Apr 30, 2009 from AFP:
ROME – Roger Federer made short work of Czech Radek Stepanek on Thursday to book his place in the quarter-finals of the ATP Rome Masters claycourt event.

The world number two took just 1hr 8min to secure a comfortable 6-4, 6-1 victory that also brought the second seed revenge for a loss against Stepanek here in the last eight a year ago.

Federer broke Stepanek in the 13th seed's opening service game when the Czech plopped a poor drop shot into the net.

Federer looked to be comfortably serving out the set despite only hitting 33 percent of first serves until he was surprisingly broken in the ninth game when he fired a forehand long.

That, however, seemed to focus the 13-time Grand Slam-winner, who romped through the next six games before a brief blip allowed Stepanek his only game of the second set.

Federer finished off the match with two aces and took an impressive four out of seven break-point opportunities.

from ESPN:
When Roger and Mirka became Mr. and Mrs. Federer, the 13-time Grand Slam champion utilized his official Web site to spill the beans. The Swiss' vehicle for disclosing he'd become a dad this summer also turned out to be his site, available in English, Swiss and German, by the way, which is what you'd expect from the worldly and multilingual 27-year-old.

Federer's site, which displayed his wedding photos, boasts more than 230,000 registered members. (It's free.) He pays for the site himself -- what with the cost of hosting, developing and maintaining such sites, they're rarely money-making ventures.

"Roger has always been surprised at the number of loyal and registered members," his agent, Tony Godsick, said. "His goal was always to form a destination for his loyal fans to congregate, chat, get exclusive news and pictures."

Did you know Federer's favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry? And that he plays the piano?

Well, you can access that type of info perusing Federer's replies to fans' questions, which spans about a dozen pages and includes answers from years ago, before the newlywed reached double digits in majors.

Frequent visitors know the color of the site changes frequently, with clay-court orange now in vogue. Federer's site also lists weather conditions in the city he's featuring in -- for example, Rome, this week.

There was so much interest in Federer's site during February's Australian Open final, he was forced to get new equipment.

Apr 29, 2009 from AFP:
ROME – Roger Federer strolled to victory over unseeded Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-4 at the Rome clay-court Masters here on Wednesday.

A single break early in each set sufficed as Federer improved his record against the big serving Croatian to 8-1.

It was a non-eventful match as Federer did exactly what he needed, and nothing more, to progress with minimal fuss in just 1hr 8min. But the 13-time Grand Slam winner was not complaining.

Despite serving 15 aces to only one by the second seed, Karlovic paid for a string of unforced errors with 22 alone in the first set and 38 by the end of the match. Federer had just 16.

Both players had three break points in the first set with Federer taking one of his, and throughout the match he continued to be more clinical on the points that mattered.

There was only one break point in the entire second set but Federer took that too and coasted easily to victory.

In truth, Karlovic played an appalling first game of the second set, being broken to love as from 0-30 he hit a forehand volley wide and then dropped a backhand slice into the net.

Apr 28, 2009 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger thrilled his youngest fans yesterday when he spent time with a whole group of children during a kids clinic in Rome. The kids were given the opportunity to ask questions and even hit a few balls with Roger on the opening day of the 'kids village' on the grounds of the Internatzionali BNL d'Italia.

Apr 27, 2009 from Internazionali BNL d'Italia:
12.52 pm: There's a battle royal being waged between Federer and Gasquet on No2 court, in front of a bank of enthralled fans applauding every point. And this is just the warm-up! I say enthralled, all but one of them are, and the exception is a ginger-and-white cat that seems to be sleeping by the entrance gate whenever I pass by there. Typically laid back and Italian.

Youzhny and Kunitsyn are warming up alongside them, while Andy Murray is serving up a storm under the watchful eye of Miles Maclagan, with Matt Little and Jez Green, his fitness coaches, looking on.

Apr 26, 2009 from ATP:
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic led an all-star cast of ATP World Tour players who played exhibition matches at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia Sunday to raise funds for FedeLux, a leukemia foundation established in the memory of former player Federico Luzzi, who died of the disease last year aged 28.

Federer, Djokovic, Tommy Robredo, Marat Safin, Potito Starace, Andreas Seppi, Simone Bolelli and Filippo Volandri took part in the exhibition, which was attended by Luzzi's parents Maurizio and Paola.

Federer said: "It was a nice match for me to play, knowing that Federico is up above watching us, having his parents here."

from Internazionali BNL d'Italia:
A large crowd was on hand on Sunday afternoon to support "Insieme per Federico" – a series of exhibition matches held on centre and No1 courts to raise funds for "Fede Lux", the charity set up for leukaemia research in honour of Italian player Federico Luzzi, who died of the disease last October aged only 28.

No less a figure than Roger Federer was on hand, beating local favourite Potito Starace 7-5 and receiving a "Fede Lux" t-shirt from Luzzi's parents at the end of the match. World No3 Novak Djokovic (who beat Andreas Seppi 6-4) and No4 Andy Murray (a 6-3 winner over Simone Bolelli) also leant their weight to the cause out on centre court along with Feliciano Lopez, while Tommy Robredo, Marat Safin and Juan Martin del Potro also played one-setters on No1 court against Italian opponents.

Boxes were placed at the entry to the courts for fans to make donations, and there will also be a stand throughout the Internazionali BNL d'Italia selling articles from all the main tournament suppliers with proceeds going to "Fede Lux".

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Italian Leukaemia Association can do so using the following bank details:

AIL (Associazione italiana contro le leucemie) - "Fede Lux"
Bank: Banca Credem, filiale 2 di Arezzo
Iban: IT29 E030 3214 1010 1000 0006 900

Roger Federer has put his back injury behind him and after practising for the past four days in a secret location in the Italian countryside, is ready to launch his clay-court season here at the Foro Italico.

"I only arrived this morning (Sunday)," said the world No2. "I've been practising as hard as I could here in Italy – up in the hills, tucked away. I won't tell you where as I like my privacy! Pierre (Paganini, fitness coach) was there and I was basically getting used to clay court movements – the sliding. I mixed it up with some tennis – (Stefan) Koubek was there as a hitting partner – and I made sure I did my four hours a day. At the end of the day, movement is a big part. The best clay-court players are the best movers. The only difference is, here it's still fast even when it rains. It only gets quick in Monte Carlo or at Roland Garros when it's hot and the dust starts kicking up, and you can see the hard court underneath. Clay is better for my back though, and I've been pain-free for a long time now which is great."

Federer also dismissed his poor showing at Monte Carlo this year, when he went out in the Round of 16 to his Olympic gold medal doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka. "I wasn't prepared for Monte Carlo due to the wedding (Federer married his long-time partner and former player Mirka Vavrinec the week before) so I went there more to see what I was missing than expecting to do well. What I was missing was my serves and my forehands, so I've been working hard on that and hopefully it'll show this week."

Apr 21, 2009 from Roger Federer Official Site:
This weeks Swiss magazine "Schweizer Illustrierte" features a 12 page article on Roger and Mirka's wedding with exclusive images and reports.

Mirka wore a wonderful Empire-dress by Oscar de la Renta and Roger was dressed in a classic suit by Tom Ford. After the ceremony at the civil registry office in Basel the 39 invited guests followed the newly-weds to a villa in an old park in the surroundings of town.

Apr 16, 2009 from Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters:
MONTE CARLO - 13th seed Stanislas Wawrinka beat Roger Federer 6-4, 7-5 for the first time in his career in a rain-interrupted third-round match at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Thursday.

Wawrinka recorded one of the biggest wins of his career in one hour and 50 minutes on his favourite surface, dominating Federer with potent groundstrokes and well-timed net approaches on a damp day at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

"I did a great match, but [it] is always difficult to play against a good friend," said Wawrinka. "You're always different on court. But today I think I was playing better. He came only two days before the tournament, so it's not easy to play great on clay courts. So I think it was the difference.

"It's had many opportunities and I won in two sets. Both of us were very tentative today and there were ups and downs in the match. I believe he hasn't found his rhythm on clay and he made many errors. I was very happy because I think I played my best match physically."

World No. 16 Wawrinka failed to convert two break points in the opening game, missing one glorious chance to make an immediate impact by hitting a smash into the net. At 3-3, Federer uncharacteristically missed four forehands that gave Wawrinka his first service break. At 5-3, both players were forced to rush to the locker room when a rain shower interrupted Wawrinka's momentum for 22 minutes. Wawrinka returned to close out the first set in 42 minutes in the pair's first meeting since February 2006 at Dubai.

The Swiss exchanged service breaks at the start of the second set, which looked set to be decided on a tie-break when Federer fell to 0-30 as the rain clouds gathered again. Federer clawed back two break points, but on the third a forehand approach was declared wide. Wawrinka had the decisive break, and despite a mid-game wobble the former World No. 9 (9 June 2008) clinched his 10th win of the 2009 season with a backhand winner down the line. It was also only the 10th win over a Top 10 opponent (10-23 lifetime).

Apr 15, 2009 from Reuters:
MONTE CARLO - Roger Federer eased past Andreas Seppi 6-4 6-4 to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday.

The second-seeded Swiss appeared very relaxed on a sunbathed center court at the Monte Carlo Country Club, clinching victory on his fourth match point after a final burst from Seppi.

"I am very happy to have won my first match on clay. That was a pretty good match," Federer said in a courtside interview. "It takes some time to adjust to the surface, to the rebounds and the sliding."

Federer broke in the ninth game and took the opening set with a backhand winner down the line. Another stunning backhand winner earned him a break in the first game of the second set.

Seppi saved three match points on his serve in the ninth game and even earned a break point in the following as Federer was serving for the match.

from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger, Rafael Nadal, Gaël Monfils, Andy Murray... A total of 12 of the best players of the Tour will take part in the inaugural Guinot Mary Cohr Masters première tournament, set for May 20-22 at the Paris Golf & Country Club in Rueil-Malmaison on the outskirts of Paris.

Eight other players including David Nalbandian, Marat Safin, James Blake, Tommy Haas, Stanislas Wawrinka and the Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Arnaud Clément will join this dream quartet for an unusual and original set-up.

Apr 11, 2009 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Dear Fans

Earlier today, in my hometown of Basel, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family, Mirka and I got married. It was a beautiful spring day and an incredibly joyous occasion.

Mr. and Mrs. Roger Federer wish all of you a Happy Easter weekend.

Apr 9, 2009 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Dear Fans

I have decided to accept a wildcard into the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tournament that begins on Monday. I will head there this weekend to start the clay court season.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support.

All the best,

from Business Wire:

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that tennis stars John McEnroe, Roger Federer and Serena Williams will be the North American cover athletes for its new tennis franchise, EA SPORTS™ Grand Slam® Tennis. Eight different regional player partnerships will be announced soon. Designed first for the Wii™, it ships to North American retailers on June 15th, one day earlier than the previously announced ship date. Worldwide it ships on June 26th with the exception of the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Spain and Australia, where it ships on June 12th. This fall, EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis will also be served up for PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360®. With stunning realism, it will feature innovative control systems and robust online capability. Classic matches from the past will be recreated, along with simulated dream match-ups that weren't possible before.

Apr 4, 2009 from Reuters:
PARIS – Former great John McEnroe has offered to help Roger Federer rediscover his form after the Swiss suffered a series of uncharacteristic defeats this year.

Since the start of the season, Federer has failed to win a tournament or beat any of his rivals ranked in the world's top four.

After the world number two's latest loss to Novak Djokovic on Friday, when he was knocked out of the Sony Ericsson Open in the semi-finals, McEnroe said he was willing to lend a helping hand.

"I would really like to help Roger. Especially as he needs to change his strategy if he wants to beat Nadal. And I have an idea about that," the American was quoted as saying in the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche on Saturday.

"I can't see myself accompanying a player all year long but it could be really interesting to help out from time to time."

Federer has failed to beat his greatest rival Rafael Nadal for almost 18 months and has emerged second best in their last five meetings.

McEnroe said the Spaniard could cause Federer even more problems in the future.

"I think (Federer) will beat Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam wins. But it will not be easy at all for him to become world number one again," McEnroe, a former world number one himself, said.

Apr 3, 2009 from Sony Ericsson Open:
MIAMI - Novak Djokovic rallied from a one-set deficit to oust Roger Federer 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Friday and reach his second final at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

Federer enjoyed the better start to the semifinal encounter, breaking serve in the fourth game to lead 3-1 as Djokovic placed a backhand wide. The Swiss then moved into a commanding 5-1 lead courtesy of two successive backhand errors from Djokovic, against whom he had a 7-2 match record coming into the clash.

In serving for the first set, Federer struggled with rhythm and timing and a poor game from the former World No. 1 allowed Djokovic back into the set at 5-2. Although Federer would go on to serve out the one-set lead at the second time of asking, it was the increasing errors in the Swiss' game and his struggle to cope with the windy conditions that were to set the tone for the remainder of the match.

In blustery conditions on Stadium court, Federer's miss-timing of the ball – especially on his forehand - became more prominent and the right-hander surrendered his serve at the beginning of the second set as Djokovic took advantage to strike a blistering forehand return. Djokovic also encountered more errors than normal in his game and a double fault from the Serbian handed Federer a foothold in the second set at 3-2. However, in a lengthy sixth game Djokovic immediately regained his advantage on his fifth break-point opportunity as Federer's forehand once more landed long of the baseline. Another error-ridden game from the Swiss at 2-5 saw Djokovic capitalize to level the match as Federer committed his 12th unforced error of the set with a forehand wide.

Djokovic continued to be the more consistent player in the third set and his tighter tennis in the breezy conditions was rewarded early as he broke Federer in the second game when the Swiss hit a backhand wide. Frustration boiled over for Federer in the third game after another unforced error and, despite the crowd's increasing support for him, he then went on to lose his serve for the second time to trail 0-4.

As Federer continued to play wayward tennis, Djokovic struggled to keep his concentration and two double faults in the sixth game saw Federer regain one of the breaks as he attacked at 30-40 and a backhand volley registered him on the score board at 4-1. A concerted effort from Federer to reign in his errors and frustration saw the Swiss dig deep to hold his next two service games for 3-5, but Djokovic held strong in serving for the match and closed out victory as Federer sliced a backhand long after one hour and 46 minutes.

Apr 2, 2009 from Miami Herald:
No tennis fan in the world had a better Wednesday than 25-year-old Eric Hechtman of Miami. The former Sunset High and University of Miami tennis player spent 90 minutes hitting with top-ranked Rafael Nadal and a few hours later was back on the court with No. 2 Roger Federer.

Hechtman got a text message at 7:15 a.m. from UM coach Mario Rincon that read: "Rafa wants to hit with you today.'' Hechtman laughed. ''I figured it was an April Fool's joke,'' he said.

It was no joke. Rafa was looking for a hitting partner for a 2 p.m. practice session and was directed to Hechtman, who was more than happy to oblige. They met on the Sony Ericsson Open grounds and hit for an hour and a half. ''Rafa drills the ball as hard as he can,'' Hechtman said. "I've never faced anything like it.''

A few hours later, he was told Federer wanted to warm up with him. They hit for 40 minutes at 6:30 p.m. He is hitting with them again Thursday. "Roger has a lot of touch. It was so awesome hitting with those guys. They were both down-to-earth, and their styles are so different. I got the best of both worlds.''

Apr 1, 2009 from Sony Ericsson Open:
MIAMI - Roger Federer edged past Andy Roddick 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a gripping encounter on Wednesday night to reach the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

In the pair's 19th meeting, and a rematch of the Sony Ericsson Open quarterfinals last year, Federer drew first blood with a break of serve in the fifth game. The Swiss then secured a one-set lead with a second break of Roddick's famed serve in the ninth game.

Roddick recovered from a 0/40 deficit in the fourth game of the second set and his perseverance was later rewarded with the first break of Federer's serve in the tournament in the seventh game. The Swiss committed one of five double faults in the match on break point after squandering a 40/0 lead in the game and was made to pay the price as Roddick went on to level the match.