Jan 31, 2007 from SI.com:
SI.com: Is it a weird time in men's tennis?
James Blake: Yeah. Even when Pete Sampras dominated, he wasn't consistently winning three Slams a year like Roger. It's strange because people outside tennis don't always get it. They say, "You're No. 6? Only a few spots and you'll be No. 1." I don't think you understand they guy ahead of me. What he's doing is just incredible. It's like the years of frustration for the other teams when Michael Jordan was in the NBA.

SI.com: What do you do?
Blake: When someone's dominating, it can change on one match. Look at Björn Borg and John McEnroe, who were so dominant and faltered so quickly -- not that Roger will have the same kind of vices. But you never know. Rafael Nadal had his number for a little while. Maybe Federer loses some confidence and comes back to the pack. But it's nothing where the rest of us can make a few adjustments and we're right there. This is tough to say as a competitor but, honestly, he's head and shoulders above the field right now.

SI.com: You guys all like him. Does it make it hard to get up for the matches?
Blake: No. There are a ton of nice guys on tour and I still want to beat the crap out of them. But a lot of times the No. 1 player is easy to cut down. He's too arrogant, he's too cold, too robotic. But Roger, you can't really cut him down. If I'm out of the tournament, a lot times, he's the guy I'm cheering for.

SI.com: Pete or Roger?
Blake: Roger.

Jan 30, 2007 from The Age:
When asked which title would mean more to him this year, "Wimbledon — unfortunately for you guys," Roger Federer said yesterday. "Even though the French might put me in another sort of atmosphere in terms of being a legend and everything. Because these days people just want you to win all four, otherwise you've not quite done it yet, which I don't think is quite right, you know."

"… The French Open and Wimbledon seem specific surfaces to win and you have to be really an expert to win, at least that's what they say. I don't know. I guess it's a bit true but not quite true. But I think we'll never really know who's anyway the greatest because of the eras, it's so hard (to compare) anyway."

from Herald Sun:
Roger Federer didn't leave Melbourne Park until at least 2am yesterday, spending his time chatting to media outlets. The best sportsman in the world could teach a few fellow athletes how to behave on and off the field.

Roger Federer and his girlfriend Miroslava Vavrinec having dinner at Rockpool at Crown on Monday night.

from The Australian:
The claycourt title at Roland Garros in Paris is the only major to elude Roger Federer but Larry Stefanki, the widely respected coach of losing Australian Open finalist Fernando Gonzalez, said yesterday the Swiss star was too good not to win it.

"Can he win the (Grand) Slam? In this calender year? I think he'll win the French Open," Stefanki said. "But whether it is this year, I don't know, but I know he will in his career because he is a great clay-court player as well and he's only getting better, and he ain't going away."

"Fernando is obviously going to do everything he can to not have him win the French Open. But Roger had to win here, to keep the Grand Slam alive, and he did that."

Stefanki contends that Federer is beatable if attacked by a net player. "He struggles when you attack, but you can't take a guy who doesn't know how to play the net very well, that is not his asset, and stick him in," Stefanki said.

"You saw what happened to Andy Roddick the other day. He tried to do something that he is not capable of doing, unlike Stefan Edberg, or a guy like Tim Henman, a current day player. There are no guys that can do that now. It doesn't exist anymore."

He also said rivals needed to win the first set if they were to have any hope against the 10-time Grand Slam title winner. "That first set, you have to get under your belt with Roger, otherwise his nervous system goes to flat line, meaning he doesn't get bothered at all," Stefanki said.

"He is the best front-runner I've seen since Borg. I have to take my hat off, because his nervous system is very, very good when he gets under pressure. He just seems to be this consistent every week he plays, and that is the magic about him."

Stefanki added his praise to a barely recognised feature of Federer's game by rating him the best defensive player he has seen since joining the Tour as a coach in 1978.

"He plays defence like Bjorn, or Mats Wilander," he said. "You saw the match point. Fernando, a couple of times, nuked balls into the corner, and he is hitting balls in about a six-inch square, and Roger just flipped it up the line like it was a flap-jack."

"He'll probably prove over time he's the best player of all time," Stefanki said. "A year ago, 10 months ago, I'd have said no. I'm a big (Rod) Laver fan. A big Johnny Mac (McEnroe) fan. He has the best record I ever saw in 1984, but this guy has sustained it for almost three years now. He's in another echelon. He has a couple of gears he can take it to depending on the situation."

from Newstalk ZB :
Black Cap Lou Vincent has shown his frustration and disappointment with the attitude of the Australian cricketers after his 66 in Sunday's narrow loss in Perth. Vincent says he is tired of their lack of humility and oversized egos compared to champions in other sports like tennis' Roger Federer.

"I watched Federer the other day and thought, 'What a true champion', said Vincent. "He's the sort of guy you want to watch because he plays the game well and he's humble about it."

Jan 29, 2007 from New York Times:
Roger Federer, who uses Dubai as a training base, plans to make his return to the game at the men's event there after a four-week break that might seem excessive considering that he did not drop a set in Melbourne. But it seems best to trust the Artful Roger's judgment at this stage. He clearly knows what he is doing on a tennis court, where his 10-1 record in Grand Slam finals is the most persuasive of all the statistical evidence that he has generated.

He also clearly knows what he is doing when he decides to stay off the court and turn down million-dollar guarantees, considering that he has managed to avoid ennui and significant injury. Though the European ski vacation he is planning in February might sound risky, his opponents should not get their hopes up. "I'm going to go up the hill and then drive back down into a resort and go drink and eat," he said.

Federer said he felt the public was more supportive of his dominance now than earlier in his career, in part because he is approaching historical milestones. "I think it was hard maybe midway through '04 and '05; I thought a few people maybe had seen enough of Federer," he said. "Fans were maybe not cheering the way they were before. Things have changed now I think. They really appreciate seeing me now. They enjoy the fact I'm playing against the greatest of all time. They like to compare me, and that maybe gives me a second life or a boost, because at one point I didn't like to be not liked. I was like, 'Why do fans want a fourth set or a fifth? Don't they enjoy it when I beat the guy in straight sets?'"

It is tempting to believe Federer's coach Tony Roche when he says Federer is still not at his peak, still not using all his weapons, and it was both impressive and ominous to see him volley so well in the second week here. He and Roche have also focused on his endurance since he was beaten by Marat Safin in five epic sets in the 2005 Australian Open semifinals.

"It was for me maybe a wake-up call," Federer said during an interview shortly after the final Sunday. "I spoke to Tony about it after that match. He asked me the question, 'Do you think you can play seven matches over five sets?' And I was like, 'Oooh. I don't know.' And if I say, 'I don' t know,' I doubt. So he said, 'Well O.K., let's get to work,' and that's exactly what I think for the turning point has been with Tony."

Federer said he now practices three to four hours at a time instead of dividing his day up into two shorter sessions. The sweet irony is that he has had precious little opportunity to test his improved stamina. In the last four Grand Slam events, he has not been pushed beyond four sets, although Rafael Nadal beat him in four in the final of last year's French Open. But he did go five hours with Nadal before losing in the Rome final last May.

"Being standing and actually being fit at five hours in Rome, that really gave me belief I'm on the right track," Federer said.

The French Open remains the only gap in his curriculum vitae. He clearly has the game to plug the hole: He had the second best clay-court results last season behind Nadal. But the surface and the Spaniard are not the only obstacles. There is also the four-month-long buildup, which began on Sunday night, when he was asked about Paris immediately after winning in Melbourne.

"It's just a bit of torture really for me in the end, and you know I'd love to talk more about Wimbledon, but Wimbledon is over in a hurry, and it's covered by the French Open beforehand," Federer said.

from AAP:
Speaking from experience, Roger Federer says Lleyton Hewitt should take his time finding a new coach rather than employ the wrong one in a rash decision.

Hewitt is without a coach for the first time in his professional career following Roger Rasheed's resignation in early January and Scott Draper's decision last week to concentrate on his fledgling golf career after assisting Australia's former world No.1 during his Open campaign.

"I don't know his training regime - how much off-court work he does, how much on-court stuff he does, has it changed with a family?" Federer said of Hewitt. "He's been in Australia a lot. He's not played many tournaments, so he's always had a lot of time here so I don't know what his set-up is for practice here."

"(But) my coach is from Australia so, when I'm back at home, I don't always have my coach around either. So it does work out - and I've done '04 without a coach. I'm not telling him he should do it (go solo) but I definitely think it's a good learning experience being alone for a while. I think you'd rather have the right one and wait a little bit than having the wrong guy."

"His relationship with Roger (Rasheed) was very good, I think they did fitness and tennis together, so he was a very important man. So I guess Lleyton has to go and check things out again, how he wants to do it."

"But, look, I'm the first guy who hopes and thinks that Lleyton's going to be back at the top because I just think that he's a fantastic fighter and player and I hope I can play him again because it's been a while now," Federer said.

If he is willing, Hewitt certainly has time to get his act together, with Federer planning on playing until at least the 2012 London Olympic Games, where the tennis gold medal will be won on the lawns of Wimbledon.

from The Globe and Mail:
In recent years, Daniel Nestor has had a good-humoured relationship with Roger Federer. Last Thursday, after Federer annihilated Andy Roddick and Nestor won his mixed-doubles quarter-final, Nestor exchanged a little locker-room banter with the world No. 1. "I told him: 'I played just as well as you tonight,' " Nestor recalled. " 'That was one of my best matches ever in singles, doubles or mixed.' And Roger said, 'You played singles?' "

from Reuters:
PARIS - Yannick Noah says he has never seen a player dominate the game as Roger Federer does. "At this level, I have never seen that. (Bjorn) Borg could beat you any time he wanted but you always had the feeling you could have a chance, grab a game or a set," Noah, who won the French Open in 1983, told sports daily L'Equipe on Monday.

"As for Roger, he wins the tournament without losing a set and you still have the feeling he has a lot of resources left. Gonzalez had two set points in the first set but you got the feeling that Roger told himself 'alright, it's time to push on the pedal and I will just kill him on the spot'," Noah added. "You feel he is on gear four at the maximum while he has six gears. It's awesome."

from AP:
No. 1 in golf, Tiger Woods won his seventh straight PGA Tour event on Sunday in San Diego, a record eclipsed only by Byron Nelson back in the 1940s when the competition wasn't as tough. No. 1 in tennis, Roger Federer won the Australian Open a half a world away, marking his 10th grand slam victory and furthering his quest to become the best tennis player ever.

Their excellence has united them over the years. They have become friends, and neither lets his own accomplishment go unnoticed by the other. "He'll text me and say he won one there," Woods said in an interview Sunday on ESPN. "Now, I've got to text him and say we're all even."

Jan 28, 2007 from Reuters:
MELBOURNE - Roger Federer beat Fernando Gonzalez 7-6(2) 6-4 6-4 to retain his Australian Open title on Sunday and secure his 10th grand slam crown.

The world number one wore down the 10th seed to clinch victory in two hours 20 minutes, becoming the first man to retain the title since Andre Agassi in 2001 and only the fourth man to win a grand slam without losing a set, the last being Bjorn Borg at Roland Garros in 1980. It was Federer's 36th consecutive match win for his longest winning streak as he claimed his 46th title.

Gonzalez battled gamely but was powerless to resist the Swiss master, who worked his opponent relentlessly around the court before crunching a backhand winner on his first match point and collapsing to the court on his back in celebration. Federer now joins Bill Tilden on the all-time grand slam titles list with 10, trailing only Pete Sampras (14), Roy Emerson (12), Borg and Rod Laver (both 11).

The first set went with serve to 4-4, both players making unforced errors as they struggled to adjust to the windy conditions on Rod Laver Arena. Gonzalez then took advantage of a lucky netcord to break Federer but the Swiss hit straight back, saving two set points before levelling at 5-5 with a whipped backhand winner.

Federer held comfortably and Gonzalez had to battle to save four set points in his next service game and force a tiebreak. Federer initially lost the opening point in the tiebreak on his serve but he successfully challenged a line call via HawkEye to earn a replay. He subsequently raced into a 5-0 lead before Gonzalez stopped the rot with two successive points, but the world number one clinched the set in 65 minutes with a brilliant crosscourt forehand winner.

Gonzalez received treatment on a shoulder injury during the changeover but the opening six games of the second set were dominated by serve with both players holding twice to love. Federer pounced in the seventh game moving his opponent patiently around the court and taking advantage of Gonzalez errors to break to 15 for 4-3. The 26-year-old Chilean clung on to hold his serve and trail 4-5 but Federer held serve to love and clinched the set with an ace.

from The Times:
“Just because I didn’t cry this time I still think it’s a very special win,” Federer said. “When I sunk down to court after the win the initial feeling was one of relief and then after a second or two the happiness kicks in.”

“The wind made me struggle with my rhythm for a while and he [Gonzalez] was the better player in the first set. But I came back at the right moment.”

from Herald Sun:
Federer said he was amazed to have won so many slams. "I said that until I got half as many as Pete Sampras (14), you couldn't compare me," he said. "Now I've been coming with such big steps, I'm at 10 now so quickly. It's amazing. I'm always trying to improve and give myself the chance. It gives you such a lift for the whole season, being the first tournament. I had a great tournament and a great ending, too.

from The Age:
"It was great, I had a wonderful tournament, great end, and that match point was fantastic as well, I really enjoyed it, " Federer said later. "So don't worry, just because there's no tears, (don't think) it doesn't mean anything to me."

As for what Federer's early thoughts on Paris are, he said: "I think last year was really the first year where I thought, 'If everything goes perfectly well, there might be a chance' and I got so awfully close, looking back."

"The French Open is such a tough grand slam to win. I've given myself great chances in the last couple of years but Rafa (Nadal) has been so dominant on that surface, I think he's won over 60 matches in a row, and I always tell myself, 'You can't do it every time'. I think I'm improving year by year on clay, and maybe one year he won't be in the finals, and if he will, maybe I can beat him."

Rod Laver speaking on the eve of the Australian Open final: "Roger Federer is a genius but he is only in the middle of his career. He's got all the shots and if he keeps going the way he is, then he will be the best player ever.

His knowledge of the game and the manner in which he likes to talk to the great players of the past impresses me. He is not in the game for what he can get out of it. The difference between him and other players is that he is so much hungrier to win tournaments. His record in grand-slam finals — I think he has only lost one, in the French Open to Rafael Nadal last year — is incredible and puts him among the great players already.

The best way to beat him would be to hit him over the head with a racquet! The only way I can think of is to do what Nadal does on clay, which is to attack his backhand with looping forehands from the baseline.

from New York Times:
According to Federer, Tiger Woods often teases him that he is going to break Jack Nicklaus’s career record of 18 Grand Slam golf victories before Federer breaks Sampras’s record. Woods is six victories from his target, Federer is four from his.

“He loves it; he likes to beat me up,” said Federer, who spoke with Woods while he was in Australia. “He says he’s going to break it first. I hope just to get close to it. He is more, I think, driven than me. I’m maybe more laid-back in terms of looking at all these records and matches, but he really is so driven by the majors and by beating Nicklaus’s record.”

from AP:
Sandra de Jenken became the first woman to officiate a men's Grand Slam final on Sunday at the Australian Open, and had to deal with a rare tense moment with eventual winner Roger Federer. The Swiss star had a brief exchange with de Jenken, of France, after she ordered him to play a let following a successful challenge on a call using the new video instant replay at Rod Laver Arena.

Fernando Gonzalez appeared to play a shot before the serve was called out, and would likely have lost the point. After the call was overturned, de Jenken told Federer, "I'll give him the benefit of the doubt." Federer briefly walked toward the chair and said, "He was waiting for the call? That's not fair." He then turned around and resumed the match.

Jan 25, 2007 from AFP:
MELBOURNE - Roger Federer has stormed into his third Australian Open final in four years with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 win over Andy Roddick in just 1 hour 23 minutes.

It was Roddick's heaviest defeat in five Grand Slam matches with Federer, who now face either Chilean 10th seed Fernando Gonzalez or German 12th seed Tommy Haas in Sunday's final. Gonzalez and Haas play their semi-final on Friday.

"I was worried, really, going into this match because he was playing so well. I knew it was going to be tough. I could see 50 aces going past me, but today that was not the case. I picked them up and I played incredibly well, saw the ball incredibly well," Federer said in a courtside interview.

"I had one of these days when everything worked. I was kind of unbeatable. Look, it's just unreal. I'm shocked myself, I don't know what to say. I'm just happy I won. But the tournament's not even over yet, so let's not get carried away, let me try to do it one more time and then let's get all excited."

Federer equalled the all-time record for consecutive Grand Slam final appearances of seven, held since 1934 by Australian Jack Crawford. "Winning matches is the best thing, but to break records that's something you never dream of, it's fantastic and I hope I can keep it up, I'm playing so well at the moment, I might as well take them along the way," Federer said.

It stretched Federer's unbeaten run of matches to 35 and increased his record to Roddick to 13-1. The American was upstaged by the precision strokeplay of the incomparable Swiss.

Federer broke Roddick's serve in the first set but the American broke back in the fourth and looked good until the ninth game when his form suddenly deserted him. The Swiss ace broke for the second time winning a furious rally at net and then served out for the opening set in 33 minutes.

It got decidedly worse for Roddick in the second set, losing every service game as Federer raced through to love in just 22 minutes. Roddick's new strategy to come into the net more had him in two minds as Federer effortlessly passed him with beautiful backhand winners.

Federer yielded only six points in the second set to Roddick, who tried to bash a ball into the air after falling behind 5-0, only to lose his grip on the racket and toss it toward the side of the court, where it ended up next to a photographer. Roddick apologized and received a conduct warning.

Roddick again dropped his opening service in the third set as Federer relentlessly powered on and won his 11th game in succession when he led 2-0. The crowd, yearning for a contest, gave Roddick an ironic cheer when he finally held serve in the third game to put in check the rampant Federer.

from The Advertiser:
Federer said he spent yesterday avoiding newspaper and television coverage of the much-hyped clash against Roddick. He instead spent the day with his parents, Lynette and Robert, who are making a rare appearance at the tennis.

from Eurosport Blog:
By Annabel Croft - Roger Federer's performance against Andy Roddick was one of the most extraordinary by any player in a grand slam. Before the match, a lot of people had been talking about how Roddick had managed to close the gap on Federer, and this perhaps fired up the Swiss.

It's rare that you see a really top class player like Roddick, someone who is a former world number one and a grand slam winner taken apart in quite that manner. It really was a demolition.

from BBC:
Chris Bailey on the Roger Federer-Andy Roddick semi-final in the Australian Open: "If this match were being played on water, Roddick would be drowning while Federer would be walking on it."

from The Age:
The Bryans are the world's top doubles team, and took on the world's top singles player, Roger Federer, over a table in the players lounge at the Shanghai Masters late last year. Federer kicked things off by quizzing the Bryans on various geographical points in Europe, and the brothers responded by having him name the seven wonders of the world and some of the US capital cities. "We were just having a chat. It was pretty funny. We were talking and all of a sudden we were seeing who was smarter, who knew all the different geographical sites," said Mike. "We were really testing him, and he's actually a pretty smart guy. He knew the seven wonders of the world and we were trying to catch him out on some of the state capitals in the US, and he was good. He didn't know them all, I think we had him beat on the US, but he had us beat on some of the stuff about Europe. So we can't get around saying we're smarter than Roger Federer. He's a good guy, he's a light-hearted guy, and not very serious off the court. He's the kind of guy who likes to joke around even 10 minutes before he's playing. He just flicks the switch and I think that's one of the reasons he's so good, he can flick it on and off, just like that."

Jan 24, 2007 from New York Sun:
"I was just a little concerned that maybe I couldn't do the job in terms of the traveling — sort of not getting any younger," Tony Roche, 61 said. "The way I coach is that I like to get on the court and do it, not sit on the sideline. I like to feel the ball that's being hit at me. And I just sort of questioned that a little bit and initially said I didn't think I could do it."

Roche became more skeptical after his initial meeting with Federer, in Dubai at the tail end of 2004 when the temperature reached 110 degrees for four days. But after Federer asked if he could fly to Sydney 10 days before Christmas to train, Roche came around.

"I thought, jeez, here's a guy who's willing to sacrifice that around Christmas time," Roche said. "I mean, that'd be the last thing you'd want is to get on a plane from Switzerland, fly all the way to Australia to train for 10 days, and then he had to go back and play Doha. I thought well, how can you say no?"

Roche has worked part-time with Federer ever since, traveling to Europe in the spring and otherwise speaking to him by telephone. Their most important moments, Roche said, come each winter in Dubai, before the season begins.

"The thing with Roger is that he feels he can still improve," Roche said. "Just because you reach a certain level doesn't mean you can't get better. And he knows that the young guys that are coming along, they're gunning for him, and he's got to stay one step ahead."

Jan 23, 2007 from Bloomberg:
Roger Federer defeated seventh-seeded Tommy Robredo 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 to reach an 11th straight Grand Slam tennis semifinal, breaking the record he held with Ivan Lendl. He will face Andy Roddick in the Australian Open semifinals.

The 25-year-old Swiss clinched his 34th straight win to move closer to a 10th Grand Slam title. Roddick stands in the way of Federer's next target of matching Jack Crawford's record seven straight major finals set in 1934.

"It was a tough straight sets," Federer said in a courtside interview. "It's great to see Andy doing well and we've had some great battles over the years."

Spain's Robredo forced Federer into errors and broke his service twice in the first set yet still lost it in windy conditions at Melbourne Park. A wild Federer volley allowed Robredo to break back to 5-5 in the next set before the top seed dominated the tiebreak.

After an exchange of breaks at the start of the third set, Robredo stayed on terms until Federer went 6-5 ahead. Serving to stay in the match, Robredo made four errors and Federer sealed the win on his second match point when his opponent dumped a backhand wide. It was the seventh straight win over Robredo for Federer, who has yet to drop a set at the tournament.

He said the chilly, breezy conditions were challenging. "It was a big adjustment," Federer said. "The court didn't take that much bounce, so you had to work really hard tonight."

"I'm very happy to be through," said Federer, whose parents and sister were courtside for the first time at Melbourne Park. "I'm happy I won in front of them."

from The Australian:
Further kudos to the genius of Roger Federer, this time not simply for his superb strokeplay. New Australian Davis Cup coach Darren Cahill said the dominant Swiss has taken to changing racquets a game prior to a ball change during matches, which occurs every nine games.

This allows Federer a game to wear the strings in and makes it less likely he will give away a free point by breaking one. Cahill said one of his former charges, Andre Agassi, used to employ a similar tactic, but he changed his racquet when the balls were changed rather than a game prior.

Jan 21, 2007 from AP:
MELBOURNE - Roger Federer stayed on track for a 10th Grand Slam with a mostly routine 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 win over 14th-seeded Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

Federer did not have to bother with the blustery conditions on Sunday, as he played Djokovic under a closed roof because of intermittent drizzle.

Federer was rarely threatened in his first night match of the tournament to upend Djokovic. He faced his first break point of the match - and only second overall - in the second set and netted an overhead smash to allow Djokovic to pull to within 4-3 and get back on serve.

But Federer broke again when it counted most - using his patented backhand cross-court to stymie Djokovic when the Serbian was serving to stay in the second set. He finished off Djokovic with an ace on match point.

"I look very beautiful," Federer joked. "I feel good physically. Straight sets every time plus a day off. Couldn't be better."

Federer demurred afterward when asked if he was sending a message to his emerging challengers. "Well, I could have called him, or sent him by mail," Federer said.

from TennisLife Insider Blog:
By Eleanor Preston - Is it possible that Roger Federer is the most perfect tennis player – heck, the most perfect man – in the history of everything, ever.

As I write he's just beaten Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the Australian Open, perfectly of course. Perfect walk-on, perfect match, charming, urbane, amusing speech afterwards with local broadcaster Channel Seven's chosen interviewer Jim Courier. Perfect, perfect, perfect. Oh, Roger, let me count the ways in which you excel…

Actually, hang on a minute. Maybe he's not quite so supremely flawless after all. There is a vicious rumour going around the Australian Open cafeteria – I'm whispering here, so you might need to lean closer to your computer – that Federer has been seen buying bags of chips. They might even have been Twisties, the Australian equivalent to Cheetos. It got me thinking: supposing Mr Federer isn't quite the paragon of virtue we thought he was… perhaps he leaves the top off the toothpaste, or wipes his (not inconsiderable) nose on his sleeve or (shock, horror) breaks wind? The world of tennis would surely come crashing down around our ears if any of this got out.

I'm warming to this new, rawer vision of Federer, lying in his hotel room watching Australian Idol and munching on Twisties, maybe pausing every now and again to pop on a DVD of Beavis and Butthead or Weekend at Bernie's. Perhaps he's even wearing a shellsuit in this scenario, with a wifebeater underneath, sporting just enough escaping chest hair to show off the gold medallion that glints there. And as for speaking five different languages, well that's all just for the cameras. He can barely speak one. In fact, he's not from Switzerland at all; he's from a trailer park just outside Cleveland. A bigwig from IMG spotted him playing tennis with a racket made from twig and discarded pizza box, hitting endless soda cans over a barbed wire fence. He was taken to a laboratory and molded into a superbeing, like the Eliza Doolittle of tennis or Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (hey, how come they don't ever make guys over in movies like that…sorry, I digress). Everything was overhauled, he was clad in Armani and Nike, taught how to smile and charm and look suave all the time and he even underwent a special operation to remove his sweat glands so that, no matter how many miles he seems to dance (others run) across court, he never perspires.

It's all too plausible isn't it? I told you he was too good to be true.

Jan 19, 2007 from Reuters:
MELBOURNE - Roger Federer waltzed into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday, brushing aside the challenge of Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).

Although taken to his first tiebreak of the event, Federer took another largely effortless step towards the defence of his title with victory in two hours and four minutes for his eighth straight win over the 25th-seeded Russian.

Federer, who is yet to lose a set in this year's Melbourne Park bid, sealed the first set with a booming ace only ruled in after he referred it to the Hawk-eye instant replay technology.

The Russian required treatment to his back after the first set but recovered from 0-3 to take the third to a tiebreak on Rod Laver Arena.

Federer squandered three match points during the tiebreak but closed out the match on his fourth attempt to continue his march in Melbourne.

from AP:
Roger Federer used his center-court appearance at the Australian Open on Friday to promote a charity that uses a teddy bear version of himself to raise money for disadvantaged children. During an on-court interview after defeating Mikhail Youzhny to advance to the fourth round, the defending champion accepted a giant stuffed "Federbear" carrying a racket and wearing a headband and T-shirt with "Federer 1" on the back.

"I design bears," Federer joked with commentator Jim Courier. Proceeds from the sale online of smaller versions of the bear go to a charity jointly run by the ATP Tour and UNICEF.

Jan 18, 2007 from ATP:
ATP World No. 1 and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer used his rest day at the Australian Open to officially launch the Feder-bear Beanie Baby® in Australia.

"I am honoured to be in a position to be able to raise awareness of the ACE partnership and to focus the world's eyes on issues affecting children everywhere," said Federer on Thursday in Melbourne.

"I've been lucky in my life and have been able to pursue my passion for tennis since I was six years old. It's important to me to help the many children throughout the world, who do not have the basic resources they need to survive. Australians are renowned for their compassion and generosity so I hope they will lend their support to the Feder-bear initiative."

UNICEF Australia Chief Executive Carolyn Hardy said, "Every year 10 million children around the world die from totally preventable deaths. The Feder-Bear initiative will provided much-needed aid and assistance to many underprivileged children."

Since first introduced at a press conference at the US Open, the Feder-bear has received great support from the tennis community. Shanghai fans bought more than 2,300 Feder-bear Beanie Babies® from the UNICEF booth at the Tennis Masters Cup, and since going on sale on the official Ty Web site last December, tens of thousands have shipped to destinations worldwide.

"The ACE partnership is a fantastic initiative that has to date provided essential aid to the world's most vulnerable children," said ATP Chairman Etienne de Villiers. "I hope Australians join the ATP, Roger Federer and UNICEF Australia in supporting a very worthwhile cause."

Jan 17, 2007 from AP:
MELBOURNE - Roger Federer advanced to the third round at the Australian Open with 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over Jonas Bjorkman, improving to 5-0 in career head-to-head meetings without dropping a set.

"Jonas is a great guy, he always puts up a good fight," said Federer. "Today it went my way, I'm playing pretty well right now."

The heat that forced dozens of matches to be delayed until after sundown Tuesday, had relented by Wednesday morning, with matches on all courts starting on time in temperatures around 32 C. It was about 3C cooler in overcast conditions two hours later when the Federer-Bjorkman matched began.

Federer came out sharp, ripping six forehand winners in the first three games as he jumped to a 3-0 lead that he never relinquished. He had a stretch of three service games spanning the second and third sets when he did not allow a point. Always a perfectionist, he nevertheless berated himself after errors and took practice swings to make sure he didn't repeat the mistakes.

Bjorkman had his share of fans sprinkled in the near-capacity crowd. One group, in hats, shirts and face paint in Swedish blue-and-yellow, chanted support for Bjorkman and rewarded his winners with "That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, we like it."

Federer made sure there was not much for them to like, hitting 38 clean winners and dropping serve once in the first and third sets. Bjorkman had his biggest success challenging calls, getting three reversed on video replays — and breaking Federer's serve twice after doing so.

from The Age:
Yesterday, Roger Federer practised on court nine, drawing a crowd.

Jan 15, 2007 from Reuters:
MELBOURNE - Top seed Roger Federer survived a ragged start to beat Bjorn Phau 7-5 6-0 6-4 in the opening match of his Australian Open title defence on Monday.

The Swiss world number one lost his serve three times in the first set against the 27-year-old German ranked 82nd in the world but he quickly upped his game to power through the second set in customary smooth style.

Federer broke Phau again early in the third set but the German broke back to level at 3-3 and started to cause the defending champion problems again with his raking groundstrokes and strong serve.

from The Globe and Mail:
Aiming for his 10th Grand Slam title, Federer is the 2-to-5 favourite with Australia's legal bookmakers. He has said that to win, he is again willing to go through the emotions he experienced last year, when he sobbed uncontrollably during the presentation ceremony while standing beside one of his heroes, Rod Laver, in the arena named for the legendary Australian player.

"It was kind of embarrassing," Federer said of the incident, which many fans found endearing. "But if people liked it, that's great."

Jan 13, 2007 from Reuters:
MELBOURNE - Andy Roddick swept to a 6-2 3-6 6-3 victory against Roger Federer in the Kooyong Classic final to record his first win over the world number one since August 2003. But the result will not count in the official records with the event only being an exhibition.

"Andy played very well, he had me worried early on. I could have been out of it very quickly, he had such a good start," Federer told the crowd. "But I'm ready for the Australian Open. That's exactly how I want to feel after this event. I couldn't win it, but we had some entertaining matches this week."

For 31 minutes, Roddick barely put a foot wrong and grabbed the first set with two successive breaks. Employing a serve and volley strategy in the breezy conditions, Federer streaked into a 3-0 lead in the second.

With both players going for broke, fans were treated to series of breathtaking exchanges. The point of the match came in the second game when after two successive netcords -- with the ball bobbing on the tape each time -- Federer's mishit shot lobbed a net-charging Roddick.

As Roddick dropped his racket to the ground in desperation, Federer broke into a wry smile and shrugged his arms as if to say "What can I do?" An ace leveled the match after 61 minutes.

from Sydney Morning Herald:
Not long after losing his Kooyong Classic exhibition match to Roger Federer, Marat Safin leads the way into the player lounge wearing cheerful floral shorts that match what is not always such a sunny demeanour.

Federer wanders into the room through another door a few minutes later, and the rapport between the winners of the past two Australian Open titles is obvious. Federer happens to walk within earshot just as the Herald is asking which player, when both are playing at their very best, would win what for many is the dream match-up - at least on hardcourts - in the men's game.

"Yeah, him," Federer calls out with a smile. "Of course, me," replies a beaming Safin with obviously false bravado. Then, as Federer retreats, the Russian's tone lowers a little, respectfully.

from Independent:
Brad Gilbert believes Roger Federer can reign supreme for another five years. He thinks the Swiss, having seen off his own generation, is now determined to resist the challenge of the exciting new guard spearheaded by Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Richard Gasquet and Marcos Baghdatis.

"The thing that's most amazing about him is that he keeps getting better," Gilbert said. "He keeps adding to his game. Like Tiger Woods did for the other guys, he keeps pushing the envelope for everybody to get better. He's not going anywhere soon."

Jan 12, 2007 from MSNBC:
By Bud Collins - If you’re betting against Roger Federer winning the Australian Open men's singles title, you might also be interested in a wager on Niagara Falls drying up. The latter is the more likely to happen.

All of Federer's potential foes have nice, complimentary things to say about him as they line up to be his fall guys, tumbling over the brink as he floats to a 10th major title.

"A peerless No. 1. I can’t imagine a better player,” says American James Blake. And that's just a sample. There's plenty more along those lines.

Isn’t anybody going to growl, “I’m gonna knock his block off!” I guess not.

Backing Federer with Melbourne's bookmakers is hardly worth the trouble. You have to put up a dollar to win 40 cents.

Arriving at Melbourne Park well rested and riding a 29-match winning streak, Federer, the Lord of the Swings, seems particularly keen. The reason is you can’t achieve a calendar Grand Slam unless you bite off the first leg -- the Australian Open.

Federer has the Quintessential Quadrangle and history on his mind, hopeful of matching the most recent male calendar Grand Slam, Rod Laver’s 38 years ago. “If I win here, it gets very interesting,” Federer says.

from New York Times:
Teddy Forstmann, the chairman of IMG, spoke of how his friendship with Monica Seles brought Roger Federer to IMG and of meeting Cesar Millan, the wildly successful “Dog Whisperer,” through Oprah Winfrey.

Sports have been a part of Forstmann’s life since childhood. The mansion where he was reared in Greenwich, Conn., had its own baseball diamond. At Yale, he was a goaltender for the ice hockey team. He has played tennis and golf for years. Yet he sees no psychic underpinning to owning a company with a sporting foundation.

Jan 11, 2007 from AP:
MELBOURNE - Roger Federer got back into form quickly, beating Marat Safin 6-3, 7-6 (2) Thursday to reach the final of the Kooyong exhibition tournament. Federer was in control of the first set, breaking Safin's serve in the fourth game, giving himself two set points in the ninth with a backhand volley winner and closing with an ace.

He had some lapses in the second, wasting two break chances in the third game before dropping serve in the sixth. But the Swiss got back on serve and forced the tiebreaker, setting up five match points with an angled backhand volley and finishing it off when Safin dumped a backhand into the net. Federer will play either Andy Roddick or Andy Murray in Saturday's final.

from Sydney Morning Herald:
They played for a place in the Kooyong Classic final, and while Federer won comfortably enough, neither player saw nor felt anything that made them nervous about what might happen next week. Nor was it such an intense battle that Federer could not make sure his opponent stayed hydrated, handing Safin a spare bottle of water during a change of ends. In most matches, Federer said, he did not feel so generous. "I had a spare bottle for him today. I thought, 'I can give Marat some water'."

Jan 10, 2007 from AP:
MELBOURNE - Roger Federer shook off some rust in a 7-6 (2), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) win over Radek Stepanek in a belated start to the season Wednesday that took longer and was hotter than he anticipated.

Stepanek, wearing a camouflage-style outfit of his own design, almost ambushed Federer in the first round of the Kooyong exhibition tournament. After saving match point in the second set, Stepanek led 5-2 in the third-set tiebreaker.

But the top-ranked Federer rallied and won the next five points to finish off in almost 2 hours, 20 minutes as the temperature peaked above 96 degrees at Kooyong, the former Australian Open venue in the leafy suburban outskirts of Melbourne.

Federer dropped serve in each set and made some uncharacteristic double-faults, but conjured his best shots when most needed, including a trademark backhand winner down the line to start his roll in the last tiebreaker.

Roger Federer chases down a drop shot during his 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 victory over Radek Stepanek at the Kooyong Classic. (Photo by William West/AFP/Getty Images)

from TennisReporters.net:
In the 2006 TennisReporters.net readers' poll, No. 1 Roger Federer was the overwhelming choice for men's Player of the Year (91.4%), while Amelie Mauresmo beat out yearend No. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne by a substantial margin in the women's category. Match of the Year on the men's side went to Italian Open men's final between Federer and Rafael Nadal. Fans tabbed the Wimbledon final between Mauresmo and Henin-Hardenne as the women's Match of the Year.

For the second straight year, Ana Ivanovic and Marat Safin came out on top in the Sexiest Player categories. In a close contest, Ivanovic (31%) beat out Maria Sharapova (24%) and Maria Kirilenko (22%). While Safin only managed to nail down 28% of the vote, he still edged Nadal (15.7%) and Blake (15.7%), with Feliciano Lopez (14%), Andy Roddick (11%) and Federer (10%) also making strong showings.

from swissinfo:
French pop legend Johnny Hallyday, who recently moved to Switzerland to avoid the burdensome tax regime of his home country, is said to pay one tenth the amount of tax that Swiss tennis star Roger Federer pays, despite similar earnings. According to the Swiss tabloid newspaper Blick, both earn around SFr10 million ($8 million) but Federer pays SFr3 million in tax compared with Hallyday's SFr300,000.

Jan 9, 2007

Top tennis players Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, David Nalbandian of Argentina, Tommy Haas of Germany, Andy Roddick of the US, Roger Federer of Switzerland, Marat Safin of Russia, Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia and Andy Murray of Scotland pose for a photo after a press conference. Eight of the world's top players will play in the round-robin Kooyong Classic tournament starting 10 January, which they use as a warm up event for the Australian Open running 15-28 January. (Photo by William West/AFP/Getty Images)

Roger listens as Marat Safin whispers to him during a news conference for the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne January 9, 2007. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)

from World Book:
CHICAGO - The 2007 edition of The World Book Encyclopedia includes thousands of new and revised articles across all disciplines, from science and technology and politics and religion, to society, the arts, and recreation. Hundreds of new biographies also are featured, including world leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first elected president of an African country, and computer pioneers Michael Dell and Steve Jobs. Tennis great Roger Federer and basketball's LeBron James as well as celebrities George Clooney and Johnny Depp also are among those joining the ranks of World Book biographies as are filmmakers Ken Burns and Gordon Parks and rapper Sean Combs (a.k.a. Diddy).

Jan 8, 2007 from Herald Sun:
Roger Federer, and girlfriend Miroslava Vavrinec, have been seen around Crown at various restaurants.

Jan 7, 2007 from Daily Telegraph:
Roger Federer's coach Tony Roche says the world no.1 is primed for an Australian Open assault after starting preparations early at Melbourne Park this year.

The Swiss master usually plays in Doha before hitting town but he chose to bypass the tournament in favour of more practice time at Rod Laver Arena. Yesterday he looked fresh after two sessions and will spend more time on court today ahead of the AAMI Classic.

"This year he got here earlier and I think it's a good thing," Roche said yesterday. "It could be a very hot Open and the weather over in Doha has been very cold and windy apparently, so the conditions haven't been very good.

"Roger had a long year last year. Every week he's in the finals and didn't finish until a week after the Masters. I wasn't too concerned that he didn't play a tournament. He's got Kooyong coming up to get his matches in, whereas last year he had the injury and he probably needed to play Doha. I'm not concerned, I think it's good that he's here actually."

Roche said Federer was two sets away from completing a perfect year in 2006 and is intent on defending his title. The main dangers would include the usual suspects but also some talented up and comers.

"Obviously (Andy) Roddick and (Rafael) Nadal are tough," Roche said. "I don't know if Lleyton's fit, (Marat) Safin could have a good year this year. A few of the young ones are there and it'll be interesting to see who breaks through with (Novak) Djokovic, (Andy) Murray and (Richard) Gasquet. They're the young guns coming along and you've got seven tough matches so you've got to be in shape ready to go to play five sets in the heat. That's what we're trying to get ready for."

Roche said Federer could get better and was working hard to fine-tune his game. "You're always looking to improve because you know the other guys are working twice as hard to bridge the gap," he said.

Jan 4, 2007 from AAP:
Roger Federer and Marat Safin crossed paths at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday. Federer was hitting with his Australian coach Tony Roche immediately before Safin took the court.

Safin, who flew into Melbourne on Thursday to prepare for this year's Australian Open, then spent about 90 minutes practising his powerful groundstrokes with his coach, countryman Alexander Volkov, with Federer watching courtside for the first few minutes.

from Courier Mail:
Marat Safin ignored the afternoon heat for an extended hit-up with his two-man entourage on Rod Laver Arena. But he was made to wait by Roger Federer and coach Tony Roche – the world No. 1 opting for a second training session in as many days.

The pair shook hands and exchanged a few laughs, chatting about recent additions to their global property portfolios and sharing off-season tales. Safin began with some gentle groundstrokes before turning to Federer.

"Hey, where are you staying?" he asked. Federer replied: "Here? I'm staying at Crown. You?"

Safin: "The Hyatt." Federer: "The one with the food court?"

Safin: "Yeah, classy." Federer: "You love that food court."

Jan 3, 2007 from AAP:
Roger Federer has flown into Melbourne and headed straight to Rod Laver Arena to acclimatise for his Australian Open defence. The world No.1 practised with his girlfriend, former professional Mirka Vavrinec. His trademark sweetly-timed groundstrokes looked as crisp as ever during the relaxed 30-minute session.

It was a surprisingly early arrival in Melbourne by Federer, with most of the world's top players competing in events elsewhere in the nation, or around the world. Federer bypassed the lucrative Doha ATP event to be here well in advance of the Open, which begins on January 15.

He has already spent 10 days practising with his Australian coach Tony Roche in Dubai in mid-December as he sets his sights on a 10th grand slam title. His preparation will take another step when he competes in the Kooyong Classic round-robin event here next week.

from Herald Sun:
Roger Federer landed in Melbourne about 7am today on an Emirates flight from his Dubai training base. The world No. 1 told the Herald Sun he was confident of capturing a third Australian crown.

"I feel pretty good," Federer said. "It's the start of the year and you never know what is going to happen. I had a good off-season so I am feeling good about my chances."

The peerless Swiss was flanked by long-time girlfriend and manager Miroslava Vavrinec. "(Coach) Tony Roche arrives tomorrow, so we can start practising from tomorrow," he said.

Roger Federer has already had a 10-day training camp in Dubai with his Sydney coach Tony Roche. The pair toiled from December 11-21 in the United Arab Emirates before Roche returned to Sydney for Christmas.

Federer and Roche, who usually prepare for the Australian Open in Sydney, switched to Federer's home base after the world champion's gruelling '06 season. Roche said the union had steeled Federer for a powerful Open showing.

Jan 1, 2007 from ATP:
Roger Federer has been voted Champion of Champions by journalists of the French sports daily newspaper L’Equipe, for the second year in a row. Federer topped the list with 912 points, ahead of golfer Tiger Woods. Second-placed Woods with 257 points was just 15 points ahead of F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso of Spain.

Federer is only the second tennis player to receive the prestigious award (Andre Agassi, 1999) and only the third athlete to win the award more than once (Carl Lewis 1983-84, 1991 and Michael Schumacher 2001-03). The 25-year-old received the Champion of Champions 2006 trophy in Dubai, where he is preparing for the new season.

from Herald Sun:
Roger Federer is expected to arrive in Sydney this week to complete his Australian Open preparations with coach Tony Roche. The pair has already completed a 10-day training camp in Dubai as Federer chases a 10th grand slam title.

"He was hitting the ball really well in Dubai and he did a lot of physical training with his trainer," Roche said. "Normally he's got Doha under his belt, but I'm not too concerned about that because he had a long year, last year. So I think just the matches at Kooyong will be enough for him."

"It will be mostly fine tuning now and seeing how he's hitting the ball. The year before he was a little bit underdone in terms of he didn't play Madrid and Paris and he had an ankle problem at the Masters. This year, I'm not concerned about him not playing Doha. He had a lot of tennis and he needs to freshen up."

Roche twice visited Dubai last year to put Federer through a gruelling practice regimen. "It was not as brutal because the weather was different," he said.

"Normally when we train there (Dubai) for the US Open, it's 46C and 98 per cent humidity. This time it was quite pleasant, about 22-23C, but it was still hard. Roger was hitting the ball well and he's looking forward to coming out to Australia again. I'm not sure when exactly, but he'll let me know."

Roche regards Federer as the best player he has seen, surpassing even Aussie greats Lew Hoad and Rod Laver, but there is a caveat on the world champion's overall rating. "He can only get better if he wins the French and win the grand slam," Roche said. "It's going to be hard to back it (2006) up, but he's capable of doing it."

"At the same time, you know how tough it is. He's not that far away from it, winning at the French. He's improving each year with his claycourt tennis so if he can continue to improve, he's got a chance. He made the final this year (2006) and he's getting closer to (Rafael) Nadal on clay."