May 29, 2004 from Sportal:
Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten has beaten top seed Roger Federer in their third round match. The world No.1 was nowhere near his best and Kuerton never allowed him to find his rhythm. Kuerten won 6-4 6-4 6-4 and will now face Feliciano Lopez who booked his spot in the fourth round with victory over Korean Haik-tai Lee. Federer's loss means eighth seed David Nalbandian is now the highest seed in the top half of the men's draw.

May 28, 2004 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Due to the huge surge in popularity of the world tennis number one and with a view to managing the global spread of the Roger Federer brand, Roger Federer Management has decided to enlarge its Communications team. Thomas Werder has been hired to act as Head of Communications from 1 June 2004, a post primarily entailing responsibility for brand management, public and media relations and communication with fans. In the Tennis area, it is still planned to fill the vacant coach position.

Thomas Werder has over ten years' experience in the field of communications and has held managerial positions at Swisslog, Day Software and Swiss Radio DRS, among others. He has already been advising and assisting Roger Federer Management in communications matters since the start of this year. Roger Federer's partner Mirka Vavrinec will take on the role of his PA, coordinating all his appointments. She will continue to be the point of contact at tournaments for the ATP and the media.

May 27, 2004 from Roland Garros Official Site:
Swiss stylist Roger Federer was tested, but not troubled, by Nicolas Kiefer on Wednesday, moving past the gritty German in straight sets 6-3 6-4 7-6(6). The world No1 and top seed remained calm under fire, staving off a brave fight by the German, and triumphing in two hours, 31 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Harnessing the incredible speed, power and resilience that have taken him to two Grand Slam singles titles, Federer shut out the German by opening up the court and threading backhand after glorious backhand. The superb Swiss strokemaker traded blows with Kiefer from the back court, but was troubled by an inconsistent serve that brought with it 12 double faults.

Federer hit 48 winners during the duel, and coolly kept his head in fending off 12 break points. Kiefer employed a clever net-charging tactic that interrupted the top seed’s rhythm, but the German faltered in the end with a telling 26 unforced errors. He fought off a match point at 4-5, and then had the Swiss 0-40 on serve, Federer recovered, as champions tend to do. Kiefer then held a set point at 6-4 in the tiebreak but was thwarted again by the Swiss.

Roger Federer is seen through the racket of his opponent Nicolas Kiefer during the second round of the French tennis open at Roland Garros in Paris. (Photo by AFP/Thomas Coex)

May 25, 2004 from Roland Garros Official Site:
Top-seeded Roger Federer quickly erased the horrid memories of two first exits in 2002 and 2003 by wiping the court with Belgium's Kristof Vliegen 6-1 6-2 6-1 on Tuesday.

"I really tried to focus hard on the first round and be as well prepared as I could," Federer said. "I didn’t want to put a huge amount of pressure on myself and tried to play as simple as possible. I just wanted to play solid. I’m extremely happy to be through to the second round and still in the draw."

Playing a heady, patient match and never allowing his opponent to believe for a millisecond that he could shake his confidence, Federer dominated the contest from all angles of the court. The No1 ranked was forceful from his forehand side, served efficiently and produced numerous magical bursts with his much-admired one-handed backhand. Vliegen got off to a terrible start and never found a way to threaten Federer.

"Things were going very fast," Vliegen said. "I knew in advance that he was playing very well and knew it would be difficult to even win a set. Today, I was not able to find a solution. My level is not the same as his. Federer has all the shots and can count on anything because he has all the weapons to win."

Last year, Federer completely fell apart in a first round loss to Moroccan veteran Hicham Arazi. But this year, he arrived at Roland Garros holding two Grand Slam titles - 2003 Wimbledon and the 2004 Australian Open - and now knows how to lock in on court.

"Let's say one year ago, I would just come here and think I was a favourite, think I had a good chance of winning. I would come here, 'Yeah, easy first rounds, then let's see what happens'. But since I won Grand Slams, I take each match much more seriously. The preparation is much more important now. The practice sessions and the sleep, what I'm eating, everything is much more serious. This is what is working for me, so I will keep it up ," he said.

The 22-year-old was so pleased with his win that he often laughed and joked during his post match press conference and gave praise to Martina Navratilova for helping his game along earlier this year in Hong Kong.

"I asked her to hit with me and she was very happy," Federer said. "She gave me one tip, which is top secret, and it worked."

from AP:
PARIS - Roger Federer's new resolve was finally on display at the French Open, where he stopped his Roland Garros losing streak by beating Kristof Vliegen of Belgium 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 Tuesday. "It's a little bit of a relief, obviously," the Swiss star said. "Still, if I lose in the second round, I would still be disappointed."

It was a mental flip of the switch that helped lift him to the No. 1 ranking. As part of his new routine, he is more careful about what he eats and makes sure he gets enough sleep. "Before I was doing it, but I was doing it because, well, everybody has to do it," said Federer, 33-3 with a tour-leading four titles in 2004. "Now I'm doing it because I know I need to do it: this is the best way I can prepare."

"He's got the eye, the talent and he has all the shots," Vliegen said. "I knew that it was going to be very, very difficult." Federer showed off elements of his varied game in the 76-minute workout, from aces to drop shots to smooth groundstrokes.

At 3-0 in the last set, he hit a deep approach shot to a corner, then snapped a forehand volley winner to the opposite corner, and Vliegen smiled in appreciation. In the final game, a sliding Federer conjured up a winner with a backhand lob volley that found its appointed mark right inside the baseline — the sort of shot few would try, much less execute so precisely.

Even Federer's mistakes worked, including a shanked backhand return on the last point that fluttered off-course but still somehow landed on the baseline, helping set up a closing forehand winner. "I was on the defensive the whole match, which is something I don't like to do," said Vliegen, who lost in qualifying and only got into the main draw because someone withdrew.

Federer is bidding to become the first man since Jim Courier in 1992 to win the first two legs of the Grand Slam. And if he manages to win the French Open, he'd be only the second active player with titles from more than two majors — the other is Andre Agassi, who lost Monday to a career minor leaguer playing his first tour match. Federer took note of that result, saying, "It makes you think that anybody can beat you if you're not playing your best."

from Reuters:
PARIS - World No. 1 Roger Federer raced into the French Open second round with a lightning quick 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 destruction of Belgium's Kristof Vliegen Tuesday. The 22-year-old Swiss was never in danger of suffering another shock in an embarrassingly one-sided match on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

"I feel a little bit relieved obviously after the last two years, there's been so much talk of me losing three times in a row in the first round," said Federer. "For me it was enough to play consistently today. He made a lot of simple mistakes which made it quite an easy win in the end," Federer said.

"It was just important to stay focused for an hour and 20 minutes, which in best-of-five set matches you have to be. It's sometimes difficult, especially when you are winning so easily. This is a very good start for me."

from Sporting Life:
Roger Federer later admitted he had drawn inspiration from Andre Agassi's surprising first-round defeat to unknown Frenchman Jerome Haehnel to ensure he avoided suffering a similar upset. "I never thought Agassi would lose but I knew Jerome and his potential as I trained with him a few times," Federer said.

"But it proved that anyone can beat you, no matter who you are and which level you are ranked at. It shows concentration is a vital element to success." Federer also expressed his delight at avoiding another first-hurdle exit. "I am so happy I progressed to the second round, this is a relief for me," he added.

"Vliegen started very badly and I took advantage of that. I just needed to play regularly throughout the match to win it. I followed a very specific mental preparation ahead of the tournament, mainly based on lifting the pressure off myself. I also tried to play as simply as possible, deciding not to change anything to my tactics if something went wrong. The key for me is to play solid and efficient tennis. I am also more serious, more concentrated and it works."

May 24, 2004 from Reuters:
PARIS - French Open organizers did Roger Federer a favor when they scheduled the top seed's first round match against Kristof Vliegen Tuesday to be played on court Suzanne Lenglen instead of center court. The world number one has been knocked out in the first round in the last two years at Roland Garros but he has revealed a more bizarre statistic.

"It must be noted that I have never won a match on center court, not even a set," Federer told reporters. Federer even lost an exhibition match against in-form Filippo Volandri on Sunday on the Philippe Chatrier court.

The Swiss said his 2003 Wimbledon triumph had changed his approach to grand slam tournaments. "I used to put too much pressure on myself but my Wimbledon victory changed that. Now I know how to tackle a grand slam. The only difference here is that the courts are slow and the balls heavy," he said.

May 23, 2004 from the Advertiser:
Roger Federer believes the French Open presents the toughest challenge if he is to complete a Grand Slam this year. The world number one is adamant that the US Open later this year would be an easier task than the mission which faces him on the slow clay courts of Roland Garros over the next two weeks.

"I think I have a better chance of winning the US Open than this," said Federer. "I find this tournament tough becasue the conditions are quite slow again this year and the balls seem heavy. It's all about patience for me. I know I can play well here."

May 22, 2004

World number one Roger Federer is closely watched by young fans during an exhibition training with children at Jean Bouin stadium in Paris. (Photo by Reuters/Charles Platiau)

Federer catches a ball with his racket during a training session ahead of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (Photo by AP/Christophe Ena)

May 21, 2004 from Reuters:
PARIS - Roger Federer faces a potential third-round showdown with three-times winner Gustavo Kuerten in a tough opening week at the French Open which starts on Monday May 24.

"I know I can play well on clay, I never had any doubts about it," Federer told sports daily l'Equipe. "I had good results on it, I won Hamburg twice and it's a big tournament on the surface. That's why I have high ambitions for Paris, if only because I want to defend my world number one ranking and that I need good results for that," he added.

Switzerland's top-seeded Roger Federer tests his rackets during a training session for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (Photo by AP/Francois Mori)

May 19, 2004 from Reuters:
HAMBURG - Roger Federer's recent form strongly suggests he could win the French Open but the modest world number one is just focusing on surviving the first round at Roland Garros for a change.

"I really don't want to consider myself as the favourite," said the Swiss. "I don't want to waste thoughts on possible semi-finals or quarter-finals," added Federer. "I'll concentrate on my first round because that's what didn't work in the last two years."

"The last two years I entered the French Open with high hopes and losing in the first round was very tough mentally," he said. "I'm more relaxed now. I know whoever wants to beat me will have to play extremely well."

Federer's run in Hamburg was a clear demonstration that he can beat anybody on the slow surface. But the previous week he had made a second-round exit from the Rome Masters, suggesting he needed time to adapt to clay.

from Sporting Life:
The men's game is flooded with youthful quality at the moment, with the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Guillermo Coria all potent forces. Federer is Mats Wilander's pick of the bunch, and the Swede believes that the best is yet to come from the Swiss player.

"I think Roger Federer is most probably a better tennis player than Pete Sampras was, and I think he will go into all four majors every year for the next five, six, seven years, if he's healthy, and I think the other players know that he can win," said Wilander.

"I think that even spills over into the French Open. Sampras was never a threat at the French Open, but he was very dominant in the other three. I think Federer can win all four of them."

May 16, 2004 from AP:
Roger Federer confirmed his status as No 1 in the world by beating the top court–clay player of the last year to win the Hamburg Masters yesterday for the second time since 2002 and end Guillermo Coria's 31–match winning streak.

Federer beat the second–seeded defending champion 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 and handed Coria his first defeat on clay in nearly a year. "It was a very important win for me," Federer said of his first match against Coria. Coria had been unbeaten on clay since the semi-finals of last year's French Open.

The US$2.9 million Hamburg event is the fifth of nine Masters Series tournaments, one tier below the Grand Slams. It is also a major tuneup for the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year that starts in one week.

Although clay is not considered his best surface, Federer dispelled any doubts about is potential to play on all surfaces and must be seen as a favorite for Roland Garros. He won his first major at Wimbledon last year and followed up by capturing the Australian Open at the start of the year. He also won in Dubai and the Masters Series in Indian Wells.

"It's fantastic, I am very proud win here for the second time. I have been playing incredible tennis for the last 12 months, I am winning every third tournament I play, that's crazy."

Federer had an impressive run to the final but looked uncomfortable at the start and dropped his serve in the first game. Coria used this edge to win the set, hitting a deep forehand that Federer could only put back into the net. The two traded breaks of serve early in the second and the set was even until the 10th game. Federer stepped up pressure on Coria's serve and converted the first of his three set points with a volley.

He then won the first three games of the third, as his play became more consistent and his effective serve gained in accuracy. Down 5–2, Coria committed a double–fault to make it 30–30. Federer immediately stepped up the pressure with his best weapon, a powerful forehand, and gained a set point. He won it after forcing Coria into a backhand error.

He held serve at the start of the fourth and Coria then received treatment for a blister on a finger on his playing, right hand. When he returned, Coria handed Federer a break point by putting a forehand into the net. He then played a week drop shot that bounced high in midcourt, giving Federer all the time to put away a forehand winner and go up 2–0.

This was all Federer needed and ended the set with two consecutive service winners. He fired 38 winners in the match, while Coria had 20. "I started at a very high level, but he got a lot more confident after winning the second set," Coria said. "He was physically better, I had some long matches behind me." Federer improved to 32–3 in 2004, his career–best start in a year.

"The way I play at the moment is unbelievable. I am extremely proud," said Federer at the ceremony on the centre court. "When I came to Hamburg for the first time four years ago, I thought, I'm never going to make it. Now, I've won for the second time," the Swiss player said.

Coria had a winning streak of 31 matches and intended to carry on. "The atmosphere here takes a bit of my sadness," said the dethroned champion at the ceremony, "but Roger was just too good. Congratulations to Roger."

Roger Federer casts a shadow as he returns a ball to Guillermo Coria during the final of the Hamburg Masters Tennis tournament. (Photos by Reuters/Christian Charisius)

Roger smiles with the trophy after winning the final of the Hamburg Masters Tennis tournament at Hamburg's Rothenbaum stadium.

Roger poses with the trophy in front of Hamburg's Rathaus after winning The ATP Tennis Masters Series Hamburg at the Rothebaum Tennis Club in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Getty Images/Stuart Franklin)

May 15, 2004 from AFP:
HAMBURG - World number one Roger Federer gave another indication of his burgeoning clay court form when he beat Lleyton Hewitt to reach the final of the fifth Masters Series of the year here. Federer's 6-0, 6-4 victory threatened at one stage to be even more overwhelming, and the greater weight of his ground strokes as well as his wider range of damaging weapons left former world number one Hewitt with few answers.

The Australian had courage, concentration and mobility, but the Swiss player's great start enabled him to open up with everything - big serves, net attacks and extravagant disguises off the ground. Federer showed he is probably up there with the leading Spaniards and Latin Americans on this surface just weeks before the start of the French Open.

Federer started like the proverbial express. He held his first service game before some of the spectators had taken their seats, and broke Hewitt to 15 immediately, finishing with a trademark inside out forehand winner. He then held to love and had Hewitt, so often the player with bustling aggressive body language, looking strangely uncertain.

It was this which contributed to Hewitt's next loss of serve. At 30-all he delivered a solid first serve which elicited a return short enough to have a chance of putting the ball away, only for him to pull his forehand drive into the tramlines. Hewitt saved that break point with a second service ace which skidded of the (line) tape and underneath Federer's racket, but that piece of luck offered only temporary reprieve.

In heavy conditions Hewitt struggled to hit a penetrating enough ball to keep Federer's swinging blows at bay and in the attempt the Australian's unforced error ratio went up. There were 11 in a first set lasting little more than 20 minutes.

Hewitt avoided further embarrassment when he saved a break point in his opening service game of the second set and won it with the help of a brilliantly scrambled half volley drop-shot under maximum pressure. His best attempts at keeping out of trouble were usually to tie the rally down in backhand to backhand exchanges, but by now Federer was swinging so freely that he was becoming even more dangerous.

Sure enough, Federer broke in the fifth game and went on to serve for the match at 5-3. It was then that Hewitt made his one break, creating a few moments when it seemed he might get back into the match against all the odds.

He saved one match point by taking a leaf out of Federer's book with an inside out forehand attack. Then he reached break point when Federer clipped the net tape with his forehand approach shot and saw the ball jump, a little unluckily, wide. Hewitt converted at once by rallying backhand to backhand and suddenly switching direction to the Federer forehand, usually a great danger area, and being rewarded with a mistake.

But Federer made him pay immediately. He returned serve four times, won three points with destructive forehands, and completed the match when Hewitt, preferring to take his fate into his own hands, risked an increase in the pace of his ground stroke attack and found the net. "I don't think many guys would have matched Roger playing like that, especially in the first set," said Hewitt philosophically.

Tournament Director Walter Knapper congratulates his number one seed Roger Federer on making it to the final of the event (Photo by tennis.info/Manuela Davies)

May 14, 2004 from Reuters:
HAMBURG - World number one Roger Federer showed his class by crushing Carlos Moya 6-4, 6-3 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Hamburg Masters. The quarterfinal clash between the top two players in the ATP Race lasted just over an hour, Federer playing close to perfection to underline his status as a favorite for the French Open starting on May 24. The talented Swiss all-rounder goes on to meet former world number one Lleyton Hewitt.

Spaniard Moya, the winner of the Rome Masters last week, looked a bit tired after a busy schedule but did not seek excuses after being swept aside by Federer. "It was a little bit frustrating," said the former French Open champion, who was seeded seventh here. "Roger can do everything with the ball and does not have many weaknesses. He's not the number one by accident."

Federer has now beaten Moya four times in as many encounters. Friday's match was their first meeting on clay. Both players held serve in a tight first set until Moya handed Federer three break points in the 10th game. The Wimbledon and Australian Open champion wasted the first two before hitting a forehand crosscourt winner on the third to take the set. A double fault by Moya enabled Federer to open a 2-0 in the second set. He then stayed on top until Moya bowed out by sending a backhand wide on the first match point.

May 13, 2004 from Reuters:
HAMBURG - World number one Roger Federer cruised through to the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Masters with a convincing 7-5, 6-1 victory over Chilean baseliner Fernando Gonzalez Thursday. Top seed Federer next plays Spain's Carlos Moya in an intriguing clash between two serious candidates for victory at the French Open starting on May 24.

Swiss Federer, who made his career breakthrough when he won the Hamburg title two years ago, stepped up a gear after a tight first set to oust Gonzalez, the 13th seed. Gonzalez showed character by recovering from 5-2 down in the first set to level at 5-5 but Federer broke him again two games later with a little help from the net cord to take the set. The Australian Open and Wimbledon champion was in a class of his own in the second set and underlined his determination by breaking in the fourth and sixth games and winning the final game to love.

"I've had problems with several aspects of my game over the last few weeks but it's all coming together," said the Swiss all-rounder, whose performances here strongly suggest that he could shine at the French Open. "I'm returning better and my serve and my forehand are also improving. I'm really pleased with the way I played today."

May 12, 2004 from Reuters:
HAMBURG - Top seed Roger Federer stormed through to the third round of the Hamburg Masters by crushing Ecuadorian baseliner Nicolas Lapentti 6-3 6-3 on Wednesday. The world number one, who made his breakthrough here by winning the tournament two years ago, needed just an hour to survive the second round of the last major men's event before the French Open starts on May 24.

The Wimbledon and Australian Open champion broke Lapentti in the eighth game of the first set courtesy of a double fault from his opponent. The 22-year-old Swiss then served for the set, taking it when Lapentti hit a backhand into the net. A confident Federer broke Lapentti again with a forehand winner in the seventh game of the second set and stayed on top until sealing victory with a return winner on his second match point.

May 11, 2004 from AP:
HAMBURG, Germany - Top-ranked Roger Federer overcame cold conditions to beat to Gaston Gaudio 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 at the Hamburg Masters on Tuesday, while five seeded players were eliminated in the first round. Playing in long sleeves on a cool, wet and windy afternoon, Federer managed to advance.

"As soon as I saw the draw, I knew it would be tough," Federer said. "In this heavy conditions you have to grind it out from the baseline, you can't rely on a big serve for a few cheap points."

Federer, who has won two of the last three Grand Slams, cruised through the first set, but fell behind in the second, trailing 3-0 and 4-1. He rallied to pull even at 5, but dropped his serve to lose the set. In the third, Federer broke serve for a 5-4 lead and hit an ace down the line on his first match point to keep alive his bid to win here for the second time since 2002.

Federer is off to a career-best 27-3 start to the year and has won three titles. With many spectators wrapped in heavy blankets, Federer finished with 10 aces, while Gaudio had none. Federer had many more unforced errors, 40-29, but he also hit more winners, 39-18.

"It must be one of the coldest places in the world," Federer joked. "To win a match like today makes me feel good and gives me confidence for the rest of the tournament. I hit the ball pretty well, but the conditions are tough, there are a lot of bad bounces."

"So I have to have a good game plan and hit a lot of balls. I definitely have to mix it up because I am not going to rally 20 shots and my opponents know it. I try to be aggressive in the first few shots and then start to grind it out. It's difficult because it's really heavy out there and there are a lot of bad bounces. But today my plan worked and I'm pretty happy with the way I played."

May 10, 2004

'World Sportsman of the Year' nominee Roger Federer is introduced at the Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony May 10, 2004 in Estoril, Portugal. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images for Laureus)

May 9, 2004 from Reuters:
BERLIN - World number one Roger Federer faces a tough first-round match against Gaston Gaudio in the Hamburg Masters starting on Monday. Sunday's draw for the last major men's event before the French Open starting on May 24 paired the Swiss all-court player against the Argentine baseliner, a semi-finalist in the northern German city last year.

Federer, who made his breakthrough in Hamburg when he won the title two years ago, returns seeking a morale boost before the Paris Grand Slam. "I believe I have the game to beat anybody but it will not be easy against Gaudio," said Federer.

May 5, 2004 from AFP:
ROME - World numer one Roger Federer crashed out of the Rome Masters after throwing away a healthy advantage to lose his second round match to clay court specialist Albert Costa. Federer took the first set but then saw all his efforts undone by a catalogue of unforced errors which gave Costa, the 2002 French Open champion, a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory.

All of the first three seeds have now fallen at the Foro Italico following the first round exits of American second seed Andy Roddick and German third seed Rainer Schuettler. Federer put away only two of his 14 break points and said his failure to be more clinical cost him the match.

"I missed my chances," said the 22-year-old Australian Open champion, whose unforced error count was 44. "I knew it would be a tough match and I started aggressively and made some great volleys. But I started to miss some easy returns in the second set and he came to terms with my game."

"I played really aggressive in the beginning -- it worked well," Federer said. "And I also volleyed some great shots, which, kept me holding my serve. So I was trying to play as good as I could in the second also, but he got into the game, he got the break and started to feel how he should play me. I tried everything I could, he didn't give me much."

"The game plan is all right. I know how I have to play on clay, you know. But the thing is just what I want to do, I can't really do it the way I want. Obviously, the opponent has something to do with it, but at the same time, you know, it's also little bit of lack of confidence because claycourts -- the clay plays differently than the rest. I just have to go on the practice courts and really do drills. And hopefully then I'll feel better on certain shots."

"People are looking at this too dramatically. I think this would have been an open match on any surface," said Federer. "I lost to him in Miami a year ago on a hard court and here I've lost to him again. He's a very good player. He didn't give me much. It was up to me to do something extra, not him. He knew what he had to do."

May 4, 2004 from Reuters:
ROME - World No. 1 Roger Federer eased into the second round of the Rome Masters on Tuesday, beating Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. The Swiss, who finished runner-up on the clay courts of the Italian capital last year, created four break points in a tight first set. However, he could not convert any of them and had to rely on unforced errors to snatch the tie-break.

He was less wasteful in the second set. A whipped crosscourt backhand pass in the sixth game gave Federer two break points and he converted the first when Bjorkman pushed a forehand into the tramlines. Federer held his own serve comfortably to preserve his perfect record against the Swede.

"I'm very happy to win in the first round even though it wasn't a great match because it was very difficult for me to play my first clay-court tournament. The was a lot of wind out there today and yesterday's rain made the court a little slippery," Federer said.

"I think I can improve many things and I will have to play a lot better to beat Costa," he added. "I'm playing doubles later today and hopefully I can sort out a few things out."

"I haven't felt great yet on the practice courts, and today wasn't so good," the world number one said. "Conditions were very difficult. I have got to improve very much for the next round. Otherwise it will be very difficult."

Federer: “I thought it was a pretty good, actually, draw for me, not to play a clay courter in the first round. But you never know what's going to happen in the first round anyway, so it doesn't really matter who you play. You know, I had the chance early to break and I didn't. That kind of just made me play more defensive. I didn't believe too much in my shots. You could see I was shanking a lot of balls and getting worried and upset. You know, that's what happens - especially on clay. You can get very quickly frustrated, and that's what happened. I'm very happy I won the first set, because the second set at least I could take some chances because in the beginning I was just playing safe."

(on playing Costa in the second round) “I’m looking forward to this match. I'm really going to try to get revenge on him - the match he beat me last year in Miami where I had a few match points. That's definitely one of the players I'm happy to play against. I haven't seen him around too much lately, so I guess he still plays pretty much the same when he won the French Open. So I've got to be ready and hopefully play better.”

May 3, 2004 from Telecom Italia Masters Official Site:

Roger Federer was officially crowned world number one on Monday in a ceremony on centre court. The Swiss player, 22, was handed a trophy by ATP Europe director Horst Klosterkemper and Fabio D'Angelantonio, representing the ranking's sponsor, Indesit. The trophy, made by Waterford Crystal, bears the names of past world number ones. It is always awarded by the ATP during a major tournament - this year it was the turn of the Telecom Italia Masters. "I have realized a dream becoming number one," Federer told the centre court crowd. He is the 23rd player to hold No. 1 since the ATP Rankings began in 1973, and the first Swiss player to make the grade. (Photo by EQ Images)

from Roger Federer Official Site:
As you know Roger’s cow Juliette had a female calf beginning of march this year. The christening of the calf took place about two hours after the Davis Cup encounter against France in Lausanne. Gstaad transported the calf to Lausanne. The team, supporters and some press were present to enjoy the occasion. Oh yes, so what is the name of Juliette’s as well as Roger’s pride? Edelweiss!

May 2, 2004

Roger Federer and Filippo Volandri pose in front of the Costantino's arc and the Colosseum during the tournament launch of the Telecom Italia Masters at Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)