Aug 31, 2006 from AAP:
A one-on-one hour of tennis with Roger Federer is the top prize in an Australian children's charity auction for the Humpty Dumpty foundation on Saturday. The Swiss ace has agreed to donate his time to the charity which raises money for medical equipment for a series of children's hospitals.
"Roger is always keen to help a good cause," said Tony Roche, Federer's coach and friend. "And helping provide for sick Aussie kids is definitely one of them."
Federer is happy to match it with the person with the deepest pockets at Saturday's night's Humpty Dumpty Ball in Sydney. The prize include an hour's tennis with Federer and Roche as well as two first-class return air tickets to Dubai with Emirates and five nights accommodation at the world's only seven star resort, the Burj Al Arab.
"We're not sure how much someone might be prepared to pay for the opportunity," said Humpty Dumpty Foundation chairman Paul Francis. "But we're hopeful of a six-figure sum."
Tickets to the ball are sold out but interested bidders can make phone bids for the top prize. The Humpty Dumpty Foundation is a non-profit organisation formed in 1996 to purchase medical equipment for children's hospitals.
Aug 30, 2006 from US Open:
Top seed Roger Federer advanced to the second round of the US Open with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 victory over Wang Yeu-Tzuoo of Chinese Taipei at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He will next play Tim Henman.
Federer kicked off the match by breaking his 21 year-old opponent's serve. But Wang did not let the situation intimidate him, and managed to win his next four service games.
Federer held a break point against Wang in the third game of the second set, and requested an official challenge when his cross court zinger was called wide. The instant replay confirmed that the ball was indeed out, and the point went to Wang. The two would struggle through three deuces until Federer was at last able to convert the break and move to a 3-0 lead.
Wang, the world number 109, remained back at the baseline for the bulk of the match, but was not afraid to take opportunities to boldly come in to net and try to throw the Swiss man off. Though Federer usually got the better of these encounters, it showed that Wang refused to bring anything less than his best.
His first break point opportunity came up with Federer serving for the set at 5-0. The Swiss's ball sailed past the line and Wang got his break. Federer broke back with the game to cap off the set 6-1.
During the changeover between sets, Wang called for a trainer and received a medical time out to have his left hamstring re-wrapped. Federer zipped through the remainder of the third set, shutting Wang out 6-0 to secure the win.
Aug 29, 2006 from UNICEF:
NEW YORK - Roger Federer served up an ace in the fight against AIDS with the release of a new public service announcement for UNICEF.
The PSA, released today in both English and French, is part of the 'Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS' campaign, which was launched in New York in October 2005. In the 30-second spot, which will be made available to broadcasters worldwide, Mr. Federer talks about the impact of HIV/AIDS on children.
"Did you know that every minute of every day, a child under the age of 15 dies of an AIDS-related illness," he says in the video message. "HIV/AIDS is threatening children as never before. Everywhere. Every day."
The announcement also contributes to the ACE ('Assisting Children Everywhere') partnership, a joint effort of the ATP and UNICEF to harness the power of tennis for children. In October, Mr. Federer will play in an exhibition tournament for ACE, in Paris.
from New York Times Blog:
Donald Young, the 17-year-old American who won his first set but lost the match to the talented Novak Djokovic yesterday, was asked if he had introduced himself yet to the stars on tour. No, he said. Well, had any of them come up to him, wished him well? Yes, he said. Roger Federer.
Aug 28, 2006 from New York Times:
Roger Federer plans to wear a fitted, sky-blue T-shirt and classic white shorts, topped by a blazer with a Swiss insignia. "I would never wear sleeveless," Federer said last week. "They wanted me to wear the three-quarter pants too, but they can leave that to the other guys."
Federer's more stately look is a throwback to the 1940's, when the former Open champion Jack Kramer wore sports coats over his tennis shorts, said Bud Collins, the NBC Sports tennis commentator. But Diane Elisabeth Poirier, a fashion historian in Paris and the author of "Tennis Fashion," said Federer's less flamboyant outfits held a deeper meaning. "He wants people to concentrate more on his game than his clothes," she said.
from PR Newswire:
Heineken USA, the official beer sponsor of the US Open, is activating its renewed sponsorship of the tournament on a national level, by inviting fans to vote for the "Smoothest Champions in US Open History" with the 2006 Heineken Star Award. The theme this year pays homage to legendary players with the smoothest wins from US Open tournaments played over the past 26 years at Flushing Meadow, while reinforcing new Heineken Premium Light's smooth taste and premium image.
Established in 1996, the Heineken Star Award is a unique Tiffany®-designed crystal trophy that originally recognized players who displayed the gutsiest performance during the US Open. Modified in 2003, the Award concept took a more historical and thematic approach, honoring past US Open competitors who thrilled fans with their memorable on-court play.
Here are the six "Smoothest US Open Champion" nominees for 2006 Heineken Star Award: Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors, Stefan Edberg, Arthur Ashe
Fans 21 and older can visit www.heinekenlight.com to review the nominees, view vignettes posted by Heineken and CBS and cast their votes for the Smoothest US Open Champion. Voting will open Thursday, August 24 and conclude with the last men's quarter final match, scheduled for Thursday, September 7.
The winner will be announced on Saturday, September 9 on CBS. In addition, Heineken will make a donation to the charity of the winner's choice. Past recipients of the Heineken Star Award include Pete Sampras, Patrick Rafter, Carlos Moya, Todd Martin, Amelie Mauresmo, Andy Roddick and Juan Ignacio.
Aug 26, 2006 from Reuters:
NEW YORK - Roger Federer believes the pressure is off him going into the U.S. Open, even though he is aiming to become only the third man to win the title in three consecutive years.
"I think it's easier to come back the third time, you know, when you come around and try to defend a title," he said. "When you come around the second time, you're defending that title for the first time and you feel a lot of pressure, everybody's talking about you.
"By now I've gotten used to how to defend big tournaments, and I don't look at it as a big pressure, I just try to prove to myself again that I can do it all over again. I played such a terrific final against Andre last year, that I'm really excited to be back and hopefully playing well again."
"I had days off, took enough rest, had enough practice and so far it's been good," Federer said. "I feel obviously mentally fresh because I haven't played much since Wimbledon. But physically, I feel fine, too. I have no injuries I need to tweak or anything. Things are looking good for a good start here to the Open."
from The New Republic:
By Alex Massie - One of the ways in which tennis differs from many other sports is in the relative absence of luck involved. In that respect it can be a brutal game. There is no hiding place, no excuse for defeat beyond a simple "I wasn't good enough." Sure, the occasional line call--even with instant replay--and a fortuitous net cord can help determine a match but such events occur rarely. The contrast with a sport such as football, or, most obviously, baseball in which luck plays a huge and still under-appreciated part is stark.
Think about it: How often does a match end with you thinking that the better player lost? Not often I suggest. There can be something cruel about watching a better player dismantle his opponent. It's not the least of Roger Federer's gifts, then, that he makes pitiless superiority seem the most natural thing in the world. Even when he does embarrass his opponents it never seems as though Roger is taking any pleasure from dismembering their game, even if he also knows it would cheapen him, and insult his opponent, to give in to the temptation of granting them any false charity. It's just that he's operating on an altogether more exalted level and his opponent is just the fellow granted the most intimate audience.
I can understand why people who know Rafael Nadal or Andy Roddick would heartily cheer for their friends. But, really, can any neutral observer support anyone other than Federer? I find it hard to imagine that anyone could ever be bored watching him. It might make the tournament more superficially interesting if he were beaten early, but it would deprive us of the chance to see a rare artist at work. Who could be happy with that?
Aug 25, 2006 from Zee News:
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal took part in a promotional event on Thursday on an enclosed tennis court set up in the middle of 54th street in midtown Manhattan. A large crowd of fans cheered on their every move and curious office workers strained to see what the commotion was all about.
Federer and Nadal fielded questions from a group of junior players before picking up their rackets and volleying with the youngsters. The MC of the event shouted "Who wants to see this in the US Open Final?" as Federer and Nadal then took opposite sides of the miniature court.
"I mean you've got the traffic going by. This time I'm playing with Rafael Nadal. So it's really a bit different, but it's exciting, having the fans around here too getting excited about it. The hype before the Open - kind of to feel it, it's really nice," said Federer.
Federer isn't concerned about his loss against Andy Murray last week in Cincinnati. "I mean I think it was just a bit too many matches for me. You know I played eight matches in seven days. And it was just getting too much. Plus he played a good match. I didn't play my best of course. But it was a pity. I would've really liked to have won back to back tournaments, but it wasn't meant to be. I played a good tournament in Toronto though. So after Wimbledon I was on a great winning streak. So I hope that I can get it going again for the Open. The draw doesn't look too bad so I hope I can play well from the start."
Federer and Nadal have dominated men's tennis in the last two years. Before Andy Roddick won in Cincinnati last week, either Federer or Nadal had won each of the last fifteen tournaments when both were playing.
"I had great matches with Hewitt, with Roddick, with Agassi and now with Nadal. So it's always been exciting. I think with Nadal, he's very young still, we haven't played that often. It's definitely interesting for the people and the ATP and everybody. But in the end I really care about winning the title and not playing so much the player. But if it happens that he's on the other side of the net, I'd definitely enjoy that match. So for me that's more important that playing against him purely," said Federer.
from BBC:
Roger Federer says continuing his rivalry with Rafael Nadal by facing him in a third straight Grand Slam final at the US Open would benefit tennis.
"If it continues the way it is going at the moment, that we play each other often in the Grand Slam finals, that's only going to help," said Federer. "So I am excited that he has come along and he's done a great job, playing very consistently at a young age. It's an unbelievable thing - something I was not even close to doing."
Federer will attempt to join Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe as the third man to win three successive US Open titles in the open era when the tournament starts on Monday. "The US Open has been good to me in the last few years and I am back here as defending champion and number one in the world, so I hope I can live up to the expectations. Have come to New York after a while, so I am excited and the hype is really building up and hopefully I will play a good tournament," he said.
from Vogue:
Roger Federer was spotted buying up shirts and suits in the Valentino store on Madison avenue this week – presumably to wear while he's off court during the US Open next week.
Aug 24, 2006 from GameSpot:
Roger Federer and Amelie Mauresmo are among the professional tennis players that will be featured in Sega's forthcoming game, Virtua Tennis 3. The game is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2007 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Portable.
Aug 20, 2006 from The Peninsula:
Martina Hingis talked about Roger after her match yesterday in Montreal:
"We never played together during our younger days because I was always busy playing with girls and boys three years older than me when I was 14 or 15. However, I do remember that he was my ballboy at one of the Basel tournaments (laughs). That was funny."
"The only time we played together was at the Hopman Cup a few years ago. We won when we played together. He was a great partner."
"I didn't see him play against Andy Murray the other day, when he lost. But I get to see him play fairly often. Whenever I switch on the TV, you see Roger playing. I love to see him play. He's certainly at his best and has won many tournaments in recent times."
Aug 17, 2006 from Tennis X:
U.S. Open Schedule: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will play an exhibition match in front of Golfsmith Golf & Tennis at 54th and Lexington on Thursday, August 24th, 11am.
from The Nation:
The Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand (LTAT) has invited Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to play a special exhibition match in Phuket on December 5 to celebrate His Majesty the King's 79th birthday. LTAT secretary-general Admiral Bunnawit Kengrian said the appearance fee for each player could be as much as Bt20 million.
He said a temporary stadium would be built outdoors to allow fans to see the two most popular players in world tennis. Federer has spent some time holidaying with his girlfriend on Phuket, with his latest trip there after his win in Wimbledon in July.
However, if the LTAT fails to get both Federer and Nadal, they might invite top women's players like Amelie Mauresmo, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne or Maria Sharapova, who are all represented by the IMG Agency.
Aug 16, 2006 from AFP:
Roger Federer was upset 7-5, 6-4 by Andy Murray in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters Series, ending the Swiss' run of consecutive finals at 17.
Murray, ranked 21st in the world, broke Federer four times in the first set, earning the decisive break in the 11th game. The Scot was up a break twice in the second set only to have Federer break back, including in the eighth game to level the set at 4-4. But Murray broke again in the ninth game and held easily, completing the match with a backhand down the line.
Aug 15, 2006 from AP:
Roger Federer survived an early scare as he began defense of his Western & Southern Financial Group Masters title with a straight-set win Tuesday night.
Federer beat Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand 7-5, 6-4 two days after winning the 40th title of his career Sunday in Toronto. He is 55-0 in North America since a first-round loss in this Cincinnati-area tournament in August 2004.
Federer failed to hold serve in the fifth game but broke Srichaphan in the 10th and 12th games to win the first set. Federer and Srichaphan traded service breaks in the fifth and sixth games of the second set. Federer then closed out the match with another break in the ninth game.
Aug 14, 2006 from UPI:
Top seed Roger Federer arrived at Cincinnati for the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters a day after winning the Rogers Cup tournament. He will start his campaign on Tuesday against Paradorn Srichaphan.
from BBC:
Former world number one Marcelo Rios has taken time out from the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions in Graz to answer your questions.
Eileen, Scotland: Greatest of all time: Sampras or Federer?
MR: Federer by far. At the time when I was retiring from the ATP circuit he was only playing serve and volley. He didn't play that well from the baseline back then. Now he just won Wimbledon from the baseline and that shows that he is a really complete player.
Shane Roche, UK: What do you think of the young guns at the moment- Berdych, Monfils, Gasguet, and what do you think of Andy Murray?
MR: I don't know the youngsters that much. I know them by name but I haven't been following the ATP circuit that closely lately. But from what I hear they are pretty good and hopefully more young guys will come up.
I think Federer is the best player though and he is going to be the best player ever and hopefully he will.
I saw Murray play Massu at Wimbledon but I don't know him that much. Was I impressed by his game? No.
Aug 13, 2006 from Reuters:
Roger Federer overcame a rocky start to beat Richard Gasquet 2-6 6-3 6-2 in the final of the Toronto Masters on Sunday.
The Swiss claimed his seventh title this year and the 40th of his career. He took his second Toronto Masters in three years and extend his winning streak on the North American hard courts to 54 matches.
Under blazing sunshine, Federer got his 17th consecutive final off to a positive start, taking the first game to love. But Gasquet responded by storming through the next five games, committing just two unforced errors compared to a staggering 17 from Federer on the way to wrapping up the first set in 31 minutes.
Gasquet kept Federer under pressure at the start of the second set and had triple break point before Federer shifted into another gear to win five straight points and hold serve. Federer then broke Gasquet at the first opportunity and served out the set to level the match.
With the tension mounting in the third set, Federer seized control with a break to go up 3-2. He broke Gasquet again in the seventh game, this time with the help of a good eye. After Gasquet made a successful serve, Federer challenged the call, claiming it was out. The replay confirmed his suspicions in what would be a crucial point.
"I fought hard today because I had to," Federer told reporters. "Today was very hard, I started badly and he had a big opportunity at the start of the second set but somehow I got out of it."
Asked whether the first game of the second set was a turning point, Federer said "I would think so. You never know what's going to happen so you have to try your best."
Federer's 11 ATP Masters Series titles match Pete Sampras for second on the all-time list, six shy of Andre Agassi's record.
Aug 12, 2006 from RTE:
Roger Federer overcame Fernando Gonzalez, 6-1 5-7 6-3, to reach the final of the Rogers Masters in Toronto.
Federer, who will meet Richard Gasquet in the decider, has now reached 17 straight tournament finals - one shy of Ivan Lendl's ATP Tour record.
Federer had to work hard before registering the victory over Gonzalez. After storming through the opening set, he failed to convert several break points early in the second and Gonzalez broke him to love in the 12th game to force a decider.
Federer saved a break point at 1-2 in the third set, then broke Gonzalez in the seventh game when the Chilean sent a defensive lob long. Two games later, he closed out the match with another break to improve to 61-4 on the year.
Aug 11, 2006 from Reuters:
Roger Federer battled through to the Toronto Masters semi-finals with a 7-6 6-7 6-3 win over Xavier Malisse on Friday. He will play 15th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez on Saturday
With an early break to go up 4-1, Federer looked poised for a comfortable win but Malisse dug in and broke back, sending the set into a tiebreak that Federer won 7-4.
Federer again seized the initiative in the second set with an early break but Malisse continued to battle, forcing another tiebreak which he won 7-5 to force a decider.
The effort, however, appeared to take its toll on the Belgian and Federer stepped up the pressure, sweeping through the third set without allowing Malisse a break point. Federer broke Malisse in the fourth game before putting the match away.
Aug 10, 2006 from AFP:
Roger Federer advanced to the quarter-finals of the Rogers Cup fighting off a challenge to beat Dmitry Tursunov 6-3, 5-7, 6-0.
Federer dropped a set to Tursunov, a finalist at Los Angeles two weeks ago, but dominated the third set to make it clear he remains the man to beat.
"I thought the match was a good standard," Federer said. "I had my opportunities to win the first set more easily. He hung in there. That was a sign of confidence. I stayed tough in the third set and won it."
The Swiss star said his rhythm was thrown off when he tried to disrupt Tursunov in the second set. "I broke my own rhythm doing that," Federer said. "I have to be a little more focused on what I'm doing." He advanced to a Friday matchup with Xavier Malisse.
Aug 9, 2006 from AP:
Roger Federer put away Sebastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Rogers Cup on Wednesday and ran his winning streak to 50 matches in North America.
He broke Grosjean in the second game of the first set, started the second set with another break then lost his own serve straight away. But at 3-3, he won the last three games to advance to a third-round match against Dmitry Tursunov.
from Toronto Star:
Roger Federer arrived in Toronto with only his long-time girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec. But the Swiss native is the antithesis of the modern pampered athlete.
His mother heads up his charitable foundation and his father negotiated his tournament deals and appearance fees. Though he has signed on with IMG, he does not have an adviser with him on the road. He books his own practice times, takes his racquets to the on-site stringers and remains as self-sufficient as he is dominant.
"I think Roger is a great example, you really don't need a lot of people around you," said Ivan Ljubicic, the No. 4 seed in the tournament who came to Toronto this week with one of the larger groups: a coach, his coach's wife, a massage therapist and his own wife.
"Everyone has to feel free to do what's right for them. If you need four or five people, then bring them. It's expensive, it costs money, but if you think it'll bring your game up, then I think it's right to do it."
Aug 8, 2006 from CP:
Top seed Roger Federer advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Paul Henri-Mathieu at the Rogers Cup. He will next play Sebastien Grosjean.
Federer celebrated his 25th birthday by dispatching Mathieu in a tidy one hour 14 minutes on centre court in the first match of the evening session. He appeared confident and didn't look the least bit bothered when he made a few unforced errors in the first set.
Federer only hit half of his first serves (24 for 48) but had 14 aces to just two for Mathieu, who was a semi-finalist in this event last year. Federer broke the Frenchman once in each set and didn't face a break point in the match.
Tournament director Grant Connell helped bring out a birthday cake for Federer after his match. Federer was presented with a cake while the center court crowd sang Happy Birthday to the eight-times grand slam winner.
from ASAP Sports:
Q. You said earlier that Federer was showing some skills that we haven't seen before. What are those skills?
IVAN LENDL: Well, he has so many, we could talk about it for a long time. He's capable of hitting shots which other players don't even think about trying. He is capable of changing strategies or changing the variety in his game. There is no one thing you can go on the court against him and say, Okay, this is how I'm going to play the guy. Even if it starts working, he's going to change it around and all of a sudden you have to adjust yourself. He is a master of that.
from Dominik Hrbaty's blog:
After I made my post yesterday I had a great conversation with Ivan Lendl and Roger Federer in the player lounge. Lendl has always been a big hero of mine.
I had just finished dinner and was walking back to the player lounge with two chocolate cookies. I'd eaten one and was holding the other one when I saw Ivan and Roger. I didn't want to eat the other cookie in front of two guys who own 16 Grand Slam titles between them, so for the 45 minutes we were talking I held it in my left hand. By the end there was chocolate all over my hand, but fortunately I could still shake hands with a clean right hand.
It was funny for me to see Lendl's youngest daughter ask Roger for an autograph. I guess Lendl's kids just think of him as dad rather than as one of the game's great players. In my country Ivan is considered the greatest tennis player ever. When I was growing up he was No. 1. And for me there is an extra connection because our games are similar with a high toss on the serve, we play from the baseline, try to have fast rallies and we rely a lot on fitness.
I'd say for 90 per cent of the time Ivan was doing all the talking, but that was fine with Roger and me. He had so many funny stories to tell. He also was teasing Roger a little about the fact that I have a 2-0 record against him and giving him tips on how to beat me. Roger was like 'Tell me what I need to do' and I was saying 'Don't tell him anything!' As if Roger needs help, anyway!
Ivan also told us about his oldest daughter who is now about 16 and she's just won a golf tournament. You can tell he loves his kids very much and that he's very proud of them. I'm also sure he makes them train very hard!
I made a picture with Ivan today and I will put that in a special place. I also asked him if we could play together one time for 30 minutes. He promised he'd hit with me, maybe at the US Open. It was great to hear from a legend and when you talk to a former great you probably pay attention twice as much.
Aug 6, 2006 from Rogers Cup:
Roger Federer appear ready to compete in the Rogers Cup. He will open up his draw against Paul-Henri Mathieu on Tuesday.
The Swiss superstar will also take part in the opening ceremonies that begin at 7:00 p.m. on Monday night in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Rogers Cup presented by American Express.
from Globe and Mail:
"The way he [Nadal] acts, the way he dresses is more toward the younger generation," Federer said about their respective fan bases. "I'm more all the way through the group of ages. When I look I have so many fans from different age groups it's unbelievable."
Ivan Lendl, along with Australian great Roy Emerson, will join Federer for the opening ceremonies Monday marking the 125th anniversary of the Canadian championships.
Federer has met Lendl once but better knows Emerson, who runs tennis clinics in Gstaad, Switzerland. "He helped me milk my cow [a present after his first Wimbledon title]," Federer joked about Emerson, "because he was from a farming family."
Commenting on his streak of 16 finals, he said, "It's amazing because I've put it on the line many times."
Aug 4, 2006 from Rogers Cup:
Roger Federer appeared on centre court at the Rexall Centre to warm up his game. He emerged on the court late in the afternoon for his first practice after arriving in Toronto earlier today. He was laid back and jovial, joking around with his hitting partner and the fans.
Other players were already feeling the presence of world No. 1 Roger Federer, who is set to arrive today, before he appeared on the grounds. "I think it's unfair to name the tournament after the number one player in the world," joked Thomas Johansson, the 1999 Rogers Cup champion. "Next year in Montreal I think it should be called the Thomas Cup!"
Aug 3, 2006 from Electric New Paper:
Roger Federer is a lifelong fan of FC Basel, these days coached by former Tottenham manager Christian Gross, and has even spent some time training with his heroes.
'I am a big fan of FC Basel,' admitted the world's finest tennis player. 'And when I am away from home I have a friend who always sends me text messages to keep me up to date.
'When I was at the US Open, for example, I got a message straight away telling me about the win against Glasgow Celtic.
'It really gave me great motivation before my doubles, with George Bastl (another Swiss player). It felt great and we went out and won our match.
'It is true that Christian did invite me to training. It is very flattering.'
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