Mar 31, 2008 from Reuters:
Roger Federer has advanced to the fourth round of the Miami Masters after his Swedish opponent Robin Soderling retired from their third-round match because of illness.

The Swiss top seed, who won the title in 2005 and 2006, was leading 6-4 3-0 when Soderling called for a doctor and decided he could not continue.

Mar 29, 2008 from RTÉ:
Roger Federer had few problems as he dispatched unseeded Frenchman Gael Monfils in his opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Making his first appearance in the tournament after being a first-round bye, the top seed made quick work of Monfils in the second round with a 6-3 6-4 win in just over 67 minutes.

Mar 28, 2008 from Tennis Masters Cup:
Roger Federer has been voted the most popular ATP player among Chinese fans in a recent online poll. Thousands logged on to one of China’s biggest websites, sina.com, to vote.

"I really like to play in China so it is a great honor to be voted the favourite tennis player by the Chinese fans,” said Federer.

“I always have a good time at the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai so I look forward to returning in November. Thanks to all my Chinese fans for the continued support.”

Another star of the ATP circuit, World No. 7 David Nalbandian, was voted second with 22.1 per cent as opposed to Federer's 28.5 per cent.

Mar 26, 2008 from Palm Beach Post:
KEY BISCAYNE — World No. 1 Justine Henin isn't crazy about the humidity, wind and traffic in South Florida. But she apparently does like rice milk. The Sony Ericsson Open, which starts today, is paying people to make sure it shows up in her hotel refrigerator.

Men's No. 1 Roger Federer wants golf reservations for his parents. Done. Defending champion Serena Williams needs a room with a kitchen. Check. Andy Roddick likes NBA tickets but sometimes switches hotel reservations two or three times before the tournament starts. Covered...

...The tournament likes to make it easy for players to get out - if not to party until dawn necessarily, then to get a table at a good restaurant, swim with the Dolphins at Miami Seaquarium or go deep-sea fishing. Unpaid parking tickets left in the rental cars sometimes testify to untold adventures in South Beach.

The landmark Joe's Stone Crab restaurant famously doesn't take reservations, but players often experience remarkably good luck getting in. Ed Witte, a maitre d' at Joe's, said Federer stopped by with a party of six last year.

Sometimes the tournament goes to great lengths to satisfy player requests. One year, Martina Navratilova wanted an exotic variety of red bananas from Brazil, as well as room-temperature Evian water.

"We had to go to a farmer's market to find the bananas, but we got them," said Kim Hall Uliasz, the tournament's director of player services.

Stefan Edberg liked Dove chocolate bars, and he got a refrigerator full of them.

Mar 25, 2008 from ATP:
Miami, Florida - Roger Federer and Bob and Mike Bryan are the big winners in the 2007 ATP Awards, which were announced today in Miami on the eve of the Sony Ericsson Open.

For the fourth consecutive year, Federer won both the Player of the Year Award and Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award Presented by Stanford. Additionally, fans gave Federer the ATPtennis.com Fans' Favorite Award Presented by RICOH for the fifth consecutive year.

"I am very happy to receive three more ATP awards for 2007," Federer said. "The Sportsmanship Award is voted by my fellow players and it is a great recognition for me. It is equally important to be voted by the fans as their favorite player. 2007 was a fantastic year for me, finishing No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the fourth consecutive time and continuing to receive the support of the players and fans worldwide."

The Bryan brothers, who last year finished as the No. 1 doubles team for the fourth time in five years, won the Doubles Team of the Year Award Presented by Stanford for the third consecutive year. The Bryans also were voted ATPtennis.com Fans' Favorite Doubles Team for the third consecutive year.

Player of the Year - Roger Federer: The Swiss superstar finished No. 1 for a fourth straight year, highlighted by an ATP-best eight titles (in 12 finals), including three Grand Slam crowns for the third time in four years and at least two ATP Masters Series shields. He became only the fourth player since 1973 to end the year No. 1 at least four consecutive years, joining Pete Sampras (6), Jimmy Connors (5) and John McEnroe (4). He also became the first player in history to reach all four Grand Slam finals in back-to-back years and he advanced to an all-time record 10 consecutive Slam finals. Since the beginning of 2004, he has compiled a match record of 315-24 (.929) and has ranked No. 1 every week since first taking over on Feb. 2, 2004. At Wimbledon, he captured his fifth consecutive title and joined Bjorn Borg as the only players to win at least five straight crowns in the Open Era. He closed out the season with his fourth Tennis Masters Cup title in the last five years and earned a record $10,130,620.

Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Presented by Stanford - Roger Federer: Not only did Roger Federer finish No. 1 for a fourth consecutive year but he also was voted by his fellow players as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award for a record fourth straight time. Federer joined the award's name holder Edberg (5) and Patrick Rafter (4) as the only players to win at least four sportsmanship awards but became the first player to win four consecutive years. Edberg won three in a row from 1988-90 and Rafter three straight from 1999-2001.

Mar 23, 2008 from New York Times:
...Throughout the years, Judy Mayer’s favorite players have been Goran Ivanisevic, Alex Corretja and Roger Federer. She met Federer in Indianapolis in 2000, when he was an 18-year-old on the rise.

“I met Roger at a party that the players attended at a restaurant in downtown Indianapolis,” she said. “Roger sat there all night, so quiet and shy. He was too young to drink with all of the other players, but he had the same awesome personality back then that he has now.”

Mar 22, 2008 from Pacific Life Open:
INDIAN WELLS - Unseeded American Mardy Fish’s improbable run at the 2008 Pacific Life Open continued on Saturday in Indian Wells as he defeated World No. 1 Roger Federer 6-3, 6-2 to book his place in Sunday’s title match.

Though Fish had spent six more hours on court than Federer en route to the semifinals – he had played five hours and 13 minutes in the last two rounds alone – Federer was the player who appeared more spent as he dropped his first service game.

Fish broke Federer twice more in the second set and earned two match points on the Swiss’ serve before Federer came back to force him to serve out the victory. Fish closed out the win in just over an hour, converting on his fourth match point to earn his first career win in six matches against Federer.

Mar 21, 2008 from Reuters:
INDIAN WELLS - Roger Federer reached the last four of the Pacific Life Open without hitting a shot on Friday when his quarter-final opponent Tommy Haas pulled out with a sinus infection.

Swiss Federer will next meet unseeded American Mardy Fish, who scraped past seventh-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-3 6-7 7-6.

"I deeply regret that I have to withdraw," German Haas said in a statement. "I was playing my best tennis of the season and was looking forward to playing Roger this afternoon. I am sure the tennis will be incredible this weekend and I look forward to returning again next year."

The 29-year-old, a former world number two whose career has been dogged by injuries, produced an impressive run this week, knocking out sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick and Britain's number 11 seed Andy Murray.

Mar 19, 2008 from Pacific Life Open:
INDIAN WELLS - Roger Federer continued his impressive campaign to reclaim his Pacific Life Open title, showing no mercy in his fourth round match against birthday boy Ivan Ljubicic on Wednesday in Indian Wells.

Federer broke Ljubicic three times in 11 chances en route to the 6-3, 6-4 win. He improved his career record against the 29-year-old Ljubicic to 12-3, including wins in their last nine meetings.

Mar 18, 2008
INDIAN WELLS - Roger Federer swept aside France's Nicolas Mahut to reach the fourth round of the ATP and WTA Pacific Life Open. He crushed Mahut 6-1, 6-1 in just 53 minutes on Tuesday.

"I don't know if I can be better than that," Federer said. Added Mahut: "I had the feeling I was a junior and he was a pro. It was the kind of match that at the end you feel like you want to ask him how much for the lesson."

Mahut won only four points against Federer's serve and his only point against the Swiss' serve in the first set was a Federer double fault.

Federer broke Mahut twice to sweep through the opening set. The Swiss again broke the Frenchman in the third, fifth and seventh games of the second to ease into the fourth round.

A protracted rally in the fifth game underlined the near-impossible task facing Mahut when Federer, at full stretch on his forehand, delivered a pinpoint topspin lob to win the point.

Mar 17, 2008 from Desert Sun:
Top-seed Roger Federer didn't play on Monday, but that doesn't mean he still wasn't drawing a crowd. A long line of fans stood and waited as Federer smiled and signed autographs in front of the Tennis Warehouse tent on the Tennis Garden grounds.

Security guards were letting about 20 fans into the autograph area at a time, and each time the next 20 were allowed in, there was a surge in the front of the line. Fans with the autographs might want to watch Federer on the court today when he faces Nicolas Mahut.

from ESPN:
Federer noted Kuznetsova's abilities at last year's French Open, saying he liked her game and that "she plays well," a compliment Kuznetsova is still trying to absorb. The two recently ran into each other in Dubai, the site of back-to-back women's and men's tourneys, and had a brief chat.

"We just talked about basic stuff," Kuznetsova said. "For me it's a huge compliment what he said, and I still think about it, like, 'Oh my god, did he really say that?' Then I'm like, 'I can get some tips from him.' But I was just too shy to ask."

Mar 16, 2008 from Pacific Life Open:
INDIAN WELLS - Roger Federer confidently advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in his opening match at the Pacific Life Open on Sunday.

Federer, looking to avoid losing three matches in a row for the first time since 2002, rolled out to a 3-0 lead to start the second round match and closed the match with confidence as he won the final four games.

from ASAP Sports:
Q. Sounds like you kind of answered this, but obviously Andy Roddick is an emotional player when he gets on the court. Would you say he's a little bit easier to rattle mentally than maybe some of the top guys, like Roger Federer?
TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, I mean, thank God everybody has a different personality, otherwise it would be quite boring out there. Personally, I like to see emotions myself. It's fun. I actually watch him play as well. There's going to be emotions, fighting spurts or talk with the crowd or whatever.

If it's the racquet throwing or the ball hitting out of the stadium, that's sometimes what you want to see. You want to see emotions. Somebody's out there competing hard. That's what it's all about. So unless you are very calm like only very few players, and somebody like Roger who is so calm because, you know, he really hasn't been -- for what should he freak out? The guy's been dominating us for last three or four years. (laughter.) It's a joke.

So, you know it doesn't matter. We're all kind of at a level now where, you know, it's really going to be a few points here and there that make a big difference. A shot here and there. You try and regain your focus.

Q. Sounds like we shouldn't ask you if you think Roger is vulnerable since he's actually lost two matches in a row?
TOMMY HAAS: You guys are tough. You read the newspapers, and sometimes you have to just put the papers aside. The guy apparently had a little bit of a sickness. He reached the semifinals, which for probably 80% of the players out there is like a dream come true if you reach the semis of a Slam.

And then he hasn't played in a while and he loses first round to a good player, Andy Murray, in a tight match in Dubai. The big tournaments are coming up, and obviously these two coming up are pretty big. We'll see. I'm sure he's in good shape. If he gets into a groove a little bit he's going to be the player to beat still.

But we still might see a little bit vulnerability because the other guys are hungry. Somebody like a Djokovic or Nadal or even Andy, they're all going to try pushing him as much as they can. This might be the year where you see him lose a little bit more, but he's still the favorite in the big tournaments.

Q. You practiced with Roger on Wednesday.
TOMMY HAAS: Yeah.

from Sun-Sentinel:
SUNRISE, Fl. -- It was a bit painful to watch Dominik Hrbaty struggle with his serve after two surgeries on his right elbow, but not nearly as painful as it is for the 30-year-old Slovakian, who is one of the most popular players on the ATP Tour.

Is top-20 possible again? No, he admitted candidly. "I don't think so. But I'm going to continue to play as long as I can, just to enjoy tennis and to be with the guys."

"Small joke," I warned him. "But, in your condition, Roger Federer is probably thinking that now he can finally beat you." That produced one of those wide Hrbaty grins.

"I was just practicing with him last Friday at Indian Wells and he jokes that I'm the only guy he can't beat."

Mar 14, 2008 from Daily Mail:
Take the meeting with his new neighbour at the recent Laureus Sports Awards — Roger Federer. 'I was stunned. Roger said his mum wanted to get a picture of us together,' said Lewis Hamilton. 'He was a really nice guy. I asked him if he could drive. We agreed that I would help improve his driving and he'd help with my tennis.'

Mar 12, 2008 from Desert Sun:
According to Rene Stauffer, the author of the biography "The Roger Federer Story; Quest for Perfection," the three-time Pacific Life Open champion has gotten over his mono quickly and expects to do well in Indian Wells.

"He told me that since he is over it for 10 days and he can practice at full power again, he would not be happy with just a quarterfinal or so in Indian Wells, and that he will be trying to win the title over there," said Stauffer through e-mail from his home in Switzerland.

Stauffer also said Federer has recently become friendly with Pete Sampras.

"I remember Roger was very proud, when he told me that Pete Sampras had sent him a text message for the first time in '06, but now that happens pretty regularly, since they have become friends," Stauffer said.

Stauffer said the 2004 title at the Pacific Life Open was part of a turnaround, as Federer had regularly struggled in America.

from SI:
For as many irrelevant people as there were throwing elbows trying to take credit for Monday night's success, a tip of the cap to Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, and Sampras' brother, Gus, for ultimately making this thing happen. A little birdie told us that, after a well-known financial services company dropped out, it was Godsick who first lined up NetJets as a sponsor. And then the dominoes started lining up.

Mar 10, 2008 from USTA:
NEW YORK - It seemed as if the match was just about over. Pete Sampras held a commanding 5-2 lead in the third set over current world No.1 Roger Federer in an exhibition match between two of the greatest players of all time, called the NetJets Showdown, at a sold-out Madison Square Garden.

However, the Swiss rebounded like a champion for a dramatic come-from-behind win in the third set to win the match 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6) in a night of legends at the Garden. It was the third exhibition win for Federer over Sampras after the pair played three exhibitions in November in Asia with two wins for the Swiss.

Tennis greats Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Roy Emerson, Stan Smith, Tony Trabert and Billie Jean King all were on court prior to the match. The prematch activities included a junior exhibition match Denis Kudla and Junior Ore (won by Kudla), a tribute to the 2007 U.S. Davis Cup team that won the trophy as well as the 35th anniversary of King defeating Bobby Riggs in the 'Battle of the Sexes.'

Federer started the third set with a break and then held serve to go up 2-0. However, the American battled back and the Swiss committed a few errors in his next service game to give Sampras his first break of the match and tie the match at 2-2.

In the sixth game, Federer saved two break points with consecutive aces but then hit a return long to give Sampras the 4-2 lead and his second break. Sampras then held for the commanding 5-2 lead, making the age difference look the reverse as Federer was the one committing more errors.

When Federer took the ball to serve in the eighth game, the first ‘Let’s Go Roger’ message appeared on the Garden’s scoreboard after a few ‘Let’s Go Pete’ messages earlier in the match. He held and then the American took the ball to serve for the match.

After facing a break point at 30-40, Sampras smacked an ace to bring the game to deuce. But Federer did not lose his composure, hitting a great passing shot for the advantage and then a winner behind Sampras for the break to close to 5-4 and catapult himself back into the set.

The Swiss then regained his magical touch, holding his serve at love on four consecutive aces. The two then held their next games to move to yet another tiebreak. Down 5-3, Federer rebounded to close to 5-5 and then up 6-5 when Sampras hit two serve returns wide for his first lead of the tiebreak. Federer then hit a shot into the net to make it 6-6. On Sampras’ serve next, Federer hit one of the many sensational passing shots that he had during the match to go up 7-6 and closed out the over two-hour match when Sampras hit a shot wide.

“I thought I was looking good at 2-0 and then it turned around and was almost over,” Federer said. “...It is a great honor for me (playing Sampras in Madison Square Garden)."

"I was happy I could make (things) interesting in the third set, " he added. "It is like a dream playing in Madison Square Garden... I think we both tried to do our best and have a fun night. The winner was tennis."

Sampras, playing with his classic serve-and-volley style, thought it had the match at 5-2 and gave the credit to Federer. “I thought I had him there for a split second but that’s why he is the best player in the world. I’d like to thank all the fans for supporting me,” Sampras said.

Sampras said earlier in the day at the morning press conference that he still served and hit the ball well but just did not move as well as he once did. However, the 36-year-old stayed with the 26-year-old in the second set, as the match remained on serve through 12 games and moved to a tiebreak.

The crowd was largely partisan towards the American for most of the match and the scoreboard starting urging fans to chant ‘Let’s Go Pete’ during the fourth, tenth and twelfth games of the second set.

“It was an incredible crowd. For me, it is a thrill to play Roger, he is a great player and a great guy,” Sampras said.

Each player seemed to step up his serving during the tiebreak as it featured some of the best serving from both of the match. Sampras went up 3-1 before Federer came back with an ace to make it 3-2 only to have the American pull to 4-2 on an ace. Two points later, Federer made it 5-3 then 5-4 on consecutive aces. The Swiss then hit a serve return long for a 6-4 Sampras lead and the set belonged to the American at 7-6 (4) when Federer hit his serve return into the net.

Even though the match was an exhibition, the crowd appreciated the players’ emotions and also featured some light hearted moments of humor and fun. After Sampras hit a volley winner to win the tenth game of the second set and tie it at 5-5, he did a Tiger Woods-esque fist pump right in front of world’s best golfer seated in the front row.

from Tennis Week:
Roger Federer said today in a Manhattan press conference that his interest in playing Beijing Olympics is "very high."

"I met my girfrliend back in 2000 at the Olympics, carried the flag for Switzerland in 2004 and in 2008 the opening ceremonies are on my birthday and maybe I'll carrry the flag again," Federer said. "So it's a great honor for me to represent my country. And it is an Olympic year the whole calendar gets juggled around so I would like to take a medal back home, no doubt."

Mar 8, 2008 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Dear fans

As you can imagine the beginning of this season has been rather tough for me. 2007 ended with an illness which cost me a lot of energy. I was unable to play at the beginning of January. I was still taking antibiotics five days before the Australian Open, making a recovery in time for the tournament impossible. During the time in Melbourne I felt slow and kept looking for possible reasons for that – without finding an answer.

Some time later, during my holidays in Switzerland, I became severely ill again. I went to the hospital straight away to get further tests done. And it was at this time that they found out what was bothering me all along: mononucleosis. I had had it for six weeks already, meaning it would normally be over.

It was relieving to finally know why I had felt weak in Australia and also later on during my holidays. So the good news really is to be certain of what has occurred. The bad news is that I have quite some catching up to do in terms of fitness as I am not in the physical state that I would normally be in at this time of the year.

I have known for 10 days now that the illness is over. I have been back to exercising at maximum level since then, before that it had only been moderate. Unfortunately that meant that I only had about three days of intense training before Dubai. The match I played against Andy Murray in Dubai was a good one – taking into consideration the circumstances. My expectations weren’t all too high, it was a tough draw and Andy certainly played an excellent match.

Pierre Paganini, my physical coach, had joined me in Dubai for three days to assist me with some serious training sessions. That helped a lot and I must say that I already feel strong again. I will definitely need more training in Indian Wells after the match against Pete Sampras in New York. After that, Pierre Paganini will meet up with me again in Miami for another three days of hard work. The main issue now is to get 100% fit and make up for all the training I missed out on.

I will be traveling to New York this weekend and I am really looking forward to the match against Pete. The event has been sold out for quite some time already. We will be competing in front of a crowd of 19’000 - what an atmosphere!

Thank you for all your continued support and see you all soon,

from Khaleej Times:
Wednesday night saw the much anticipated, Celine Dion's Live in Dubai concert, achieve massive success as the diva entertained over 12,000 fans at the Four Seasons Golf Club, Festival City. Among Celine's more famed admirers spotted at the concert were, Her Highness Princess Haya, wife of High Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Tennis ace Roger Federer was also in attendance. It is clear that all had a fantastic time.

Mar 7, 2008 from AP:
NEW YORK - Roger Federer couldn't figure out why he felt so sluggish at the start of this season. His doctors eventually gave him an explanation: The world's No. 1 tennis player had mononucleosis.

"Roger found out he had mono, and didn't know it. He found out a couple of weeks ago. That's probably what was wrong with him," Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, said Friday. "He doesn't want to make any excuses and take anything away from anybody. In hindsight, had (his doctors) known he had mono, they wouldn't have let him play."

He was diagnosed with mononucleosis last month after seeing doctors in Switzerland and Dubai, Godsick said. Mononucleosis is an infection caused by a virus. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, headaches and fatigue.

"This gave him a reason for why he wasn't able to move and why he wasn't able to recover," Godsick said. "It was annoying for him to not have reasons for why his body wasn't responding."

Federer was cleared to start practicing five days before the start of the Dubai tournament. Godsick said Federer is "over it now," and will play Monday night against Pete Sampras in their exhibition match at Madison Square Garden.

from USTA:
The USTA today announced that it will provide free live streaming video of the NetJets Showdown between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras on USTA.com. The sold-out event will take place at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Monday, March 10 and the live streaming will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET.

USTA.com, in partnership with TVUNetworks -- an online company that works to make news and sports from around the world accessible through a broadband internet connection -- will stream the Tennis Channel feed from Madison Square Garden live. Fans worldwide will have access to the streaming video on USTA.com free of charge. John McEnroe and Ted Robinson will be the lead announcers, with Justin Gimelstob conducting courtside interviews.

Mar 5, 2008
NEW YORK - Dream Vaccines Foundation and Mymetics Corporation, in association with the Marquis Jet Card and Men’s Vogue, are proud to present the “NetJets Showdown: a Battle for Tennis History.” This is the first fundraising event for the newly launched Dream Vaccines Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that aspires to be the avenue through which vaccines can be tested and delivered to underserved and impoverished populations.

The event, a StarGames production in conjunction with 8-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl, features tennis legend Pete Sampras, emerging from retirement, and Roger Federer, the world’s number one ranked player since 2004, in an historic tennis match on Monday, March 10, 2008 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Pre-match entertainment and opening festivities will begin at 6:00PM with the match slated to begin at 8:30PM EDT. The event will be broadcast nationally on the Tennis Channel and locally on MSG Plus with worldwide television and broadband distribution on the www.tvunetworks.com.

Event goers will have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction held on location at two MSG sites, with autographed tennis memorabilia among the items being auctioned.

from Eurosport:
Björn Borg hopes Roger Federer can break his record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles when he competes at the All England Tennis Club this summer.

Borg triumphed in the leafy South West London suburb from 1976 to 1980 and Swiss ace Federer will go one better if he makes it six in a row in July.

"We have won five straight Wimbledon titles each so if he took a sixth victory it would feel great," the Swedish legend told eurosport.se.

"I will come and see him play in London. I am happy for Roger's success, in London or anywhere else. He's a great guy and a fantastic player."

Borg explained he is pleased to see Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and three-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal contesting for Grand Slams and pushing Federer for the world number one ranking.

Mar 4, 2008 from TVover:
TVU Networks has been granted exclusive broadband distribution rights for the "NetJets Showdown" tennis exhibition, a match between Peter Sampras, and Roger Federer.

Simulcast on the Tennis Channel and Fox Sports Net New York, the broadcast of this clash of the tennis titans will be available live, free, and on a global basis on TVU Channel 1, from 8PM to 10:30PM Eastern. TVU will continue to re-broadcast the match for a seven day period following the match.

According to Paul Shen, CEO, TVU Networks, "TVU is delighted to have been chosen as the Official Broadband Distributor for this monumental sporting event. We are excited that our technology and business model enable us to deliver it live to tennis fans in every corner of the world, at no cost to any viewer."

from Gulf News:
Q: What is your job at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships?
Jaya Kumar: I string all the racquets for the players. They come with their tennis racquets, Federer has just given me eight racquets and took four racquets back. Jankovic gave me almost eight or nine, something like that.

Q: Do you enjoy it?
Jaya Kumar: It’s great. Sometimes the pressure is on, but I definitely enjoy my job, no doubt. It’s a wonderful opportunity, because I can touch Roger’s racquet and Nadal’s racquet, which is a big thing.

Q: What’s the most number of racquets anyone has given you to string?
Jaya Kumar: Last year I think Roger Federer gave me 46 racquets in five days.

Mar 3, 2008 from AP:
DUBAI - Roger Federer is on a losing streak for the second time in four months. The top-ranked Federer lost to Andy Murray 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

"I definitely could have played much better tennis but then again you've got to give credit to the guy who beat you and came up with shots," said defending champion Federer.

Federer lost to David Nalbandian in the third round of the Paris Masters last year and followed that with a round robin loss to Fernando Gonzalez in his opening match at the ATP Masters Cup, which Federer eventually won.

On Monday, Federer said he felt rusty. "Missing forehands by two or three meters — it's just not possible," Federer said. "I gave him the mistakes today."

Playing Murray, who is ranked 11th in the world, in the first round didn't make things any easier on Federer. "Tough match, obviously. It was always going to be a tough draw. I knew that from the start," Federer said. "He's played many matches already this season whereas obviously I come in a little bit cold.

"I knew it was important to get off to a good start but it wasn't enough tonight. He did well to hang in there and it was a tough match in the end.

"My expectations are not sky-high at this point. Obviously I haven't played much so you don't go in with any expectations, actually. You hope to get past the first round, no matter if it's a guy with no ranking or a guy ranked basically in the top 10.

"Of course, I wish I would have maybe had a little bit easier draw, but under the circumstances I felt I played OK. It wasn't a bad match, which is the only positive thing out of tonight."

Murray has already won two ATP titles this season, and he now leads Federer 2-1 in his career. Federer had not lost in the first round of a tournament since his defeat to Dominik Hrbaty in the 2004 Cincinnati Masters. Last year, Federer lost his opening match at the Pacific Life Open to Guillermo Canas after getting a bye into the second round.

Murray might have won the first set, after leading 5-2 in the tiebreak and then holding a set point at 6-5. But he made a weak return, and Federer went on to take the tiebreak 8-6.

from Dubai Tennis Championships:
Dubai - Tennis ace Roger Federer kick-started his quest for a record fifth Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships with a star appearance at the award-winning Dubai Duty Free.

Fans flocked to meet the world number one who posed for photographs and signed merchandise on the shop floor for an hour.

The Swiss maestro, who has made Dubai his second home, is a regular visitor through Dubai Duty Free on his way to tournaments around the world.

“It’s great to be back in Dubai and I’m very much looking forward to the tournament,” said Federer, who was presented with a gift by DDF staff as he arrived on the shop floor.

from Brandweek:
It will be SRO at Madison Square Garden, New York, when No. 1 ranked Roger Federer plays (retired) all-time grand slam champion Pete Sampras in an exhibition tennis match on March 10. Not only have all seats been sold, but so have all sponsorships, including presenting sponsors NetJets, Marquis Jet Card and Men's Vogue; and Borgata Hotel and Casino, BNP Paribas, MyMetics, Rums of Puerto Rico, Penn Tennis Balls, Rolex and Essex House Hotel. "The response to this event has been spectacular from every angle," said Jerry Solomon, president of StarGames, promoting the tennis exhibition. "We had to cut off sponsorship sales, which I have never had to do in almost 30 years in the business." The match will air nationally on Tennis Channel, locally on MSG Plus (formerly FSNY).

Mar 2, 2008 from AP:
DUBAI - Roger Federer is rested and ready to resume his season at the Dubai Tennis Championships this week. He will get back on the court Monday to face Andy Murray in the first round. It will be Federer's first competitive match since Melbourne.

"I am feeling mentally and physically refreshed and I think (taking the break) was a good decision," said Federer, who has a second home in Dubai and has been practising in the city for the past 10 days.

Federer, who withdrew from an Australian Open warm-up event because of illness, again said he was over the disappointment of losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

"It must have taken me a maximum of two hours to get over the loss," Federer said. "Considering the virus that I had before the tournament and how it hampered my preparation, I wasn't too disappointed."

"I just felt slow in the semi-final. I really doubt that it was because of the Tipsarevic match because I was feeling like that against Berdych. By the Djokovic match I was completely fine again. I just wasn't happy with my movement and defensive skills. Maybe it was because of that. Djokovic played well on the big points."

"But what is more important is that I am feeling much better now than I was ever feeling at the Australian Open. So, after struggling a bit there, I am just happy and excited to be back on the court healthy."

His next opponent will be the 12th-ranked Murray, who is 1-1 against Federer and won their last match in Cincinnati in 2006.

from Tennis Magazine:
Roger Federer spoke to reporters at roundtable press conferences ahead of the Barclays Tennis Championships in Dubai.

On whether he will stay in the athletes' village for the Olympics this year:

"I'm not sure about that yet. It was quite tough in Athens - taking a bus, not being in charge of my own schedule and having many people recognise me in the village. It was just not as enjoyable as it was in Sydney, which I loved. I still haven't made up my mind yet.

"Every time you go to eat someone taps you on the shoulder. I don't mind it, but I wish it was rather different just for one day of the week."

On his exhibition match against Pete Sampras in New York next week:

from Xpress:
Roger Federer: “It’s just good to be back in a tournament after such a long break. I have planned this year differently, something I have been thinking about for the past one-and-half years. I wasn’t at my best in Melbourne. I felt a little slow and wasn’t happy with my movement. I intended to rest more after the Australian Open and get ready for the gruelling season ahead till the US Open. I will also play more tournaments on clay as preparation for the French Open.”

“I knew the draw would be tough when you have the world’s top 30 players competing, but the first round is probably going to be more interesting since Murray is a top-10 player himself and I lost to him the last time we played in Cincinnati.”

“I like this place [he owns an apartment at the Dubai Marina], the weather, the practice facilities, basically everything. Furthermore, it suits me as a location since it is on way to the US or Australia.”

Mar 1, 2008 from Dubai Tennis Championships:
Dubai - The 16th staging of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships features one of the strongest fields in the tournament’s history, with six of the top seven-ranked players in the world competing for one of the most prestigious titles on the ATP Tour.

Roger Federer’s four titles is a record for the event, and he has the advantage of commuting to the stadium from his second home in Dubai. The city is a perfect base for the Swiss superstar to prepare for his pursuit of the record books, and he spends many weeks of the year here perfecting his game before heading off to New York or Wimbledon to chase another Grand Slam title.

from Emirates Business 24/7:
The men now get their turn in the sun as the Barclays Dubai Men’s Open gets under way on Monday. Roger Federer admits he is curious about who he is set to meet here.

“I’m feeling fine and I’m playing well in practice,” Federer exclusively told Emirates Business. “But it’s going to be interesting to see how the draw comes out, obviously that’s important knowing who I’m playing.

“Then hopefully I get started well and get into the tournament; but the draw here is very difficult so it’s not going to be an easy one to win,” said the Swiss star, exuding an aura of confidence.

from The Times:
After chatting to Cuba Gooding jnr, Kim Cattrall and Marvin Hagler at the Laureus Awards in Russia recently, Jake White was approached by Roger Federer. Congratulating White, the tennis great asked: “Where’s Os? Where’s Os?” Which proves even sports legends have heroes.