Feb 29, 2008 from IBNLive:
Roger Federer may have lost out on the Australian Open title this year but the world No. 1 is confident of retaining his position at the top and is looking forward to do well this season. In a special interview to CNN, Federer speaks about his life as the world No. 1 and much more.

"Well losing any time in a tournament is not fun even if it’s the first round or the final. Final is sometimes more tough because you have to go through the ceremony and you see the other guy holding the trophy. The shock for me came the moment when I made that forehand error said ‘wait a minute. I won’t get another chance to hit the ball now’. It is all over and I have to just shake hands and go to the locker room, pack my bags and leave the place," Roger Federer said.

CNN: Roger you have so much success. Surely you must pay attention to the record books. How important is it for you to look back at the history books and say that I can beat that guy, I can do better than that.

Roger Federer: Well, now more and more so. I don't like to speak about the records too much until about a year ago when I started to really get close to (Pete) Sampras' record of 14 major and now I feel much more comfortable with it because I am 26 and sort of many more years to go and I am comfortable in my skin. I know how to handle it and I love being the No. 1 in the world. Having the pressure sort of every body expecting me to win. I think I handle it well and that’s why I put myself under extra pressure.

CNN: One record I am sure that you would like to get is to win all four Grand Slams. The last man to do it was Andre Agassi. How are you looking heading to Paris?

Roger Federer: Yeah! I have got a lot of time which is always a good thing because I have four months between the Australian Open and the French Open which gives me really a lot of time to prepare physically, mentally specially on clay. Let's hope that Rafa (Rafael Nadal) is not going to play his best again. So it is going to be interesting to see how it is going to turn out to be.

CNN: How hard it is to keep your discipline because you really don't hear about Roger Federer stumbling out of a club at 7 am. You don't hear about Roger Federer crashing a luxury car, you don't hear about controversial events surrounding you. How tough is it to stay on the right path and resist the temptations you must have many times?

from Peter Bodo's TennisWorld:
At the over-the-top player party the other night, which featured live music, a magician and falconry, I caught up with IMG's Tony Godsick. Godsick is one of the sport's uber agents, whose roster of clients includes the recently retired Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, and of course the big kahuna, Roger Federer. Godsick is a smart and accessible guy and, as far as I can tell, a straight shooter, which in his line of work is saying a lot. Among the variety of good tidbits Tony passed along was that Roger has been working particularly hard these past couple of weeks in Dubai. As most know by now, Federer owns a place here and actually spends more time in the UAE now than he does in his native Switzerland. Godsick said Roger lost some valuable preparation time with the stomach virus he carried into the Australian Open. He even said that his semifinal loss to eventual champ Novak Djokovic was, under the circumstances, an excellent result.

But Godsick really tickled my ear when he mentioned a commercial shift in Federer's activities. It sounded like Team Federer feels like the Swiss has maxed out his earning potential in the USA - and not without chagrin. They are now focusing their marketing, sponsorship and brand-building efforts on the Middle East and Asia, where Federer's status is closer to deity than Rodney Dangerfield. Federer, in fact, spent seven hours filming a new spot in Dubai for a soon-to-be announced partnership aimed specifically at China. As Godsick said, "Roger can't get any bigger in America. I mean, he's won four U.S. Opens in a row!" True dat.

from North Shore Times:
Humpty Dumpty Foundation chairman Paul Francis and his wife Katie welcomed Anna and Grace into the world about two weeks ago, at 34 1/2 weeks. The girls have been in the care of specialists and nurses in the Newborn Care Centre at Royal North Shore Hospital.

For more than a decade, Mr Francis and friends have helped raise millions of dollars to buy equipment for RNSH and other NSW hospitals.

On Friday, Anna and Grace were surrounded by the fruits of their labours about $1.5 million worth of medical equipment donated by the foundation.

The twins are in warmers and monitors together worth $24,000 one donated last year by ad man John Singleton and the other by Melanie and Peter Freyberg, the head of Xstrata Coal.

Feb 27, 2008 from Tennis Week:
The Roger Federer-Pete Sampras exhibition at Madison Square Garden is sold-out, but will be televised nationally by Tennis Channel and locally by Fox Sports Net starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.

If you're not among the 19,000+ fans who have tickets for a true tennis popcorn match, you can view it on the big screen in a theater setting.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame and the Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center have partnered together to serve up a fantastic night of legendary tennis. The sold-out battle between Hall of Famer Sampras and World No. 1 Federer will be simulcast live at the Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center on the largest projection screen in Newport, Rhode Island.

"We are thrilled to bring this simulcast of the match in HD to our big screen in Newport and grateful to our partners at StarGames and the International Tennis Hall of Fame for helping us create this special experience for our patrons," said Kathy Staab, who purchased the theater in 2004. "This is our first-ever simulcast and what better way to start than with a history-making tennis match in festive Newport."

In addition, the International Tennis Hall of Fame will produce a special pre-party event and VIP package for the evening with proceeds benefitting the Hall of Fame’s Annual Fund.

General tickets for the March 10th Sampras v. Federer simulcast can be purchased at the Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center box office at 49 Touro Street, or online at www.janepickens.com and www.brownpapertickets.com. You can also call the theater box office directly at (401) 846-5474. Tickets are priced at $35 each.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Pre-Party event will take place starting at 5 p.m. at the Pearls Boutique Hotels of Newport with catering provided by Pranzi, wine by Greenvale Vineyards, and transportation provided by Rockstar Limos. Premium reserved theater seating and official collectible event program complete the $75 VIP package. Packages are limited; for more information and to reserve tickets for the Pre-Party and VIP package, please call the International Tennis Hall of Fame at (401) 849-3990.

Feb 26, 2008 from CSTV:
Santa Clara men's and women's tennis assistant coach Nick Fustar has joined world No. 1 Roger Federer and a number of rising tennis talents for practice in Dubai. Every year, Federer invites a number of top youth players to practice with him in Dubai and this year, he invited Michael McClune, who is coached by Fustar.

Fustar has served as McClune's coach for the past few years, helping him win the U18s national title in Michigan last year. McClune, who was the top ranked singles player at a number of different age levels as a juniors player, is now working his way up the ATP Rankings. McClune played world No. 20 Juan Ignacio Chela in the first round of the 2007 U.S. Open and pushed him before losing in three sets. To read about Fustar's experience in Dubai, check out his blog here.

Feb 21, 2008 from Reuters:
ROTTERDAM - Nikolay Davydenko, under investigation by the ATP over an alleged betting scandal, thanked world number one Roger Federer for his support on Thursday.

Federer said in Moscow this week he believed fourth-ranked Davydenko was innocent. "That was interesting," Davydenko told Reuters after losing 6-3 7-5 to unseeded Frenchman Michael Llodra in the second round of the World Indoor Tournament.

"Roger has supported me from the beginning and I thank him for that. He has known me a long time and knows I always give my best tennis. I receive a lot of support from other players but if the number one says this you don't need anything more."

Davydenko said he hoped Federer's comments might help to conclude the probe by the governing body of tennis. "His remarks might put some pressure on the ATP so they speed up the investigation and finally close it," he said.

from The Times:
When Roger Federer collected his Sportsman of the Year trophy, Rider instructed him to “try and explain why it is so important to sportsmen at your level”. What one wanted to hear Federer say was, “Actually, Steve, you try and explain.” But he is much too diplomatic for that and instead he joked gently about his continuing battle for Laureus-related supremacy with Tiger Woods. (It's 4-2 to Federer at the moment.)

Feb 20, 2008 from Tennis Week:
If you came up short in your ticket search for the sold-out exhibition showdown between Grand Slam king Pete Sampras and World No. 1 Roger Federer at Madison Square Garden on March 10, no need to negotiate with the ticket scalpers on 8th Avenue. Tennis Channel will televise the highly-anticipated NetJets Showdown live starting on Monday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.

In addition, www.tennischannel.com will stream the match a week after its conclusion on Monday, March 17.

The Netjets Showdown, dubbed "A Battle for Tennis History," will mark the first time since 2000 that tennis has been played at the the world’s most famous arena. The last time the Garden hosted tennis, Martina Hingis beat Monica Seles, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, in the final staging of the season-ending WTA Tour Championships (then called the Chase Championships, now known as the Sony Ericsson Championships) in New York City before the WTA Tour moved the event to Germany and then Los Angeles.

Longtime New York Knicks ticket holder John McEnroe, who played many memorable matches at the Garden when the ATP held its championships there, will serve as analyst, veteran commentator Ted Robinson, who teams with McEnroe at the U.S. Open, will be the play-by-lay announce. Recently retired player Justin Gimelstob, who has practiced with Sampras in Los Angeles, rounds out the network’s on-air team, reporting courtside during the historic clash.

In addition to the match participants Gimelstob will talk with the many New York-area celebrities expected to be in Madison Square Garden that evening.

from Business Wire:
NEW YORK - 2K Sports is pleased to announce the all-star player lineup for Top Spin 3, the industry’s most realistic and action-packed tennis video game experience. The star-studded lineup features today’s sensations, including Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, as well as Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg and Monica Seles, three of the sport’s legendary players. Top Spin 3 marks the first time these iconic pros have appeared in a next-generation video game (not available on all platforms).

Top Spin 3 is slated for a spring 2008 release for Xbox 360®, PLAYSTATION®3, Wii™, and Nintendo DS™. The Top Spin 3 player lineup includes the following: Mario Ancic, Tomas Berdych, James Blake, Roger Federer, Tommy Haas, Justine Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Amelie Mauresmo, Gael Monfils, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal (only on PS3), David Nalbandian, Mark Philippoussis, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Nicole Vaidisova, Caroline Wozniacki.

Top Spin 3 offers the most authentic gameplay and features, including signature player animations and expressions, weather changes and situation-specific behaviors, along with revamped audio with enhanced crowd reaction.

Feb 19, 2008 from Daily Mail:
Lewis Hamilton's priority on Monday night was to seek out Roger Federer and discuss with him how he manages to sustain a career at the very pinnacle of a highly competitive sport.

The Wimbledon champion has, according to Hamilton, done a 'Megajob' in his chosen profession of tennis and the British driver was keen to learn about the voracious pursuit of Grand Slam titles and how his life seems to run with the efficiency of a Swiss clock.

from ASAP Sports:
Q. I heard you were expecting an e-mail or phone call from Roger Federer, and you would say 'I am going to beat you in the future.' Did you already talk to Roger or did you get an e-mail from Roger?
KEI NISHIKORI: No, no, I don't. But in these five years, I hope I can beat him.

Q. Roger is a player you look up to?
KEI NISHIKORI: Yeah.

Q. Did you hit with Roger Federer at Wimbledon last year, and if you did, what was that experience like?
KEI NISHIKORI: It was not in Wimbledon, but it was in Miami.

Q. And so what was that like for you to be hitting with Roger Federer? Were you nervous?
KEI NISHIKORI: Yes, I was so nervous in the beginning but he was so nice, and we played a couple sets but I won.

Q. You won a set or a game?
KEI NISHIKORI: A set.

Q. You won a set from Roger Federer?
KEI NISHIKORI: Yeah, but it was practice.

Q. Of course it was practice but still, how did that make you feel? Most people can't even beat him in a practice, you know.
KEI NISHIKORI: Yeah, that make me confident, yeah.

Feb 18, 2008 from Reuters:
ST. PETERSBURG - Roger Federer won the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year award for a record fourth year in a row on Monday.

Fellow tennis number one Justine Henin was named the best Sportswoman for the first time, ahead of last year's winner, Russia's world and Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva.

Lewis Hamilton took the Breakthrough of the Year award for his remarkable debut season in Formula One with McLaren while a fellow Briton, long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe, was named the Comeback Athlete of the Year.

Rugby world champions South Africa won the Team of the Year award and Sergei Bubka, the Ukrainian pole vaulter, received the Lifetime Achievement award.

The winners were announced at a gala ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin at St Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre.

Federer once again had a fantastic year in 2007, capturing three out of the four grand slam titles for the third successive season.

"I have to thank all the voters who didn't think three would be enough," said the Swiss, who beat a strong field including golfer Tiger Woods, Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen and FIFA World Player of the Year Kaka.

Federer said his first award was the most cherished. "Every year it feels great but I have to say the first one was the most important for me," he told a news conference. It was very important to say that Roger Federer has arrived."

Asked if he would finally give someone else a chance to win the award next year, Federer said: "No, I would like to win it again next year to have five in a row. I have five Wimbledon titles so it would be great to have five Laureus."

"We get a lot of awards during the year. It might be national, it might be regional, but the Laureus is the one that goes worldwide."

Referring to his loss to Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the Australian Open last month, Federer said: "There are many up-and-coming youngsters in the game and it was about time they won something.

from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger personally attended the ceremony this year, flying directly to St. Petersburg from Dubai, where he is currenty preparing for the tournament there. "He is an amazing sportsman and above that a most likeable person. He has without doubt deserved this award," Franz Beckenbauer (German football icon) praised our number one. "I always enjoy watching him play as his game is very harmonic".

Feb 15, 2008 from Tennis Week:
No wonder Kei Nishikori answered "Roger Federer" when asked which player he admired most. Not a big man, he moves with the same silky and speed and perfect balance of the world No 1. That’s not to say he will ever be as good as Federer but he has some of the essential tools to make him a major player in this game.

Interestingly, Nishikori revealed that he had practiced for two weeks with Federer last summer. "I think he’s funny guy. So nice. He helped me a lot."

Q: Toughest Player You Faced?

Vince Spadea: "Federer; good forehand, good serve ."

Feb 13, 2008 from AP:
STOCKHOLM - Roger Federer will play in October's Stockholm Open for the first time in eight years, tournament director Per Hjertquist said Wednesday.

"I'm extremely happy," Hjertquist said. "It's the biggest thing for us since Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors used to play in Stockholm."

The tournament is one of the oldest on the ATP Tour and will celebrate its 40th anniversary in the Royal Tennis Hall Oct. 6-12.

"I am very happy to be returning to Sweden," Federer said. There is an obvious connection through my former coach Peter Lundgren as well as tennis-legend Björn Borg. It has been many years since I was there the last time but I really hope to do well this year and hopefully get my first title in Stockholm!"

Feb 12, 2008 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Gillette has launched a new ad in the US featuring the three sports champions Tiger Woods, Thierry Henry and Roger. The commercial - classy and fun to watch - supports the launch of Gillette's Fusion Power Phenom razor.

Feb 11, 2008 from Eurosport:
Although current men's world number one Roger Federer is yet to win a French Open title to boost his overall grand slam tally of 12, Chris Evert brackets him among the three best players in history.

"Pete Sampras is already up there, along with Rod Laver, and I think you would have to put Roger Federer in there as well," she said.

Feb 8, 2008 from Tennis Week:
In an interview with Murphy Jensen, Roger Federer said that he has his own routine. He arrives three hours early to the tournament site before he plays. Three hours, no more, no less. He claims that this is not a superstition but a ritual. Federer claims not to believe in superstitions. He also does not like to look at his player’s box during a match because he does not want to be dependent on them. What if one day he looks up and no one from his team is watching him? Federer said says he wants to rely on himself and not something or someone else. No wonder he is the best!

Feb 6, 2008 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger recently visited the Nike World Headquarters in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon (USA). It was a great day of interacting with the Nike employees and a perfect opportunity to celebrate Roger's accomplishments and the long-lasting cooperation.

As you can see in the gallery, a facade has been devoted to Roger, carrying huge images of all of Roger's twelve Grand Slam titles.

from Washington Post:
Roger Federer has been the world's top-ranked tennis player for more than four years. And during his brilliant career, the Swiss champion has failed to demonstrate his mastery of the sport in only two major arenas.

One is Roland Garros, host of the French Open, whose slow red clay has bedeviled Federer's attempt to claim a true Grand Slam. The other is the Olympic Games, in which Federer has participated twice without winning a medal.

Federer, 26, will return for his third Olympics this summer despite the fact that many of the world's best don't make time for the competition given its proximity to the U.S. Open, which starts a week later.

For Federer, there has never been a doubt that he'd work the Beijing Games into his schedule. He also plans to compete at the 2012 Games in London, which will be played at the hallowed All England club, where he claimed his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title last year. And he may try for a fifth Olympics in 2016.

"The Olympics is something I looked up to when I was younger," Federer confided in a conference call last week held to promote his March 10 exhibition with Pete Sampras at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Federer has hoisted hundreds of trophies, many of them bestowed by royalty. But he sounded like an awestruck fan when recounting his love affair with the Olympics -- from watching Swiss countryman Marc Rosset win the gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games on TV when he was 11, to the pride he felt carrying the Swiss flag during Opening Ceremonies in Athens in 2004.

Federer was just 19 during his first Olympics, the 2000 Sydney Games. He was intoxicated by the atmosphere of the Olympic village, where he got to meet other athletes, including Mirka Vavrinec, who has been his girlfriend since. He attended the final of the men's 100-meter freestyle and saw Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands defeat two-time defending champion Alexander Popov for the gold. He also got tickets to the finals of men's and women's badminton. And though he couldn't score tickets for track and field, he watched on TV and marveled just the same. "I thought it was the most incredible two weeks I ever had in my life," Federer recalled. "Meeting the other athletes, going to see the different sports, I was like, 'This is the best place on earth! I would like to have this all year round!' "

But nothing topped the emotion of carrying the flag in Athens. The stadium was so enormous. To his right were tens of thousand of sports fans; to his left, the world's greatest athletes.

from ASAP Sports:
Q. The three exhibitions you had with Roger back in the fall and winter, how did those go for you and how important was winning that last one? Did it mean a lot to you?

PETE SAMPRAS: You know, it was a bonus. My goal going over to play Roger was to make it competitive. If I could pull off a set, I'd be ecstatic. As we went on through the week, I started getting a little bit better, I starting gaining some confidence, just got used to Roger's game a little bit. By the end, I felt really good. We were playing on really fast courts, which obviously helps out my game. And so to beat him was a shock to me. The Macau court was very fast. It was actually tough to play on. A few shots here and there, I was able to escape with a win.

But for me, I just want to play good tennis, make it competitive. I wouldn't have signed on for these XO's if I was going to embarrass myself. It was fun hanging out with Roger. We really got along extremely well, traveled together. So that was fun to get to know him a little bit better. But for the tennis, the level was pretty good. I was happy I can still serve and volley with the best of them and had some fun doing it.

Q. You've been able to hang out with Roger a bit. Obviously I think it was probably difficult when you were competing at the top to really stay close to guys like Andre. I'm wondering if Roger seems like the kind of guy you could actually be friends with and also compete for Grand Slam titles with?

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, we have actually gotten to be pretty close. He was in L.A. over the last couple days and he came over and we had some lunch, just hung out and talked. We had a great time in Asia, really had a lot of fun. There's a side to Roger that a lot of people don't see. I think he likes to keep that separate and focused on the tennis.

But there's sort of a kid in him. He likes to have fun, likes to joke around. He's a bit of a prankster. We're actually quite similar: dry, sarcastic humor. Really enjoyed each other's company. We just have kind of kept in contact through text messaging. It's been fun.

I hope to obviously play well in New York here and hopefully do some more with him in the future. I think he enjoys it. When you play exhibitions, it's tricky for him. Dealing with the Nadal or Roddick, there's a certain competitive edge. Obviously with me, I'm retired, so it's a different sort of feeling. I think it relaxes him and I think he sort of enjoys it.

Q. I know Roger has become your good friend and all, but I thought maybe you could just step back and contemplate why Roddick and Blake have had such little success against him and whether or not you think they'll ever be able to successfully contend with him for major titles?

PETE SAMPRAS: You know, it's a tough matchup for both James and Andy. You look at the guys that have competed really well and have beaten Roger: Nadal and now Djokovic. What both guys can do is they move really well and they can hit the ball really well on the run and they're great athletes, whereas Andy's got the power but maybe doesn't have the athletic ability, and someone like James, who has the athletic ability, but doesn't have the power. It's kind of a tough matchup for them, for both those guys.

Seems like James can stay with Roger. I just think they play similar games and Roger is a little bit better than James at it. And Roddick can overpower Roger at times, but at the same time doesn't move well enough from the back court to really get into these exchanges, that someone like Djokovic can. So it's a tough matchup for both those guys. You know, they can maybe pull off a win here and there, but consistently I'd still see Roger at a level or two a little bit better than James and Andy.

Q. I'm sure you watched some of the Djokovic/Federer match. You said you spent time with Roger there in L.A. I'm sure you clearly remember when you were chasing Emerson, you were a couple slams back. I think there was an assumption maybe that Roger would just kind of race through this year and tie you, maybe break it. Now Djokovic stops him at one slam. Are those last two going to be particularly tough because there's more pressure mentally?

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't think so. I think Roger has a pretty good perspective on the record and his game. I don't think he gets too overwhelmed, too worked up. I think what happened in Australia just happened. He went into the event with a bit of an illness and probably wasn't on top of his game.

But at the same time he knows he's got work ahead of him. It's not a shoo-in. But over the next year, I think when it comes to Wimbledon especially, US Open, he's the clear favorite. He's young enough. He's fresh enough. He's not 30. Having a few years left, he's 26 or whatever, I see him doing it. But there are going to be a few guys that are going to push him. It's just inevitable that he's going to do it here in the next probably year.

Q. You've had some pretty decent contact with Roger. What surprised you the most about him as a man off court? And on court, what element of his game surprised you the most?

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, nothing really surprised me on court. I played Roger that one time. He's obviously gotten better since then. I practiced with him a little bit here in L.A. before the Asia trip. What I see on TV is pretty much what I thought I was going to see in Asia. He's got a big first serve. He's a great mover. One shot that he pulls off, which is spectacular, is the little backhand flick, kind of cross-court. Hit some good volleys deep to his backhand and he has this little flick shot that kind of caught me off guard.

Other than that, his game is based on his movement. It's based on basically his heavy forehand and he's got a solid backhand, he can hit it low with the backhand slice. He can come in if he wants. But nothing surprised me on the court. Off the court, I think when we got to Asia, I got to Asia, we had a dinner, kind of corporate stuff. He called me the first night and asked me if I wanted to come up and hang out. I was a little bit on jetlag, so I went up there and we just sort of talked. A few of his friends were up there. We just kind of talked for two, three hours about the game, about his generation, about my generation. Then, you know, just became really pretty comfortable around each other, had some fun, had some laughs.

There's a sort of a kid in Roger that I don't know if a lot of people see. Like I said, he's a bit of a prankster. He likes to sort of do these sort of little I don't think tricks, but just being a kid, you know. There's a kid in him that you see. Before I play him in Asia, like he was bouncing up and down, sort of doing this. But once he gets out on the court, you sort of see this different side to him, sort of more serious side.

I knew he was pretty relaxed, easygoing, nothing really fazes him. Seems likes he's got a really good foundation, good relationship with his girlfriend Mirka, and really has got the whole package when it comes to the tennis. You know, he's really a great player. He's got a good perspective. Doesn't get too high or low on losses or wins. You know, just sort of has that attitude that I had: single-minded focus. He just goes out there and wins.

Q. In the discussion among fans, there's a lot of back and forth about you and Roger. One argument for you is that you had such a tougher field. At least that's the argument. Would you go into that? Do you think your generation was a little tougher, a little more depth than Federer's?

PETE SAMPRAS: You know, it's hard to say which generation was stronger. What I had to deal with that Roger is not dealing with is a different style of play. Everyone pretty much plays the same; he's just better at it. Whereas my generation, I had to deal with not only great baseliners in Andre, but I had to deal with serve-and-volleyers, Krajicek, Ivanisevic, Becker, Edberg, Stich. I was playing these guys that were multiple Grand Slam winners. There's only a handful of guys that have won Grand Slams playing today. It's hard to say. But probably the player today ranked 40 is probably better than the guy that was ranked 40 in my generation strictly because of technology.

Q. You're going to be playing in the Garden against Roger. There's such a tremendous sports history and pretty good tennis history there, the Masters. What are your thoughts about playing in the Garden, the sports mecca of our country?

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I'm excited. I remember as a kid watching the Masters in New York. It was an historic event. The people loved it. I remember staying at Lendl's house when I was 16 years old. Saw him play that week. Lost to Becker in a five-set loss. That was a thrill for me. The crowd was into it. Such an historic building.

Feb 4, 2008 from ATP:
ATP World No. 1 Roger Federer was on hand in Glendale, Arizona Sunday to see the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII. Federer was among a crowd of more than 70,000.

The Patriots were looking to become the first team in National Football League history to finish the season with a perfect 19-0 record. But Plaxico Burress caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning with 35 seconds left on the clock to hand the Patriots their only loss of the season.

Feb 2, 2008 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Dear fans

It is precisely 4 years ago since I was able to take over the lead in the ATP singles ranking - without doubt a most important milestone in my career. And even more important is the fact that I have been able to hold this position ever since.

Looking back at all the experiences, victories and recognitions means having great memories. I have been able to travel around the planet and meet interesting people from different cultures. I can make a difference in other's lives by supporting projects with the Roger Federer Foundation. And then we have built up a huge community of fans and friends that accompanies me everywhere I go. There is such a large amount of positive aspects in my life that there is just one thing I can say: thank you.

I am busy preparing for the coming tournaments and I must say that it is very comforting to have enough time at hand for all kinds of details. I am really looking forward to the further tennis season with all its highlights!

Feb 1, 2008 from Herald Eastern Cape:
When someone dominates a sport, the urge is irresistible to compare him or her with previous greats, with the question: who is the best?

In tennis this has happened often with Swiss ace Roger Federer, who has been compared favourably to former legends like Australian Rod Laver and American Pete Sampras.

When it comes to the modern era, one player who will be competing in South Africa this month is in no doubt that Federer is the toughest player to beat. That is Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkman who will be competing in the SAA Open at Selborne Park in East London, starting on February 11.

Bjorkman, who made a name for himself as one of the world‘s best doubles exponent but is no slouch at singles, is in a good position to judge as he played against both Sampras and Federer. He had this to say: "The most difficult is Roger Federer. I‘ve played against a lot of champions but I always felt I had a chance if I played my best tennis.