Nov 29, 2005 from The Advertiser:
Roger Federer's streak-ending loss in the Masters Cup stemmed from injury rather than a new vulnerability which rivals can hope to attack at the Australian Open. That was the verdict from Federer's coaching consultant, Tony Roche, yesterday while the Swiss champion enjoys his off-season break before preparing for his Australian appearances in January.

"He was on crutches for six weeks leading into the Masters Cup and it caught him out in the end," Roche said in Brisbane. "He very nearly didn't play and his ankle was still pretty swollen on the day of the final. He was just short of a gallop."

Nov 28, 2005 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Dear Fans

I would like to drop you a line from my holidays. Just like every year, it is great to have some time off all by myself with Mirka. We always look forward to this kind of vacation as we both need it after such busy periods. What we love is the fact that there are no commitments, no schedules and we can do what we feel like - which is great for a change!

I am very happy about my result at the Masters Cup. I consider it a great success to actually have been part of the tournament this year after my injury. So making it to the final is a great achievement.

I will be starting my preparation for the 2006 season in mid december. I am really looking forward a lot to hopefully another fantastic season! I'll give you more details after my vacation.

Nov 19, 2005 from AP:
Roger Federer defeated Gaston Gaudio 6-0, 6-0 on Saturday to reach his third consecutive Masters Cup final with the biggest win ever at the year-ending championships.

Federer's 35th consecutive win, which took 50 minutes, equaled the fifth-longest in the Open era with Bjorn Borg (1978) and Thomas Muster (1995). The Swiss is 81-3 this year, one win shy of equaling John McEnroe's Open era record for best winning percentage in a season.

Federer improved to 5-0 against Gaudio, who served four double-faults, including one at deuce and one on breakpoint, in his opening service game. He served double-faults twice in the sixth game to give Federer set points, finally surrendering the set with a wide crosscourt forehand.

He won only nine points in the second set against Federer, who wore the same heavy brace around the ankle that he wore in the group stage.

Nov 18, 2005 from swissinfo:
"My foot is still swollen before and after the matches and I am fighting on the court to get through every match here in Shanghai," a determined Roger Federer told swissinfo. But he said he was amazed to have got this far, after his injury forced him to forgo the Madrid Masters last month.

Looking back over his most successful year so far, the 24-year-old said the highlight had been winning the two grand slams and holding onto his world number one ranking. "The year was great all round," he said, adding that his target for 2006 was to remain on top.

But Federer revealed there was still a question mark over his partnership with coach Tony Roche. It remained to be seen whether the part-time coaching arrangement would be extended. "I have to speak to Tony Roche to see if he still wants to continue next year," the tennis star told swissinfo.

Nov 17, 2005 from AFP:
SHANGHAI - Roger Federer was taken to three sets before outlasting Guillermo Coria 6-0, 1-6, 6-2, taking his 2005 record to 80-3 and outstripping Rafael Nadal's 79-10. Federer extended his career-best winning streak to 34, just one off Thomas Muster's 1995 tally of 35.

Coria, out of the reckoning after two straight defeats, slumped to three straight service breaks before calling for the trainer, prompting murmurs of discontent from the crowd. But Coria continued and won his first game for 1-0 in the second set before astonishing fans at the Qi Zhong Stadium by breaking Federer twice to level the match.

Nov 16, 2005 from Reuters:
LOS ANGELES - Actor Matthew McConaughey was named People magazine's "sexiest man alive" on Wednesday. One surprise this year was special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, lead investigator in the CIA leak case, who landed in the "Why We Love Smart Guys" category along with CNN newsman Anderson Cooper and U2 lead singer Bono.

Actors Brad Pitt and George Clooney, who were both named "sexiest man alive" in past years, were on the "Most Wanted" man list this year, and Japanese actor Ken Watanabe and Swiss tennis player Roger Federer were among the "International Men of Sexiness."

Nov 15, 2005 from AFP:
SHANGHAI - Roger Federer survived a third-set tie-breaker to keep his Masters Cup campaign on track with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Ivan Ljubicic.

Federer, who extended his winning streak to 33, the best of his career, remains hot favourite in the 4.45-million-dollar event, which has been weakened by a string of high-profile withdrawals with Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi pulling out on Monday. Marat Safin and Andy Roddick had earlier withdrawn with injuries and Lleyton Hewitt missed the tournament to be with his pregnant wife.

Federer, the only top-five player left here, broke the Croatian in the fourth game of the first set. The Swiss champion, who played with his right ankle strapped, wrapped up the set with an ace and a forehand winner for 6-3.

But Ljubicic recovered in the second set to break for 3-1 as the top seed put his forehand into the net. The Croatian took it to 5-2 before a loose Federer forehand gifted him three set points. A backhand volley into the net took the game into a decider.

As tension grew in Qi Zhong Stadium, Ljubicic fell 0-30 behind with the scores at 2-2, eventually double-faulting to go a break down. Federer, who received treatment from the physiotherapist at the start of the third set, held to love, finishing off with a big serve, before another love game took it to 5-3.

Ljubicic saved two match points on serve but put returns into the floor and net in the next game as Federer apparently closed on victory. However, a Federer backhand into the net wasted the third match point before a long forehand, a rare miscue and a low volley into the net gave Ljubicic the break back for 5-5. Ljubicic held serve for 6-5 and then put a return into the net to take the game into a tie-breaker.

Nov 14, 2005 from Tennis Masters Cup:
Roger Federer was honored on Monday for his record-setting 2005 season when he was presented with the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race trophy at the Tennis Masters Cup.

Federer said to the crowd: "Thank you for being here and it's a great satisfaction to finish as the No. 1 player in the world for the second straight year. I will try to keep it again and hopefully keep it for another 365 days."

Marco Rota, Marketing Director of Indesit Company, presented Federer with the prestigious trophy. "This is the second year running that Indesit has the honor of proclaiming Roger Federer the outright winner of the INDESIT ATP Race," Rota said. "Roger is not only a great tennis player, but also a splendid example of how the sport should be: entertaining and elegant, competitive, but fair. Congratulations Roger."

At the ceremony, ATP Chairman Etienne de Villiers added: "Roger is unquestionably the world's number one tennis player. The past season has seen him add to his growing legacy as one of greatest players of all time and there is no telling just what he can become in the next few years. Almost as impressive is his tireless contribution to tennis and society - he is not only an amazing ambassador for our game; by virtue of his commitment and conduct he is also an exemplary role model to any professional sportsman."

Nov 13, 2005 from AP:
Roger Federer overcame some mid-match brilliance from David Nalbandian to open his bid for a third straight Tennis Masters Cup title with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win.

Moving smoothly and effortlessly, Federer appeared as if he was going to make it a quick day. Striking the ball cleanly off both sides, the Swiss star fought back from triple break point, love-40, to hold serve in the third game, then broke Nalbandian in the sixth game to easily capture the opening set.

But the Argentine right-hander, who wasn't even in this elite eight-player event until Andy Roddick pulled out with an injury a few days ago, raised his game. Facing break point on his serve in the fifth game, Nalbandian lost just three of the next 19 points to level the match at one set each.

Nalbandian continued the pressure. He lost only two points on his first two serves to begin the third set, and when he broke Federer at 15 in the fourth game, Nalbandian had a 3-1 lead. That's when Federer showed the sparse crowd at the 15,000-seat Qi Zhong stadium why he has been the No. 1 player in the world for the past two years. "I took the opportunity he gave me," Federer said of his match-winning sprint that saw him win five of the last six games, at one time winning 14 of 18 points to build a 5-3 lead.

Nov 12, 2005 from Reuters:
SHANGHAI - Roger Federer is confident he has recovered fully from the ankle injury he sustained in mid-October.

"I am a very positive person and I knew that if something went wrong (in the recovery process) I would miss Shanghai," said the world number one at Saturday's opening ceremony for this year's Masters Cup.

"I had to make sure I was very careful with my ankle. But now I see no risk whatsoever," added Swiss Federer, who begins his campaign against eighth-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian on Sunday.

"It's not like one week ago when the ligament was totally out of position. It's holding up to professional tennis so I'm not really concerned."

Even though he was confident enough about his fitness, Federer was less assured about his title chances.

"I definitely need confidence because I haven't played in seven weeks," he said. "My expectations are quite low. I just hope I can play a good match (on Sunday).

"I've been working on my match fitness and I gave everything I could to be ready for this tournament in terms of preparation.

Nov 11, 2005 from ATP Insider:
Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim makes a case for Roger Federer to be that publication's “Sportsman of the Year” in its Nov. 14 issue and on-line. Wertheim writes, “ Raw numbers don't do justice to Federer's artistry and versatility, nor to the fact that the next person he antagonizes will be the first. But consider: at a time when men's tennis has never been more competitive Federer has won five of the last eight Majors. For the second straight year, he won titles on every major surface. Perhaps the most impressive streak in sports at the moment, he is undefeated in his last 24 tournament finals.”

from PRNewswire:
NEW YORK - Sportsbook.com has posted odds on who will be declared the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 2005. Considered one of the most prestigious awards that an athlete can have bestowed upon them, the title seems destined to go to one of three athletes who have dominated their respective sports in 2005 - Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer

Federer is listed as the favorite with 11-2 odds, closely followed by Woods (a winner in 1996 and 2000) and Armstrong (winner in 2002) at 6-1. The 2005 SI Sportsman of the Year will be announced on Friday, December 9th at 9:00 p.m. (EST) on HBO.

from Reuters:
Running away with the world number one tennis ranking and becoming only the second man after Pete Sampras to win more than $5 million in prize money in a single season, Roger Federer is eyeing another record at the Masters Cup.

Should he remain undefeated and capture his 12th title of the year in Shanghai next week, Federer will equal John McEnroe's professional-era record of best match-winning percentage (.965) in a calendar year. McEnroe compiled an 82-3 win-loss ratio en route to winning 13 titles in 1984 and Federer -- enjoying a 77-3 record in 2005 -- is poised to match the mark.

Nov 10, 2005 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger feels confident that he will be able to compete after having played his first intense points today in preparation.

Nov 9, 2005 from Reuters:
Roger Federer, Guillermo Coria, Ivan Ljubicic and David Nalbandian were drawn in the Red Group for the November 13-20 season-ending Tennis Masters Cup. The Gold Group features Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Nikolay Davydenko and Gaston Gaudio.

Nov 7, 2005 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger became the first player to arrive in Shanghai yesterday in advance of the season-ending Masters Cup. Roger has arrived early in order to prepare thoroughly. He feels his shape is improving constantly but is still not certain whether he will be able to play.

Nov 4, 2005 from Roger Federer Official Site:
The awards for the 'Men of the Year 2005' were given in several categories at a major gala in Munich yesterday evening. Roger was amongst the nominees as an athlete.

It was another successful evening for Roger – as he received the award in the category ‘international’, even competing with Pope Benedikt XVI. “That is almost absurd”, Roger said. “Roger Federer and the Pope – I’d say you cannot quite compare the two, he’s a lot more important than me”, he straightened out. Receiving the award from the hands of Boris Becker who called him “the most congenial person I know” certainly was special for Roger.

Nov 3, 2005 from Reuters:
Roger Federer said on Thursday he was fit to defend his season-ending Masters Cup title after recovering from an ankle injury. "A few weeks ago I was not sure how quickly my ankle would recover but now I am on the court and playing again," Federer said. "I go to Shanghai with a fresh mind and really look forward to defending the title."

Nov 1, 2005 from Roger Federer Official Site:
LAUNCH OF THE OFFICIAL FANCLUB:

Dear fans

My fanclub was officially launched today at 13.00 in Basel! It is a pleasure for me to see all this happen and I am looking forward to seeing many great activities organised.

Swiss fans usually meet the eye straight away in the stadiums all around the world with their bright, red t-shirts. It is always great to have all that support. Now, with fans getting more and more organised, I might even see more of that - brilliant!

I would like to give my sincere thanks to everyone involved in setting up the fanclub. I am sure many members will sign up and take advantage of all the Roger Federer Fanclub has to offer.