Apr 30, 2006 from WTA Tour:
Having announced her retirement from the WTA Tour during the Zürich Open last October, it was finally Magdalena Maleeva's time to celebrate in her hometown of Sofia, Bulgaria this past Friday, April 28. The youngest of the three famed Maleeva sisters was joined by several tennis stars during Bravo Magi, the former Top 5 player's official send-off event.

Held in the Bulgarian capital's beautiful Winter Palace, the event was highlighted by an exhibition match between 'Magi' and Martina Hingis. Afterwards there was a special message from Roger Federer. Maleeva's oldest sister, Swiss resident Manuela Maleeva-Fragnière, arranged the special piece and watched on as it ended up drawing tears from the darling of the evening's eyes.

Apr 28, 2006 from Reuters:
BERN - Roger Federer will return to Davis Cup duty in September when Switzerland will aim to preserve their place in the World Group.

Federer confirmed his decision during an exhibition tournament in Sierre, Switzerland on Friday. "He took us all by surprise," Swiss tennis association spokesman Daniel Monnin said in a statement on the association's website.

from Tennis X:
Rafael Nadal has been named as the ATP European Player of the Year for 2005 as voted by the ATP's European tournament directors. Ouch. We were leaning toward that longshot named Roger Federer. Was that a second-place award? Is Switzerland in Europe?

Apr 26, 2006 from Tennis Week:
Roger Federer will be awarded the OverTime (OT) Magazine's Outstanding Volunteer of the Year at the annual OTX Awards Dinner on Saturday, June 10 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Apr 25, 2006 from PA Sport:
Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and Tim Henman could be dragged into a High Court battle between adidas and the All England Club next month.

The tennis clothing manufacturer are suing the All England Club in May, seeking damages and an injunction against rules limiting the size of advertising logos on players' clothing. It is part of a worldwide action launched by adidas against the Grand Slam tournaments, which includes Wimbledon, and the International Tennis Federation.

The action against the All England Club also includes every member of the club so adidas are in effect also suing Federer and Henman who, as well as being sponsored to wear adidas clothing, are also All England members.

All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie said on Tuesday: "I think it's a great shame they are suing a group of people who put all the profits of the event back into tennis. We think it's heavy handed that the action also includes all the individual members of the club."

Wimbledon have announced a 4% increase in singles prize money for this year's championships at the All England Club. But there will still be no equal pay for women, leaving Wimbledon as the only Grand Slam paying the men more.

The men's champion will receive £655,000, an increase of £25,000 on the amount Roger Federer collected for winning last year. The cheque for the women's champion will be £625,000, also up £25,000 on last year.

Apr 23, 2006 from Reuters:
Rafael Nadal won a superb battle against Roger Federer 6-2 6-7 6-3 7-6 to retain his Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday. Federer lost the opening set with 24 unforced errors. Nadal opened up a 4-0 lead and wrapped up the set in 42 minutes by winning his last service game to love.

The second set was a lot closer, Federer fighting back to 5-5 from a break down. The Swiss levelled the match after taking the tiebreak 7-2 with an ace on set point. Nadal dropped his serve in the opening game of the third set but he broke back immediately and again in the eighth game. The Spaniard served for the set and took it with a forehand winner.

Apr 22, 2006 from AP:
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will meet in the Monte Carlo Masters final after winning their semifinals Saturday. Federer beat 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez 6-2, 6-4 and reached his 12th consecutive final, equaling John McEnroe's mark set in 1984. Only Guillermo Vilas (13 straight in 1977) and Ivan Lendl (18 between 1981-82) have reached more in a row.

Federer has won the last four Masters series he has played and will extend his Masters winning run to 30 games with victory over Nadal. "He is on a string of 41 wins on clay. I'll try to end his run," Federer said. "I'll try to beat him on his best surface after he beat me on hardcourt. I want to take my revenge for Dubai in the final. I've had a great week and I'd love to finish it with the title."

Apr 21, 2006 from AFP:
Roger Federer reached a semi-final at the Monte Carlo Open for the first time. He defeated David Ferrer, 6-1, 6-3, stopping the eighth-seeded grinder for the second time in a month.

"I'm very proud to have finally gotten into the semis here," a satisfied Federer said. "I got off to a good start - won the first five games - and put pressure on David. But at the start of the second set, He raised his level. I had to do the same, It was a tough match but a good win for me."

Federer now stands 32-1 on the season with four titles after winning his 28th straight match at the Masters Series level. The Swiss managed 25 winners and broke five times. He will meet Fernando Gonzalez in the semifinals.

from UNI:
Mahesh Bhupathi and Radek Stepanek sailed into the semi-finals of the Master Series with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Roger Federer and Yves Allegro in Monte Carlo.

Bhupathi and Stepanek started well, holding on to their serve in the first set and also converted one break point out of the three they got. In contrast, the Swiss pair had a wayward start and committed three double faults. They were broken once by the Indo-Czech pair and failed to convert the only break point they earned, losing the set 6-4.

from Royal Gazette:
“For me the women’s game is in pretty bad shape at the moment,” said Jana Novotna, who was inducted into the tennis Hall of Fame last year. “In the late ‘90s, every tournament it was difficult to predict who was going to win and there were a lot of close games. That is not the case at the moment and the women’s game lacks a role model to inspire people like the men’s game has in Federer. He is a great ambassador for the game and he is also forcing everybody else to raise their standard which is not happening on the women’s side.”

Apr 20, 2006 from AP:
Roger Federer beat Benjamin Balleret 6-3 6-2 in a third-round match at the Monte Carlo Masters. Federer reached his third quarterfinal at Monte Carlo, and will advance to the semifinals for the first time if he beats David Ferrer on Friday. Balleret provided some resistance, and was tied at 2-2 in each set, but Federer simply stepped it up a notch. Balleret earned break opportunities in the second set, but Federer succeeded in saving all three.

from ATP:
Swiss mates Roger Federer and Yves Allegro upset No. 8 seeds Stephen Huss of Australia and Czech Pavel Vizner 6-1, 6-2 Thursday in the second round of the Masters Series Monte-Carlo. The Swiss team improved their career record to 19-13. Next up for Federer and Allegro are Mahesh Bhupathi of India and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, who are playing their first ATP event together. Bhupathi won this tournament with Max Mirnyi in 2003.

from Tennis Week:
You can see Roger Federer in action on ESPN next month. Federer stars in two new "This is SportsCenter" ads, which is part of the network's popular commercial campaign promoting its popular show.

Federer shot the commercials at ESPN's Bristol, Connecticut headquarters earlier this month after he was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador at a ceremony at the United Nations, according to a published report in The SportsBusiness Journal written by Terry Lefton.

In one ad titled "Seeding Doubt" Federer appears with SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett, who praises tennis' use of a seeding system before asking Federer where the Swiss stylist would rank him among ESPN anchors. When Federer, clad in a blue tennis shirt, black shorts and his trademark white Nike headband, reveals Everett would not crack the top 10 among ESPN anchors, a disconsolate Everett ponders his plight in silence.

Federer and long-time ESPN anchor Stuart Scott share starring roles in the second ad titled "Freebies", according to the SportsBusiness Journal report. Scott hands Federer a new can of tennis balls and when Federer pops the top, he's surprised by a large spring worm.

"That's not funny," an unamused Federer proclaims while handing Scott the can and walking away. "It's a little funny," Scott replies.

from Sydney Morning Herald:
Roger Federer is the only man punters want to back in the Masters Series in Monte Carlo. Sportsbook.com.au has Federer at $2.25. One punter stepped in and had $5000 on him. "No one wants to back anyone to beat Federer," Sportsbook.com.au spokesman Larry Hawke said.

Apr 19, 2006 from Reuters:
Roger Federer stormed through to the third round of the Monte Carlo Open with a 6-0 6-1 demolition of Spanish baseliner Alberto Martin on Wednesday. Top seed Federer played close to perfection, needing just 46 minutes to sweep aside Martin.

"I really can't complain," said Federer, who is starting his claycourt season in the glitzy principality. "I didn't feel too good against Djokovic but today was just perfect," he added.

The 24 year-old all rounder will meet Monaco's Benjamin Balleret, a qualifier, ranked 351st, who was 4-6 7-5 3-2 up against Sebastien Grosjean when the Frenchman pulled out with back pain.

from AP:
It was the first time in 102 career clay-court matches that Roger Federer lost only one game, but it was shy of his quickest victory, set against Denis Golovanov of Russia in 37 minutes on carpet in Moscow, in 2002.

Apr 18, 2006 from ATP:
Swiss buddies Roger Federer and Yves Allegro won a thrilling first-round doubles match over Czech Jaroslav Levinsky and Russian Marat Safin 6-3, 3-6, 10-6 (Match TB) at the Masters Series Monte-Carlo Tuesday.

The win was the first for the Swiss team this year against two defeats and improved their career record to 18-13. They will face No. 8 seeds Stephen Huss and Pavel Vizner in the second round. Levinksy and Safin were playing together for the first time at an ATP event.

Apr 17, 2006 from Reuters:
Roger Federer looked sluggish when he started his claycourt season with a 6-3 2-6 6-3 win over qualifier Novak Djokovic in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Open on Monday.

Federer made many uncharacteristic, unforced errors before stepping up a gear to move past his 18-year-old opponent from Serbia & Montenegro. The elegant Swiss looked in control in the first set but struggled in the second, dropping serve twice before losing the set by firing a straightforward forehand wide.

Djokovic, though, ran out of steam in the next set and began giving away points. Federer, playing aggressively at last, broke his unheralded opponent straight away in the decisive set. Djokovic went down fighting, saving a match point in the eighth game and two more in the ninth before hitting a forehand long on the fourth.

"I'm satisfied to have won and relieved it's over," said Federer. "It was not easy. I didn't play great but you need time to adapt to the surface."

"Many people say I'm better on other surfaces but I know I can play well on clay," Federer said. "The French Open is definitely a goal of mine."

Federer goes on to meet Spaniard Alberto Martin. "It'll be a real test against a claycourt specialist," Federer said of his next match. "It's good to have such a test so early in the claycourt season. I'll know straight away where I stand."

from The Times:
By Neil Harman - The tennis social circle is so intertwined that everyone knows plenty about everyone else’s business, or if they don’t, they are keen to scratch the surface to see what lies at the layer below. Roger Federer is, therefore, intrigued when 18-year-olds — especially those with Andy Murray’s championship potential — split from their coaches and is agitated to get to the bottom of the tale.

The world No 1’s avowed intent is to stay where he is, on top of the pack and, at 116 weeks and counting, he’s doing a particularly decent job. Having made certain that Novak Djokovic did not steal a march on him at the Monte Carlo Country Club yesterday, Federer was in quizzical mood. “So what is the story with Murray?” he asked . He is told that it is something to do with a difference of opinion over playing styles with Mark Petchey. “Really?” he responds and the sideways smile suggests he thinks there may be something more to it.

When he was 18, Federer was still a year from being the No 1 in Switzerland, where Marc Rosset held sway. His coach then was Peter Carter, an Australian who became Switzerland’s Davis Cup captain and was killed in a road accident in South Africa in August 2002. By that time, Federer had decided upon the Swede, Peter Lundgren, to coach him on a full-time basis rather than Carter — “the most difficult decision of my life,” he said then. That partnership was brought to a sharp end in December 2003 with Federer having won both Wimbledon and the Masters Cup for the first time.

Apr 16, 2006 from AFP:
Monte Carlo - Roger Federer admits he would have preferred a more low-key way to start his clay court season, but remains content to take his chances as top seed at the high-profile Monte Carlo Masters Series tournament starting on Monday.

"It would be easier to start with a lower tourney," said Federer. "At a smaller event I'd be a big favourite. Here I'm a favourite, but the draws are tough and you have to back it up every other day."

With the European clay season only starting a week ago in Valencia, Spain, the small-event scenario is not possible for Federer, who won Miami just a fortnight ago. The world number one heads into his first match on the dirt in Monte Carlo with the start of Roland Garros looming in late May as top seed.

The Swiss, who spent a handful of days at home after receiving an United Nations honourary ambassadorship the day after completing the US hardcourt title double of Indian Wells and Miami, said he's heading into battle optimistic but cautious.

"Expectations are not high for an event like this," he said on Sunday before joining in a PR exercise with Rafael Nadal. "Masters Series are always tough from the early rounds on. Not playing on clay before now makes it that much more difficult to win matches."

"I was happy last year to win three. Four or five would be great but I have to focus on my first round. You want to get momentum here to carry forward into the season."

Federer and Nadal flew the flag for tennis in the principality as they were driven to the ornate square in front of the Monte Carlo casino in a classic 1955 Mercedes-Benz S300. The top two then faced off in a mini-tennis exhibition in front of fans, before answering questions from the public.

Federer, who will play this event before being joined by Tony Roche at the Italian Open from May 8, said that he is hoping to get a grip on exactly where he stands on clay after competing this week.

from Masters Series Monte-Carlo:
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal caused a stir at the Place du Casino Sunday, as the pair contested a 10-minute exhibition on a mini-tennis court. Hundreds of Monegasques and fans turned up to watch the widely published event on the eve of Masters Series Monte-Carlo presented by ROLEX. Federer and Nadal arrived in a vintage Mercedes-Benz SL 300 and devoted themselves to signing autographs and posing for photographs for the assembled throng.

Apr 14, 2006 from BSN:
Last year the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club Museum has a pair of each of the gold trainers that Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova wore on display.

Apr 8, 2006 from Miami Herald:
NASDAQ 100 finalist Ivan Ljubicic and his wife Aida were the very first customers at Etra Fine Art's new Design District location. The couple purchased several paintings by Colombian artist Mario Velez. Admiring art of a different kind at Casa Casuarina was tennis star Roger Federer, who was at the former Versace mansion for a birthday party for fellow ace Miroslava Vavrinec.

Apr 6, 2006 from AP:
Barcelona - Lance Armstrong, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods will compete for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award. Also nominated on Thursday were Spain's Formula One champion Fernando Alonso, Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho and Italian motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi.

The winners will be announced May 22 in Barcelona. The nominees were selected by more than 700 sportswriters and editors around the world. Winners will be chosen by the 42 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

Apr 5, 2006 from SI.com:
By Jon Wertheim - So a few hours after he wins his fourth event of the year, Roger Federer flies to New York, where he is appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. Beyond the pro forma posing for photo ops, he delivers a five-minute address that went well beyond "Thanks, this is a real honor." He shakes hands with U.N. dignitaries, meets Kofi Annan and meets with the press. The next day he travels to Bristol, Conn., to tape SportsCenter ads. If there's a more desirable athlete in sports to market globally, I'd sure like to know who it is.

from Miami Herald:
Pete Sampras is coming out of retirement to play an exhibition Thursday and World Team Tennis this summer; and though he insists he has no plans to return to the tour, he says the thought of facing Roger Federer is intriguing.

"The problem with competition today is that I don't see anyone with a big enough weapon to really hurt Roger, like a real attacking player," Sampras, 34, said Tuesday on a teleconference. "I think Roger and everyone, they're just kind of staying back, and Roger is able to dictate and move well enough and dictate the ball anywhere he wants to because he moves so well. Against Roger, you just have to beat him. You just have to serve well and attack him, be selective.

Apr 3, 2006 from DPA:
New York - Roger Federer Monday accepted an appointment as UNICEF's newest Goodwill Ambassador in a ceremony where the Swiss star received a standing ovation at the headquarters of the U.N. children's agency.

"I'm very happy to see that they're (UN) working together with the ATP, too. I think that's a very important step. I'm looking forward to trying to help kids and children around the world."

Grammy award winner Shakira, also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, joined Federer at UNICEF Headquarters. She presented Federer with the UNICEF pin: "Welcome, Roger. It's great what you've been doing with your foundation and you now plan to expand to the world through UNICEF."

Also Monday, Federer joined more than 500 guests including fellow sports stars and government leaders as The Report on the International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005 was presented to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

In 2003 the tennis player established the Roger Federer Foundation to fund projects benefiting disadvantaged children, primarily in South Africa where his mother was raised, and to promote sports for young people.

Roger Federer is joined by UN Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, Adolph Ogi, and UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, as he signs a document apponting him a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador during a news conference at UNICEF headquarters in New York. (Photo by Mary Altaffer/AP)

Roger speaks with singer and fellow Goodwill Ambassador Shakira after he was appointed. (Photo by Stephen Chernin/ATP/Reuters)

Scholastic Kid Reporter Juliette Kessler, 12, interviews Roger after the signing ceremony. (Photo by Susan Markisz/UNICEF)

Roger speaks to reporters after a news conference. (Photo by Mary Altaffer/AP)

from PressZoom:
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on presentation of the report on the International Year of Sport and Physical Education, today, in New York: "I am grateful and heartened that our message has been embraced by the world of sport -- including the great athletes that have joined us, and congratulations to Roger Federer. I understand you've become a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF today. And congratulations to Ann for nabbing him. And of course, as I said, in addition to the range of athletes we have here, we have a range of national and international sports organizations, and many companies in the private sector and the media."

Roger Federer speaks during the presentation of the report on the IYSPE 2005 to the United Nations Office of Sport for Development and Peace at U.N. Headquarters. (Photo by Keith Bedford/Reuters)

Apr 2, 2006 from AP:
The men's final at the Nasdaq-100 Open came down to a handful of points, and Roger Federer won them. Federer came from behind in every tiebreaker to claim the Key Biscayne title for the second year in a row Sunday, beating Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6).

Federer won three tiebreakers in a match for the first time to remain unbeaten since August 2004 in the United States, where he has won 48 consecutive matches and the past seven tournaments he has entered. Federer improved to 28-1 overall this year.

Ljubicic settled for runner-up despite losing only 12 points on his first serve. He hit 21 aces, and during one stretch won 13 service points in a row. But Federer won the pivotal points, such as when he faced set point in the final tiebreaker at 5-6. He hit a pair of service winners, then spun a return off the net cord. It dribbled at the foot of the net on Ljubicic's side of the court for a winner and the championship, and Federer walked to the net with a sheepish grin.

He became the first man to win titles at Indian Wells and Key Biscayne back-to-back in consecutive years. He extended his record winning streak in the ATP Masters Series to 24 matches, and won his ninth Masters Series final in a row. Even against top players, Federer is remarkably dominant: He beat Ljubicic for the seventh straight time.

But the match was his toughest of the tournament, and the narrow margin made him a little testy. He yelled at himself and argued at length with a lineswoman about a call. When he challenged a ruling on his serve and lost, he appeared rattled and double-faulted on his next shot. In his four matches on the stadium court, Federer was successful on only one of five instant-replay challenges. Overall, players overturned 53 of 161 rulings challenged (33 percent).

The first set alone took 59 minutes and he played for 80 minutes before earning a break-point chance against Ljubicic. The players then traded back-to-back breaks — the first of the match — for 4-all in the second set. But in the tiebreakers, Federer was slightly better. He hit an ace to close out the first one, and won the final six points in the second tiebreaker.

In the third set, he rallied after losing his serve in the first game, breaking back for 3-all. He held serve to reach 6-6, then improved to 12-1 in tiebreakers this year. Federer received $533,350 for his fourth title this year.

from Sun-Sentinel:
"Sorry," said Mirka Vavrinec, Roger Federer's girlfriend, as she hugged Ivan Ljubicic after the match. And he replied: "I always say if I lose to someone, better that it's him."

from Miami Herald:
Pavel Chekhov, you've just won the Luxilon Cup junior tournament. What are you going to do next?

"I'm going to Court 9 to hit balls with Roger Federer!''

Apr 1, 2006 from Bob Larson's Tennis News:
Having played Pete Sampras five times in his career (and winning three of them), Sergi Bruguera is more qualified than most to compare the American's attributes to those of Roger Federer. So, his assessment that Federer is 'ten times better' than Sampras, carries some weight.

Bruguera, currently competing at the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions event in Doha, believes that Federer is superior in all aspects of the game apart from their respective serves. "Sampras had the better serve - that was 90 per cent of his game - but Federer has everything," said Bruguera, who was answering fans' questions in a BBC Sport website forum from Doha.

"Federer is ten times better than Sampras - there is a big difference. Sampras had one of the best serves ever, his returning was ok, and he had a very good forehand. But Federer has an even better forehand, better backhand, better return game, and better touch and feel. Their volleying is pretty even."

Bruguera also believes the Swiss may even have what it takes to win the French Open. "Of course Federer can win Roland Garros," said Buguera, who won the French Open in 1993 and 1994.