good team performance.' said Roger. He is now off to the southern part of Switzerland for a photo shooting before leaving for Monte-Carlo.

Apr 11, 2004 from Davis Cup Official Site:
The brilliance of Roger Federer has seen the Switzerland v France quarterfinal in Lausanne go to a live fifth rubber, just as the quarterfinal between these two nations in Neuchâtel did three years ago. Federer, who shoulders so much of the burden of Swiss hopes, was outstanding against Arnaud Clément, France's stand-in No. 1, beating him 62 75 64 to send most of the 7000 Swiss fans in the Centre Intercommunal de Malley into raptures.

It means the destination of the tie rests with two fragile players who are struggling to find the form of their best days: France's Nicolas Escudé who beat George Bastl 86 in the fifth set to see France through three years ago, and Michel Kratochvil, whose ranking has slipped from his best of 35 to a current 197.

Whatever happens this weekend, those watching can say they saw Roger Federer at his best. Despite admitting to a little stiffness and feeling tired after his seven hours 13 minutes on court this weekend, he was outstanding in the first set, deliberately keeping the points short with a mixture of crunching groundstrokes and delicate slices that brought Clément out of his comfort zone on the baseline to the net.

Federer should have won the first set more quickly than he did. He broke in the first and third games, and after 23 minutes had two set points at 5-1. But Clément was starting to get into it, and it took the Swiss five set points and 31 minutes to take it 6-2.

Clément likes to change his shirt every set, and he played the second in Swiss colours of bright red. And that proved his best set, as Federer abandoned some of his mixing and got into some baseline slugging. At 5-4, Clément was in a strong position to level the match, but Federer held for 5-5, the Frenchman then played a horrible game, gifting his serve to Federer to love on four errors, and a netted forehand from Clément gave Switzerland the second set.

The break the World No. 1 gained in the opening game of the third set came from a return to his mixing-it-up tactics. He sliced a couple of returns short, following them into the net, and left Clément in unaccustomed territory. Had Federer converted a break point he had at 4-2 the match would have been a procession, but Clement won a superb point to save it, and give himself a chance. Yet he made no impression on Federer's last two service games, the Swiss sealing victory in two hours 14 minutes.

"It was one of my best Davis Cup matches," he said. "Obviously I hope we'll win, but whatever happens, I feel very satisfied about this weekend, I'm very proud to have put in a good performance in Switzerland as No. 1. There was a lot of pressure on my shoulders, I'm tired now, I've done my best, and hopefully it will be enough."

"I am so happy to have won for the wonderful supporters," said Federer. "It means a great deal for me to play for Switzerland in the Davis Cup and to win my game is also very special. It was an important win to keep Switzerland in the match and I was pleased with how I played. I hoped to win quickly after playing in the first two days -- five sets would have been too much."

Clément said: "He played the important points very well. At times he played fantastic tennis, but he wasn't unbeatable. I didn't play a perfect match. I didn't play badly, in fact I played a good match, but against the world No. 1 with the confidence he has, it wasn't enough to beat him. It went so quickly. Federer is just too strong in every area. I knew it would be a difficult match but Roger was very good. Exceptional."

Federer said he hadn't given Kratochvil any tips for playing Escudé. "I gave him some tips about playing Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinal last year," he said, "but I think Micha had too much going round in his head, so I'll just leave him to do what he can."

from Ananova:
France advanced to the final four thanks to another heroic Davis Cup display by Nicolas Escude. Escude had too much in the tank for Switzerland's Michel Kratochvil in the crucial final rubber. A 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 7-6 (8-6) victory for Escude sent the Swiss crashing out of the competition.

Even the best efforts of world number one Roger Federer could not save the Swiss, as they have done so often in recent seasons. Federer was the outstanding singles player in the match, seeing off both Escude and Arnaud Clement in straight sets, with the latter of those two French players tasting defeat at his hands in Sunday's first match.

from Houston Chronicle:
Former player turned ESPN commentator Cliff Drysdale on Roger Federer and men's tennis at large: "Federer is the best player I've ever seen play. ... If you put Federer at his best with any other player in history, that I've ever seen, at their best, Federer would beat them. (Rod) Laver is the next most well-rounded, complete player. And there's no doubt that tennis, the men's game, is better than it has ever been."

Apr 10, 2004 from Reuters:
Nicolas Escude and Michael Llodra defeated Roger Federer and Yves Allegro 6-7 6-3 7-6 6-3 to give France a 2-1 lead in their Davis Cup quarterfinal against Switzerland on Sunday.

The Swiss had taken the first set 7-4 in the tiebreak when Federer produced a powerful forehand winner past Escude. Escude's serve was broken in the second game of the match as the home pair started brightly but Federer dropped his serve in the fifth following a netcord on break point.

Federer and Allegro, however, rallied to take the tiebreak. Federer's serve was again broken in game four of the second set and the French served out the set 6-3. The third set went with serve until Federer was broken once again with the scores at 5-5.

However, nerves got the better of Escude when he attempted to serve out for the set in the next game and the French pair were forced into a tiebreak. Switzerland established a 5-3 lead but four unanswered winners from Escude and Llodra gave France the tiebreak 7-5.

Doubles specialist Allegro's serve had been a point of strength for the Swiss but he finally caved in in the fourth game of the fourth set, allowing the French pair to claim victory in three hours.

"It is always disappointing to lose, especially when we were so close to gaining a two sets to one lead," said Federer. "Yves played very well and it was my serve that was often in trouble. The game has gone now but the match has not. Of course we can still win."

Apr 9, 2004 from Davis Cup Official Site:
Roger Federer celebrated his first match on Swiss soil since becoming world No 1 with a straight sets victory over Nicolas Escude to put Switzerland one up in their quarterfinal against France. For a set and half the 22-year-old from Basel offered his devoted fans a masterclass in power, finesse and invention, but the 62 64 64 scoreline by which he ultimately won testifies to the way Escude fought himself back into the match. It was the opposite of many of Federer's recent Davis Cup performances, when he has come through a close first set and then run away with the match.

But that may have had something to do with his reception in the packed 8000-seater Centre Intercommunal de Malley. As he walked on court he was given a standing ovation, as he warmed up it was to chants of "Roger Roger" and the ring of cow bells, and with most of the home fans wearing their national colour, the arena was a massive swathe of red, interrupted only by around 300 vociferous French fans clad in a highly contrasting blue.

"I wasn't sure what to expect," said Federer. "It was very nice, very loud, a little bit of a surprise, but the people were keen to see me in Switzerland as the No 1 player, and it was a hell of an atmosphere. It almost distracted me a little from my tennis, I almost got goosebumps, it was quite emotional at the beginning. I was very touched."

In that eulogistic atmosphere, an emotional man like Federer might have found the warmth of his reception distracted from his tennis. Yet despite Escude holding his opening service game to love, Federer started like an express train. Escude's second serve is very vulnerable these days, but his first was being attacked without mercy, and such was the home player's dominance that Escude was forced to go for lots of risks, many of which failed.

Federer won the first set in 28 minutes without dropping a single point in his four service games, and when he broke Escude in the opening game of the second it was becoming an embarrassment for the Frenchman. But Escude has made a name for himself by coming back from bad starts, and after finally winning a point on the Federer serve he began to edge his way back into the match as Federer's impressive level began to drop off. Escude's first break point came in the 10th game of the second set, but a Federer serve proved unreturnable, and moments later the Swiss sealed the second set.

That might have opened the flood gates, but Escude hung in. He dropped his serve in the fifth game, but when Federer came to serve for the match his serve deserted him, and Escude worked his way to four break points. Yet this was Federer's day, his triumphant homecoming, and when an Escude backhand return went into the net on the second match point, both Federer and the crowd went wild.

Federer said of Escude: "He's a very dangerous player, he keeps coming at you, if you get down a break he gets confident the match gets much more difficult. For me it was important to get a good start, and luckily I got out of it in the third."

"I was really happy to play in the opening rubber as usually I have to wait for the second game. It is great to play for the first time in the Davis Cup as the top player in the world," said Federer. "I started off by serving badly in the last game and it was tight, but I got my serve going and it got me through in the end."

"I'm very, very happy to win this first point for Switzerland. I want to thank the Swiss public. They were terrific, and the team too," Federer said.

Escude said of Federer: "He's playing the confidence that comes from being the world No 1 and holding two Grand Slam titles. I didn't think he was playing tennis from another planet, but there are times when he produces shots that you don't expect."

One important statistic for Federer was that he won in less than two hours, and as Switzerland's chances depend largely on Federer winning on all three days, the shortness of the assignment could well have significance for the overall outcome of the tie. In the second singles, Ivo Heuberger was playing Arnaud Clement.

Apr 8, 2004 from Davis Cup Official Site:
Marc Rosset, who beat the world No. 1 Jim Courier in the 1992 Davis Cup Final, will be hoping there are no further defeats for the world No. 1, as his side's hopes rest largely with the current world-best Roger Federer. At Thursday's draw at the Olympic Museum, Federer was like a magnet for journalists and fans, as he prepares to play his first match in Switzerland since taking over the top ranking spot in January.

Asked whether he was carrying extra pressure by being No. 1, Federer said: "It's extra pleasure. We've been on the road in Davis Cup for the past three years, so it's really nice to be back home, especially after what happened in Neuchatel against France three years ago. That defeat was probably the worst tie for me."

from FOXSports.com:
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss hopes of advancing in the Davis Cup lie almost entirely on the shoulders of world no. 1 Roger Federer when the team meets France in the World Group quarterfinals this weekend. In Friday's opening two singles matches Federer will face France's Nicolas Escude, while the second Swiss singles player, Ivo Heuberger, will play Arnaud Clement. Federer will be back on court Saturday, partnering Yves Allegro in the doubles against Escude and Michael Llodra. The singles pairings are reversed on Sunday.

Switzerland - described even in the Swiss media as a "one man band" - will be heavily reliant on Federer, the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion. Since February 2002, Federer has won 11 of his 12 Davis Cup matches. "I am ready and very happy to appear in front of the Swiss public for the first time as world no. 1," Federer said

"I think maybe it was a surprise, but maybe more to the French team than us," said Federer. "We are all behind Ivo and we all know he has great ability."

Switzerland defeated France in their last meeting, a year ago in Toulouse. But overall France is 9-2 up in Davis Cup encounters. All the matches - taking place at a Lausanne ice rink - are sold out. The Swiss squad has chosen to play on an opticourt hard surface - the same surface on which Federer has won the ATP CA Trophy in Vienna for the past two years. Last year he and Allegro also took the doubles title there.

from AFP:
Roger Federer's one-man assault on the Davis Cup will be fully tested in this week's quarter-finals when the World No 1 leads the Swiss challenge against France in Lausanne. The Basel maestro has produced some heroic performances for his country over the last few years in both singles and doubles, but the absence of a reliable second singles player has meant his efforts have so far fallen short.

Federer arrived back home from the United States sufferring from stomach pains, but insists he will have recovered in time for today. “If I was unable to be 100% fit for the match with France, I would not risk playing,” he said.

from IOC:
The Swiss team has a trump card up its sleeve: Roger Federer, the world number one. For Federer, this meeting in his home country against France holds a particular importance. He knows the Lake Geneva region well. He took tennis studies training there, "I am waiting for this meeting with as much impatience as pleasure," he said, "and I think that we have a 50% chance of winning!"

Apr 1, 2004 from The Miami Herald:
Elena Dementieva is feeling particularly good this week on the grounds where she won the 1998 Orange Bowl junior title. ''This is a special place for me, and I have very good memories here,'' she said. "I remember it was a great feeling. I won, and Roger Federer won his first Orange Bowl title. So we had this very, very nice cup with oranges in it.'' Dementieva beat Petrova -- her opponent tonight -- in that junior final. Federer beat Guillermo Coria in that Orange Bowl boys' final.