May 30, 2009 from PA:
PARIS - Roger Federer recovered from going a set down to clinch a fourth-round spot at the French Open at the expense of home favourite Paul-Henri Mathieu.

The 13-time grand slam champion posted a 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-4 victory on Philippe Chatrier court and will next play Tommy Haas for a place in the quarter-finals.

Federer was broken in the match's seventh game to go 4-3 down before producing an unreturnable serve to save a set point in the ninth game.

Mathieu, the 32nd seed, was not to be undone and he took his second set point with an ace down the middle on a second serve.

Federer was more like himself in a 25-minute second set and he broke twice to level things up.

He squandered five break points in the seventh game of the third set but grabbed the key advantage when he broke to love in game nine to go 5-4 up.

He took the set the very next game at the second time of asking when Mathieu sent a forehand wide.

from Roland Garros:
Q: Who's your sporting idol?

Elena Dementieva: Roger Federer.

Q: Who would be your ideal partner for mixed doubles?

May 29, 2009 from Roland Garros:
Q: Who is your favourite player on tour?

Radek Stepanek: Roger Federer.

May 28, 2009 from AFP:
PARIS - Roger Federer pulled off a great French Open escape on Thursday with a 7-6 (10/8), 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 win over Jose Acasuso who wasted four set points in the first set and another in the third where he led 5-1.

Acasuso broke first to lead 4-2 before Federer immediately hit back. The Argentinian then squandered four set points in the first set tiebreaker and Federer made him pay when he secured the opener with a deft drop shot.

Despite going a break down early in the second set, Acasuso roared back in the third and nipped ahead at 6-5. He levelled the tie when he drove deep with a crunching forehand which Federer could only push back into the base of the net.

Breaks in the first and third games of the third set gave Acasuso a 4-0 lead although his movement became affected when he twisted his right ankle trying to stretch to a Federer pass in the fifth game.

Acasuso wasted a set point in the eighth game as Federer sped from 1-5 down to 6-5 in front before the South American stopped the rot to take the set into another tiebreaker.

from Guardian:
Q: Who do you think is the nicest tennis player on the circuit?

Virginia Wade: Roger Federer without a doubt, and of the women, Kuznetsova.

from We Love DC:
Q: If Scott "Boom Boom" Oudsema were to be placed on the IR, what tennis player would you love to sub in for him?

Murphy Jensen: Anybody? In tennis history? In their prime? If I could pick anyone in the history of the game? Alive or dead? Hmmmm. Well, for WTT, I think Jimmy Connors would be brutal for the format. Or Roger Federer. I'm a huge Federer guy. Massive. It's a tossup between Roger Federer and Rod Laver, the big lefty. Both of those guys are probably the best that have ever played. That's an interesting question.

May 27, 2009 from Roland Garros:
Q. You competed against many generations, Edberg, Agassi, Sampras, and Federer. How do you look back at these matchups against many champions, generations?

FABRICE SANTORO: Well, you're talking about all the greatest champions we had in tennis, so it's tough to compare Agassi, Sampras, Federeror Nadal. They are all the best we ever had. But for me, we played like seven times Sampras, six times Agassi, and eleven times Federer.

Federer is different, because when he's playing at his best, everything is just perfect on the court, what he can do with the racquet and the ball.

I remember a few matches I played against him, and I was looking at him when I was playing, saying, Wow, how is it possible to play so well? But also, playing against Agassi in the past six times was always something special, becausethe way he was playing was something I really enjoy.

Q. Many people said you were the last guy having such a variety in his game. Would you say that tennis became standardized and you're one of the last having such a great variety of shots?

FABRICE SANTORO: Well, yes. When I look at the top players today, I think that, yes, none of them play like me. On the other side, if I could play like Federer, I'd love that, so...

Then the way the game has evolved has led to players being stronger. When you've grown more muscles, when you're taller, when you're stronger, you want to use it with your racquet.

And once again, I use what I have. That means not a lot. Many players are 15 kilograms heavier than me, 15 centimeters taller than me, and when they hit the ball, they want to hit it strong. And I can understand that.

My game style was out of date when I arrived on the tour. I got on the tour in the '90s, and my style dated back to the '70s. So when I arrived, I was, you know, 20 years late already. So managing to get good performances for 20 years when you're 20 years late, that's difficult enough. But that was my challenge. And that's the beauty of my career, if I may say so.

from Post-Bulletin:
By Jan and Tim Butorac - Tuesday, after the rain let up, we walked to an offsite practice area to watch Eric (Butorac) and partner Scott Lipsky practice. Sam Querry came by and said he was waiting for Roger Federer and would be practicing on Eric's court. (Our chance to meet Roger!).

Eric finished practicing and was ready to leave and unfortunately -- no Roger. Sam said he just received a text from Roger's coach, saying he would be 20 minutes late. Eric was not interested in our need to meet Roger, so off we went.

May 26, 2009 from Roland Garros:
Q. Who would you love to play mixed doubles with?

Marion Bartoli: Roger Federer. He always says hi. He's really friendly. I love him but I would get really nervous if I had to play with him.

May 25, 2009 from Sportinglife:
PARIS - Roger Federer advanced to the second round of the French Open with a minimum of fuss against Alberto Martin on Monday afternoon. He eased to a 6-4 6-3 6-2 victory in an hour and 43 minutes.

World number 98 Martin was quicker out of the blocks and he broke the Federer serve in the first game. However, he was quickly into his stride after that and, having levelled at 2-2, he easily broke for a second time in the 10th game to take the set.

The Swiss was not at his fluent best but he still looked well in control against Martin, who won just one game on their only previous meeting in Monte Carlo in 2006.

Federer broke again in the sixth game of the second set. Martin battled hard to hold on to his serve at 2-5, saving a series of set points, but the second seed easily claimed the game he needed on his own serve.

The Spaniard attempted to make a match of it in the third set but Federer broke through once more in the third game.

from TENNIS.com:
By Abigail Lorge - Following the victory, Federer was in a jovial mood—a far cry (no pun intended) from the tense atmosphere of his painful post-final presser at the Australian Open, where I had most recently seen him. At the media session after today's match, the moderator attempted to move immediately to French questions when no English-speaking journalists jumped for the microphone.

"Come on, you've got to take that chance when you have it," a buoyant Federer mock-scolded the assembled Anglophones. "It's like break chances; you can't miss them when they come along."

May 24, 2009

A view of the sand sculpture 'Ephemeral heroes' in the garden of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, 24 May 2009. The sculpure is a homage to illustrious sportsmen, like Swiss tennis player Roger Federer or US swimmer Michael Phelps from the antiquity until nowadays. (Photos by EPA)

May 23, 2009 from TENNIS.com:
Roger Federer said he feels his game is coming together and that he would only practice for an hour on Friday. That hour was late in the afternoon with Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 champion and Federer contemporary, on Chatrier.

At one point, Ferrero hit a smash that Federer was able to track down and return with an improbable shot best described as 'an overhead lob.' Ferrero promptly missed his smash wide, leading to Federer's rather loudly expressed amusement. He looked to be having fun.

May 21, 2009 from SportsYA:
Roger Federer claimed a win in the all-Swiss match against Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 in day 2 at the Masters Guinot-Mary Cohr exhibition held at Paris Golf & Country Club.

In the second match of the day, Rafael Nadal routed Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3.

On Wednesday, Andy Murray lost to Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-8 (champions tie-break), while Marcos Baghdatis defeated Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-0.

from AFP:
Pete Sampras tipped Roger Federer to regain his Wimbledon crown from Rafael Nadal.

"It will be interesting for Rafa to come back as defending champion as before he was always just a contender, so there will be a bit more pressure on him this year," he said as he launched the Venetian Macau Showdown on Thursday.

"Roger is very hungry for the title and he came so close last year.

"In last year's final Roger and Rafa really transcended the sport. It's also a good opportunity for players like Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to come through.

from Eurosport:
For his final French Open, Fabrice Santoro has been careful not to set the bar too high.

"The goal, ideally, is to move past the first round and lose after having played a great match," he said. "The absolute nightmare would be to play a bad match."

Once out of the tournament, he will follow the progress of the others and, as a man who rates elegance over power, hope that Roger Federer will win his battle with Rafael Nadal to triumph in Paris at last.

May 20, 2009 from Roland Garros:
It was a balmy 24°C at Roland Garros on Wednesday and the sun certainly brought the stars out of their hotels and onto the practice courts. Roger Federer had his second session of the week, spending some time on Philippe Chatrier court in the afternoon.

from ATP:
Federer is playing Roland Garros for the 11th time and he's trying to become the sixth player in men's tennis history to win all four Grand Slam titles in his career, the first since Andre Agassi in 1999. The others to accomplish the feat are: Don Budge, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson and Rod Laver. Interestingly, Agassi won the Roland Garros title in his 11th attempt in Paris. Both Agassi and Federer came into their 11th Roland Garros with almost identical records. Agassi compiled a 31-10 match record and Federer 32-10.

May 18, 2009 from Screen Daily:
Cannes - Tennis titans Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will be the focus on a new crossover documentary by Jose Luiz Lopez-Linares.

The as-yet-untitled film, which will be sold by Latido, will explore the rivalry and the friendship between Spaniard Nadal, and Swiss star Federer, by common consensus the best players of their generation. Nadal and Federer have had many epic tussles in finals of major tournaments ranging from Wimbledon to the French Open.

from just-food:
Swiss dairy group Emmi has insisted it remains in talks over renewing its sponsorship deal with tennis star Roger Federer amid reports the two could part company at the end of the year.

May 17, 2009 from In The News:
MADRID – Roger Federer has won his first tournament since October after beating rival Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-4 to win the Madrid Open. He beat the Spaniard for the first time in six matches in one hour and 26 minutes.

Federer's victory on Nadal's favourite surface of clay will boost his confidence ahead of the French Open, which starts next Sunday.

The defeat is only Nadal's fifth on clay in 151 matches since 2005, and brings an end to his run of 33 straight victories on the surface.

Only John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl squared off in finals more often than Federer and Nadal, who met for the 16th time.

Federer held off two break points in the second and sixth games of the first set before making the breakthrough in game nine. Nadal netted with a straightforward backhand to hand the Swiss star the advantage, and he served to love in the next game to take the set.

Federer dominated the second set and set-up a break point in game five with a crisp drop shot. He then got the break when the Mallorcan sent a backhand long.

Federer had little trouble on his serve until the final game when he fought off two break points, before netting with a volley on match point. But he sealed victory by firing an ace on his second match point for only his second win over Nadal on clay.

"I'm very happy to have won, but I'd like to congratulate Rafa as he's had such a great run on clay," said Federer. "I'm sorry to have spoilt the party here."

"Clearly I'm very happy to win," said Federer. "I played well - you have to against Rafa on clay. There are no easy ways to beat him. I mixed it up well, served well and was dangerous on the return game."

"I took all the right decisions. In the end it looked very comfortable, it was a perfect win."

"It's not like a relief, I was so close to him at Melbourne and Wimbledon. But I always kept the belief that I could beat him again. That's what you need on this kind of surface, I stayed positive."

"I got the win I needed badly because I have had some rather bad losses this year in terms of the way I played but I think that everything is falling into place and I felt it coming the last few weeks so it is the right time to get a victory like this."

"In other years it didn't matter whether I won or lost, I was always one of the top two or favourites," said Federer. "This year it looked like other guys might come moving up but I always knew that I was going to get stronger week by week on clay."

"Obviously, I didn't give myself the best opportunity in Monaco but I worked extremely hard in the two off weeks I had before and after Rome and it's all finally paying off."

"It's not the moment to get carried away but it is definitely good for my confidence, especially beating Rafa in the final so it definitely proves that I am doing the right things and I am working extremely hard and it is paying off so it's a nice feeling. I am very excited about going to Paris, whereas a couple of weeks ago I was still a little bit unsure about my game and not sure if I could win the French Open."

"I snapped his streak at 81 a couple of years ago and it didn't really bother him too much - he went back on another streak so I don't think (it will affect him)," Federer said.

"Sure, it's nice to beat him in his own country where it is probably the hardest but I don't think that he's going to be damaged by this."

from Tennis Week:
Federer had been playing better and better as the week had progressed and no one needed to tell him that this was his chance to turn the tables and take himself to Paris in high spirits for the French Open.

"Yes, it does affect my confidence going into Paris," he admitted. "It is important to keep believing in yourself because of what you hear about Rafa in press conferences. You don't want to start believing what the press says. And it had been hard. I had not won a tournament before this year but now I'm happy that I have been able to have a win like this."

Federer admitted that the conditions — a very dry court at altitude — had benefited his game.

from Tennistalk:
Roger Federer vows to do his best to prevent rival Rafael Nadal from taking another step closer to a possible calendar-year Grand Slam.

"When a guy wins the Australian Open and his better surface is clay then there is a big chance that he might go two for two Slams. I came very close a few times and it´s not the easiest thing to do," said Federer.

"I said a couple of weeks ago that he definitely has a chance. But there are guys who don't want to allow him to do that - and I am the first.

from AP:
WIMBLEDON – The All England Club launched a grand opening — or closing — of the new retractable roof over its historic Centre Court on Sunday to celebrate one of the biggest changes ever at the 87-year-old tennis cathedral.

With Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf set to take on Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters in a televised doubles match, the sliding roof slowly started unfolding with a soft whirring at 2:40 p.m. local time as British singers Faryl Smith and Katherine Jenkins sang "Amazing Grace" in the center of the court.

The 15,000 spectators — along with invited guests such as Boris Becker — collectively raised their heads and cameras as the 10 trusses supporting a translucent canvas slowly covered the court to shield it from the heavy gray clouds above. As the two-parted roof closed without a hitch, it was greeted by a thunderous applause.

Roger Federer sent a recorded greeting to the crowd, saying he couldn't wait to play at the new-look Centre Court and not have to sit around during rain delays.

"I know that can be fun too, but maybe after a few days you want to see a match," Federer said. "... For me it's nice to see that Wimbledon is taking such a big step in the right direction."

May 16, 2009 from Eurosport:
MADRID – Roger Federer cruised past Juan Martin Del Potro with a 6-3 6-4 win to earn a spot in the Madrid Masters final against Rafael Nadal.

Both players started the match poorly, producing patchy tennis that saw the first five games all go to deuce as neither man managed to find their rhythm.

The Swiss player turned on the style, however, producing the first few of a string of drop-shots which helped him domiante the key points in the match as he broke Del Potro to love in the eighth game to take a 5-3 advantage.

Federer served out the set comfortably, then kept his opponent comfortably at arm's length throughout the second set - and when Del Potro double faulted to concede a break in the fifth game of the set the match felt like it was cruising towards the conclusion.

Del Potro regained his composure to hold his next few service games, but the Argentine could find no way past Federer's increasingly solid-looking tennis to get the break back and the match finished up as a comfortable stroll to victory.

"My game is pretty good. I've had some pretty difficult opponents (in Madrid), played many hard court players in a way - like Blake and Roddick - so I've had to adjust my game a bit with that and playing at night, then day then night again.

"I'm happy with the way I'm hitting the ball and my serve is getting better as (the) week has gone on."

"The big test is Rafa," he said. "It's exciting, I love playing the guy.

"I'm playing against the best guy in the final but I'll be right there to give it my best shot and I definitely will."

"What's important for me is to get past that semifinal hurdle that I haven't been able to get past in the last couple of months," Federer said. "I feel like playing him anywhere is a challenge. The extra flair here is that it's in Spain."

May 15, 2009 from Reuters:
MADRID – Roger Federer survived a gritty Andy Roddick fightback to beat the American sixth seed 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-1 and advance to the semi-finals of the Madrid Open on Friday.

The Swiss maestro mixed up his game beautifully against the big-serving Roddick in the first set and clinched it with an exquisite drop shot.

He had chances to break for a 5-4 lead in the second but Roddick held on and stormed back from 3-0 down in the tie-break, helped by one scorching forehand winner, to take the match to a deciding set.

Federer suddenly found a higher gear and three stunning passing shots set up a break in the second game.

He played an extraordinary shot from the baseline between his legs with his back to the net to keep himself in one rally, saved a break point in game five and broke again the following game.

Roddick saved three match points before sending a return long on a Federer second serve to put the Swiss through to the semi-final.

Federer had never faced Roddick on clay before and improved his record against the American to 18 wins and two defeats.

"I could, and should, have won in straight sets but that's what happens when you play Andy sometimes," Federer told a news conference.

"I thought it was a good match. Andy served very well and I came up with some nice points and those make me happy."

from Roger Federer Official Site:
Dear Fans

My fan community on facebook is steadily growing - a great thing to see! Along with my website, my facebook account is the perfect place to exchange all kinds of information, pictures, videos, links, etc. I'm already looking forward to seeing you all there, just follow the link below to access my page.

May 14, 2009 from AFP:
MADRID – Roger Federer stormed to a 6-2, 6-4 win over James Blake and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open.

Federer was impressive against Blake, whose only win over the Swiss in ten meetings came at the Beijing Olympics. The Swiss second seed said his Thursday rout in just one hour was a completely different story.

"It didn't really feel like revenge on clay," said Federer. "It was definitely not the quality of the tennis we played in Beijing. James struggled quite a bit today, but from my side it was pretty comfortable. I played OK and I'm happy it was that easy."

Federer saved the only break point he faced, broke three times and managed 20 winners.

"It was always going to be easier to serve well here due to the (500m) altitude," he added.

"James goes for a lot of shots so it's always easier to ace players like him instead of other guys who just try to get it back."

Federer next plays Andy Roddick, who was given a walkover when his opponent Nikolay Davydenko withdrew with a left leg injury.

"We've played so many times, it's about time we played on clay," said Federer.

Federer said he was relieved that none of the top seeds had been affected by the injury plague.

"I wish that every match could be played out and be finished so the tournament is not going to suffer too much," said Federer.

MADRID - Tea with a top Wimbledon official has kept Roger Federer fully informed on the workings of the All England Club's Centre Court roof which gets its trial run on Sunday.

With former greats Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters set to put the new-look Centre Court to the test, in a sold-out exhibition in front of 15,000 people, Federer will be keeping an eye on the proceedings from Spain where he hopes to be playing in the Madrid Masters final.

"In Australia (Wimbledon chairman) Tim Phillips and I always have tea and talk a little bit," said the Swiss. "He explains how it's going to work with the roof and he asked me what I thought."

"It's just good to have the option; we all hope that it's not going to rain. It won't now. But I think it's still going to work perfectly.

"All the players are excited to see how it's going to really work especially with the lighting as well and having 15-16,000 people in a stadium.

from Metro:
Q: What's happened to Federer?

Tim Henman: If you set the benchmark that high there is only one way you can go. His form has slipped slightly. But look at the way Murray, [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic have been playing and improving. In the space of six months, Federer has not played as well as he would have liked but write him off at your peril. I'd be incredibly surprised if he never wins another major.

May 13, 2009 from AFP:
HALLE - Roger Federer admitted Wednesday he is seeking a milestone sixth title at Halle's ATP tournament next month as he prepares for Wimbledon.

"Halle would be the first tournament which I could win sixth times and that is a record I really want to achieve," said the world number two.

from Tennistalk:
Roger Federer has been able to contain his excitement over the approaching birth of his first child and concentrate on his pressing clay court tennis duties.

With new wife Mirka Vavrinec preparing for the expected late-summer birth, the No. 2 is keeping his focus on this week's Madrid Masters and the looming date at Roland Garros.

"Suddenly, the nine months starts ticking but things have gone back to normal," said the Swiss after winning his opening match in the Spanish capital.

May 12, 2009 from Reuters:
MADRID – Roger Federer made a solid start to his latest bid for a first title of the year when he beat Robin Soderling 6-1 7-5 in the second round of the Madrid Open Tuesday.

Federer, who has now won all nine of his matches with Soderling, got off to a great start on the clay in the Magic Box stadium when he raced through the first set in 20 minutes.

The Swede put up a better fight in the second set, breaking Federer in the sixth game, but the Swiss broke back immediately and again for a 6-5 lead before wrapping up victory with a second-serve ace on his first match point.

"I got off to a good start, which helps and takes away a bit of pressure," Federer said at a news conference.

"It helps to get into the match, especially against a good server like Robin. He can be impossible to break, and at altitude the court is so much faster."

from AP:
LONDON - With or without Roger Federer, Switzerland must travel to Italy in September to try to keep its spot in the top tier of the Davis Cup.

Italy and Switzerland were drawn Tuesday to face each other in the World Group playoffs. Italy is the home team for the Sept. 18-20 best-of-five series.

With Federer missing due to a bad back, Switzerland lost 4-1 to the United States in the opening round in Birmingham, Ala., in March. Italy beat Slovakia 4-1 in a Europe/Africa zonal group match to qualify for the World Group playoffs.

May 11, 2009 from SportsYA:
Roger Federer has informed he would not take part in The Prince of Asturias Awards for Sports to be held in October, due to "personal reasons."

"I'd like to thank Rafa Nadal and Pau Gasol for having considered me, but it won't be possible. It's always difficult for me to travel to Spain because I have a very busy schedule and I also have to think about my personal life," Federer explained when he said he could not be one of the candidates for Prince of Asturias Awards for Sports.

In some statements published by Marca newspaper, the Swiss stated he had to look after his son in October.

from ESPN:
LA QUINTA - Jose Higueras would prefer not to be called a "guru," shaking his head ever so slightly at the notion. But the way tennis people treat him makes it hard to avoid.

Higueras is sitting unobtrusively in the shade outside the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, but with his full head of snowy hair -- the plumage of an eagle -- he's easy to spot. He is interrupted frequently. Affection and respect color every voice. One of the warmest greetings comes from Roger Federer, who smiles broadly and waves as he leaves practice.

A year ago, Federer was working intensively with Higueras on his clay-court game, the latest in a lengthy queue of top players who have sought the coach's advice. Federer viewed Higueras as the ultimate troubleshooter, and Higueras said his part-time gig with Federer was special. The two might well have resumed their arrangement when Federer went in search of a coach this season, but by then Higueras was taken.

May 10, 2009 from Reuters:
MADRID – Roger Federer believes his form is improving all the time and that he still has what it takes to rattle Rafael Nadal and steal the Spaniard's French Open crown.

"I'm happy how I am playing now and it's getting better every week," Federer told a news conference ahead of the Madrid Open clay event.

"It's been rather a tough start to the season considering I haven't won a tournament yet but I think I am very close to turning it all around," he added.

"I have struggled a little bit against my main rivals. I was always very close to beating them. So I just hope I can turn the corner and win those matches. I feel the game's right there and that's why I'm aiming high this week."

Federer said it would not necessarily be a bad thing if he went into the French Open later this month not having played Nadal on the Spaniard's favored clay this season.

"I think he's playing the tennis of his life right now," said Federer. "But still I'm a great believer I can rattle him. I was so close at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

"Every match has to be played and I know that I have the game to beat him, even if he has beaten me on clay so many times and he knows how to beat me."

Federer is currently without a regular coach and said he was not considering hiring one anytime soon despite his lack of success this year.

"At the moment I am very content with the situation. Things are calm in my team and I'm doing the right things and practicing extremely hard to get my game back," he said.

"Of course the main goal for me is the French Open and Wimbledon, trying to regain the Wimbledon crown and trying to win the French Open for the first time.

PARIS - The French tennis federation (FFT) is aware of a failed drugs test by Richard Gasquet but is awaiting official confirmation, the FFT said on Sunday.

French sports daily L'Equipe reported on Saturday that world number 23 Gasquet had failed a drugs test for cocaine at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, which finished last month.

The 22-year-old Gasquet could face a two-year suspension from the sport.

"I hope it's not true," Roger Federer said at a news conference on Sunday ahead of the Madrid Open.

from AFP:
MADRID - Avoiding a pre-Paris showdown against Rafael Nadal would wreck Roger Federer's title dreams at the new Madrid Masters this week but might also pay strategic dividends at Roland Garros.

That was the thinking Sunday from the Swiss second seed, who has yet to meet his Spanish rival on the dirt so far in 2009 with the two seeded for what would be a fourth straight final between the pair at Roland Garros in a month.

"It might have been a little bit of an advantage for Rafa to have beaten me before Paris on clay in the past seasons," said Federer prior to his start in Madrid. "That gives him confidence and might have made it a little easier to beat me in the (last three Paris) finals.

"This year I haven't played him on clay but I'm hoping to play him here in the final. But even if it doesn't (happen) it could still be a good thing. It's different when you've played a month earlier and got to Paris knowing that you've beaten someone."

Meanwhile, the Swiss had no hesitation in endorsing Nadal's opposition to a failed attempt by Madrid organisers to change the colour of their match courts to blue.

The ATP vetoed the attempt and Federer blamed the event for failing to follow procedure. "You (should) go to the ATP and to the board in the normal way," said the Swiss still looking for his first title of the season. "You don't ask individual players.

"That is only dividing us, it should anyway be a unanimous decision.

"I don't think there a chance for blue clay," said Federer, who only got a brief glimpse at one remaining blue practice court at the Magic Box complex.

"We are against it, red clay is the tradition," he said in echo of Nadal's thought the day before.

May 9, 2009 from Dominion Post:
Two of the world's biggest sporting stars have donated personal items to help raise money for dying cancer patients in Wairarapa.

Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer and world golf No 1 Tiger Woods agreed to lend their help to support this month's Wairarapa Hospice fundraising sports memorabilia auction.

A signed shirt and photograph was sent from Federer's camp in Switzerland while Woods' Kiwi caddy Steve Williams forwarded a signed golf glove and two golf balls.

The glove is the only item at the May 30 auction with a reserve, set at $3000.

One of the auction's backers, Greg Peters, took a gamble and sent email requests to some of the world's sporting greats. He said the support from the likes of Woods and Federer was overwhelming.

"It has been so refreshing that these people or even their organisations had the courtesy to reply. Every single one of them said they were backing us because it was such a worthy cause. I really didn't expect that kind of response because to some of these people, where is the Wairarapa?"

Other donations included a pair of boxer shorts, which had been flown to France and back by the All Blacks' physio, just to be signed by Daniel Carter, and a baseball cap from golfing legend Greg Norman.

And not only did a Superbike GP champion, Australian Casey Stoner, come up with a signed shirt, "his mother rang me from Australia and wanted to apologise that Casey couldn't make it to the auction personally on the night. We hadn't even been as bold as to mention that in the emails, but that is the type of person with a heart that we have come across", Mr Peters said.

May 8, 2009 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger was the surprise guest at a golf event held yesterday in the region of Lucerne (Switzerland) by Emmi, Switzerland's leading milk processor and one of Roger's sponsors.

The guests were all invited by Emmi and enjoyed a perfectly sunny day amidst beautiful spring meadows. They started off in the morning with a round of golf before having appetisers on a terrace with a view of the lake of Sempach and the snow-capped Alps on the horizon. André Bossert, Switzerland's best golfer, demonstrated his skills and gave the interested crowd a few tips. And then everyone was in for a surprise: two of Emmi's ambassadors, Roger and Tom Lüthi (motorcycling), joined the happening. They showed their golfing skills in several chipping competitions that André Bossert set up for them. Roger thrilled everyone with skilful shots and amusing comments.

May 6, 2009 from Shanghai Daily:
The Shanghai Qizhong Tennis Center is adding new courts and making additional renovations as it readies for the first-ever ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event to be held in the city in October.

A regular in Shanghai, world No. 2 Roger Federer has also backed the event.

"It's a chance for them (fans) to see this sort of tournament, and not just round-robin matches or simply big matches between stars. I think you need a real big tournament to get a sense of how the tennis tour works. They will get to see more stars, and many more matches. Also, the outside court will be much more alive."

May 2, 2009 from AFP:
ROME - Novak Djokovic made the most of a rain break to transform his play and beat Roger Federer 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a thriller on Saturday to reach the final of the ATP Rome Masters.

The world number three and reigning champion here was trailing by a set and a break when the heavens opened to give him some much needed respite. After a little more than an hour off court, Djokovic came back rejuvenated while Federer's game slowly crumbled.

The Swiss master hadn't even faced a single break point before the rain but was broken five times after it as his radar gradually broke down.

The match had started in bright sunshine, during which time Federer had been at his dominant best and was in complete control.

Djokovic was regularly forced to save break points and at 4-4 Federer finally managed to break serve at the sixth attempt in the set - although in controversial fashion.

As Djokovic was about to hit a second serve at break point, a whistle from the crowd put him off. That seemed to rattle the 21-year-old Serbian and in the ensuing rally he hit a wild forehand long to gift Federer the break.

Djokovic then glared long and hard into the crowd from where the whistle had come while fans around the stadium chanted "out, out, out!"

Federer served out the set and then broke in the opening game of the second as Djokovic netted a backhand. The number two seed led 2-1 when the rains came and held his first service game after them.

He had a chance for a double break and a 4-1 lead but after Djokovic saved that and held, the winds changed completely.

The Serbian broke back when Federer sent a backhand slice drifting over the baseline and he broke again for a 5-3 lead when Federer shanked a backhand off the frame. Djokovic served out the set to love and looked to be in the ascendancy.

However, Federer regrouped and drew first blood in the decider when he broke for a 3-1 lead after a string of Djokovic errors including a nervous wayward forehand on break point.

But Federer then made three unforced errors to give the Serbian a 40-0 lead and a crosscourt forehand winner secured a break back.

After that Federer's game simply crumbled, particularly his backhand. He lost his next service game with a netted backhand slice and then threw away his final service game with another backhand error into the tramlines.

May 1, 2009 from AFP:
ROME – Roger Federer overcame stiff initial resistence from German qualifier Mischa Zverev before running out a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 winner and set up a semi-final against defending champion Novak Djokovic.

Zverev impressed in the first set against Federer with an attacking and courageous serve and volley game that brought him much success. He matched the Swiss blow for blow until the 10th game when Federer forced the first break points of the match.

Federer missed his first break and set point when he sent a passing shot into the tramlines and on his second opportunity, Zverev hit a volley winner.

The first set went to a tie break and although Federer lost the first point on serve he bounced back quickly and took a 4-2 lead with a mini-break of his own from a trademark backhand crosscourt pass.

He grew in confidence from there and sealed the tie-break 7-3 with a forehand pass as Zverev continued to crowd the net.

Having broken the German's resistence, Federer romped away with the second set, although Zverev saved two match points on his own serve at 1-5.