Jul 30, 2009 from The Hindu:
BANGALORE - If fans think Roger Federer is quite content with his record Grand Slam No. 15, they sure got him wrong, said Zeeshan Ali, the former National champion and Davis Cupper, who was in town along with his father and legendary coach, Akhtar Ali. Zeeshan should know what he is talking about as he practises with Roger Federer whenever Swiss ace is in Dubai, where Zeeshan runs his own Match Point Academy.

In a chat with The Hindu here, Zeeshan said "You will be surprised , after a practice session before Wimbledon, I asked Roger, his goal and he replied 2012! Federer said he was looking forward to the Olympics and Wimbledon of 2012, a real double, nothing can get better than that he told me."

"It is amazing how he keeps up such motivation and where he gets his strength from. He is very humble and down-to-earth and he treats his practice session as real stuff and plays as hard as he can. I was watching Wimbledon final, some of the shots that he had played were exactly the same that he had tried in practice matches," said Zeeshan. He revealed that Federer has a home in Dubai and loves his anonymity there.

from GOTOTENNIS:
Of course the main "guys" in question are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who Stefan Edberg says "have taken the game to a different level."

"What impresses me is that (Federer and Nadal) can keep the level for 5 sets. It doesn't seem to bother them. They'll still be running at high speeds in the 5th set. So they've really made the game more interesting." Edberg explained.

Of course, Stefan Edberg, a six time Major champ and an international superstar, is also legendary for his sportsmanship on court. The ATP's Sportsmanship award, which he won five times, was renamed the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award in 1996. With Roger Federer recently winning it for the fifth consecutive time, Edberg "yoked" that the award needed a name change: "Maybe we should rename it, say ‘Roger, here it's your turn.' He's just a tremendous guy and has done so much for the game. And you know the great thing about (the award) is that it's voted by the players."

I asked what made Roger Federer so popular with his colleagues and Jim Courier had this to say:

Jul 29, 2009 from AP:
GENEVA — Roger Federer reportedly wants to play in Switzerland's Davis Cup playoff against Italy in September.

Severin Luethi, part of Federer's coaching team, said the top-ranked player told him in May and again at Wimbledon that he intended to play in Italy.

"Nothing is definite yet, but there's a good chance that our best players will be there," said Luethi in Wednesday's edition of Lausanne-based daily Le Matin. "I have to talk with him at the end of the week."

The Swiss face Italy in a playoff at Genoa on Sept. 18-20 to stay in the elite 16-team group that has a chance to win the 2010 title.

"Even if we haven't been given an easy opponent, Federer was happy he didn't have to play at the other end of the world," said Luethi, the team captain.

"If the twins are in good health, I don't see any problem," Luethi said of Federer playing against Italy.

from swissinfo:
What do a picture of Roger Federer, a huge revolving wheel full of Swiss clichés and a giant banking safe all have in common?

They are all part of a new permanent exhibition called History of Switzerland in the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, which takes a fresh and entertaining look at how a nation came to being.

The show, which fittingly opens its doors on August 1, Swiss National Day, is divided into four thematic parts: migration, religious and intellectual developments, political history and the economy.

"They are what we think are the most important topics in Swiss history today," exhibition co-curator Pascale Meyer told swissinfo.ch at the media preview on Wednesday.

But the display, housed alongside a comprehensive collections exhibition in the museum's newly renovated wing, is no traditional chronological one. Each section is self contained and follows its own timeline.

Jul 28, 2009 from Yahoo! Sports:
By Martin Rogers - Rarely have parenthood and professional tennis become so closely entwined as just now.

The happy news from Switzerland last week, where Roger Federer's wife, Mirka, gave birth to twin baby girls, sparked a flurry of excitement and conjecture across the tennis world.

Would the new arrivals increase or decrease Federer's motivation? Prolong or shorten his career? Make him more or less dominant?

Endless statistics about previous champions who have won Grand Slams after becoming fathers have been trotted out, so have the inevitable comparisons with his close friend Tiger Woods, who continued his hegemony on golf after becoming a dad.

Such has been the speculation around the issue, a casual observer could be forgiven for wondering if Federer had gone through the rigors of child labor himself.

In the end, it is all pointless. Of course, Federer is understandably delighted at this change in his life and at some point in the future it may affect his decision whether to carry on playing or retire.

But as for his performance on the court, the difference will be minimal, if that.

Jul 26, 2009 from Los Angeles Daily News:
Sam Querrey'll often go to North Ranch Country Club in Thousand Oaks, where he grew up playing, and hit with some of the younger players. Querrey believes in doing this. After all, when he was 12, he used to hit with Roger Federer sometimes. He's still learning from Federer, although he hopes to emulate Federer more off the court for his professionalism and charity work among other things.

Jul 24, 2009 from AP:
GENEVA – Roger Federer became a father of twin girls after his wife Mirka gave birth Thursday.

"I have some exciting news to share with you," Federer's Facebook page said. "Late last night, in Switzerland, Mirka and I became proud parents of twin girls!

"We named them Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and they are both healthy and along with their mother, they are doing great. This is the best day of our lives!"

from Reuters:
Andy Roddick sent a message from his Twitter page about the twins. It read: "wimbledon womens champs in 2029-2040 .... the federer girls :) congrats to the new parents!"

Jul 20, 2009 from Tennistalk:
Like everything else in his well-ordered life, Roger Federer is perfectly positioned for the upcoming birth of his first child with wife Mirka Vavrinec, an imminent event which could even mesh nicely with the No. 1 player's ATP schedule.

Federer, who hopes to resume his season starting August 9 at the Masters 1000 event in Montreal, has rightfully called the impending birth "more important than all of my victories."

The record 15-time Grand Slam singles champion told Switzerland's Blick newspaper that it is well possible that new mother Mirka and the infant could quickly become part of the Team Federer traveling team.

He said that everything is in place to make sure that life can go on in tennis as well as in the new family.

Blick said that a hospital room for the birth has already been booked with Mirka resting at home in the couple's 200-square-meter flat at Bach on the shores of Lake Zurich.

from Sports Illustrated:
Roger Federer was honored last week in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland. A fan dispatch: Federer "arrived early to sign autographs and then stayed after to sign the ones he didn't sign earlier."

Jul 16, 2009 from ATP:
He has been lauded by many as the greatest tennis player ever and now ATP World Tour No. 1 Roger Federer has been named "Ehrespalebaerglemer", an award given to outstanding citizens of Basel – Federer's home town.

A small crowd of 200-300 fans, friends and family members attended the ceremony on Thursday as a plaque was unveiled in Federer's honour. The plaque sits alongside those honouring other local heroes in the historic city centre of Basel.

"It's a nice honour for me to receive the plaque and I will walk past it, I am sure, just a few more times," said Federer. "It's going to be a proud moment, maybe also to show my kids in the future."

from Orange County Register:
"Rod Laver was a dominant player," said Cliff Drysdale, the ESPN play-by-play man who was an elite player during Laver's time. "We all had the same kind of game by then. Serve hard and get to the net as quick as you can. But Rod could always come up with the shots he needed, like Federer, and he was just so strong.

"I would still rank Roger the best. The competition is so deep now. When I played, three of the four Slams were played on grass, so you have to be more versatile. His record at getting to finals, getting to semifinals, is amazing when you consider how many good players there are. And he stays healthy. Some might put an asterisk on Wimbledon this year because Nadal wasn't there, but I don't. That will be forgotten. What Roger did will be remembered."

Jul 14, 2009 from Liverpool FC:
In the second part of our diary from Switzerland, we reveal what happened when tennis legend Roger Federer popped by the camp and assess how the players are coping with double training.

Wimbledon champ Roger Federer popped into the team hotel. The racket man knows all about Liverpool, being a big fan of FC Basel - against who we drew 3-3 in 2002 to crash out of the Champions League. The lads didn't seem to hold it against Roger, who apologised for interrupting their lunch before agreeing to pictures with each and every player. Carra (Jamie Carragher) took a particular interest in a true sporting icon.

from ASAP Sports:
Q. I think Roger has gone ahead again. Has he been rubbing this in?

TIGER WOODS: No, not at all. Roger, he's as down to earth as you'd ever want to meet in a person, and for the amount of success he's had. No, it's one of those things where it's just so phenomenal to see all that hard work he's put in to get to 15 and to get the record for the most Slams.

from Daily Star:
No Brit has won the Open since Paul Lawrie tasted victory back in 1999 at Carnoustie and Justin Rose is hardly in the form of his life going into the tournament after missing the cut at the US Open.

But he has been taking a leaf out of tennis legend Roger Federer's book in a bid to improve his game and insists we could finally be about to see a British winner again.

Rose said: "Early in his career, Federer had a lot of people around him like coaches and psychologists and things. But when he figured things out for himself and was just on his own, he was the man. He's a great inspiration for me right now.

"I've tried to take the initiative with my game and not rely on everyone around me so much to give me the ­answers all the time.

"I want to be the CEO of my own ­company a bit more and see the direction I want to go in. I was relying on other people's advice too much.

"I made a conscious decision to get a bit of control back and play my own game. I've been practising hard and putting the hours in to turn things around.

"Federer was quite a hothead believe it or not in his early days and just transformed himself. It just shows what's possible.

Jul 13, 2009 from New York Times:
Q: (Reader)

Last Monday, a full-color, full-page ad featuring a portrait of Roger Federer and words of congratulations from Gillette appeared on page 5 of The Boston Globe's sports section. In what other papers did this ad run? How often do those congratulatory full-color, full-page ads after a major athletic feat occur?

What type of arrangement is made before publication of such an ad in the event the feat is not accomplished? Is there an alternative ad to be run or simply a smaller fee for running no ad but holding the position? I am curious because the Federer win of the Wimbledon men's final occurred at around 2 p.m. Eastern time, which would have made it close to deadlines in the United States and possibly for deadlines in Europe.

A: (Stuart Elliott)

The ad from Gillette, part of Procter & Gamble, that congratulated Mr. Federer on his record 15th Grand Slam singles title in tennis is one of many such ads that have appeared in recent years. They are typically bought by companies that have long-term or expensive endorsement deals with the winning athletes or teams.

(That is not always the case. Sometimes, the ads try to ride on someone else's coattails, celebrating a local team for winning, say, a Super Bowl or World Series without any formal ties between the marketer and the team.)

In this instance, Mr. Federer is one of the superstar jocks who are major endorsers for Gillette, known as the Gillette Champions. Others include the soccer player Thierry Henry, Derek Jeter and Tiger Woods. That made it worthwhile for Gillette to face the expense and logistical challenges of running an ad based on breaking news.

"It takes a big one" to justify such an ad, says Mike Norton, a spokesman for Gillette in Boston, "a monumental event for one of our athletes."

The ad was "a pre-arranged media buy," he adds, purchased "several days in advance" of the match, which took place on July 5. The ad ran in four newspapers: The Boston Globe, The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati is home to Procter), The New York Times and USA Today.

If Mr. Federer had not won, or had the match not been played for some reason, "we had a brand-specific ad" that would have run in place of the congratulatory ad, Mr. Norton says.

As for the deadline, it has become much easier to deal with ads related to breaking news, he adds, because "the publishing business has become electronic" and ads can be sent quickly to newspapers (and magazines) to make last-minute closing deadlines.

The newspaper ads saluting Mr. Federer were created by BBDO Worldwide in New York, part of the Omnicom Group. "Congratulations, Roger," they read, "on winning Wimbledon, setting a new record of 15 Grand Slam titles and redefining greatness."

There is also an invitation to "join the celebration" on gillette.com, where computer users can watch a tribute video clip and leave congratulatory messages.

The milestone nature of the match won by Mr. Federer was underscored by the fact that the player who lost to him, Andy Roddick, was also the subject of a salute ad. One of Mr. Roddick's sponsors, Lacoste, ran a newspaper ad that read: "Congratulations Crocodile Andy. Lacoste thanks Andy Roddick for his performance at Wimbledon." It is rare that finishing second merits such a commercial tribute.

from Ski Channel:
To her fans dismay (really, they expressed disappointment), Lindsey Vonn is shutting down her Facebook profile page, and leaving only her fan page. But before doing so, the World Champion skier left a few ditties about her time at Wimbledon.

For starters, she changed her profile picture to one of her and a beaming Roger Federer. The two champions met, and we know that he's been a longtime hero of Vonn's. But we're also pretty sure that Federer must be impressed by Vonn's skiing Championships and general prowess. Who wouldn't be?

Jul 10, 2009 from New York Times:
By Taylor Dent - Is Roger Federer the best ever? I grew up idolizing Pete Sampras, so it's hard for me to give the nod to Federer, but I think even before he won his 15th Grand Slam title, when he won the French, there was little doubt that he is now the best ever. In any sport, when you talk about the best ever, it's always going to be an opinion, but the numbers are on Federer's side.

Jul 9, 2009 from AP:
NEW YORK -- Roger Federer and Andy Roddick's epic Wimbledon final last Sunday was the most-viewed men's final at the All England Club in 10 years.

NBC said Thursday that an average of 5.71 million people tuned in to watch Federer win his record-setting 15th Grand Slam title. The number was the highest since Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the 1999 final, attracting 5.85 million viewers.

Jul 8, 2009 from CP:
MONTREAL - Organizers of the Rogers Cup tennis tournament are keeping their fingers crossed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be able to play next month in Montreal.

Tournament director Eugene Lapierre told a news conference in Montreal today he has received word from Nadal's entourage that the defending champion will be ready for Montreal.

But the news regarding Federer is not as clear.

Jul 7, 2009 from Reuters:
LONDON – More than 11 million Britishviewers watched Roger Federer's epic five-set victory over Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon men's tennis final Sunday, giving the BBC its best viewing tally for the championships in five years.

The final scored even more viewers than the semifinal between Roddick and hot-favorite British contender Andy Murray, which drew 10 million viewers two days before.

from AP:
WHITE PLAINS – The winners of the U.S. Open men's and women's singles title will each receive a record $1.6 million.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Tuesday that's a nearly 6 percent increase from last year. The total prize money will be a record $21.6 million, the third consecutive year the purse has increased by $1 million.

The top three men's and women's finishers in the U.S. Open Series may earn up to an additional $2.6 million in bonus money. The series of 10 events culminates at the Open.

from STV:

Roger Federer has been outed as a die-hard Scotland football fan. The world's greatest ever tennis player clearly recognises quality when he sees it, and after one look at the Scotland squad of 1982, Federer apparently demanded a piece of the action. Here he is, proudly sporting the famous kit, derided by some for its blue "garter" across the groin, but loved by others, including me, thanks a rose-tinted vision of the past. At first glance the strip looks like the 1982 version, although closer inspection reveals that the Umbro badge is more circa 1986. The piping on the shoulders is also the '86 version, while the collar and cuffs have the '82 stripe. It's a real mystery. Either way, it's not hard to see why little Roger signed up to the tartan army, with names like Rough, Dalglish, Souness, Brazil, Strachan and Hansen gracing the '82 "We Have a Dream" squad. We didn't do brilliantly, but Roger didn't mind. Nor did he mind when 1986 squad boasting Malpas, Souness, Strachan, Aitken, McStay, Nicholas, Cooper and Nicol came a cropper in Mexico. He still kept the strip on, day and night.

Jul 6, 2009 from AP:
WIMBLEDON – Roger Federer is back at No. 1.

Federer has returned to the top of the ATP rankings Monday, a day after winning Wimbledon by edging Andy Roddick 16-14 in the longest fifth set in Grand Slam final history.

Federer moves up from No. 2, switching places with former No. 1 Rafael Nadal.

"It's fantastic, because definitely, when you lose No. 1, you never know if you're ever going to return to it," Federer said Monday at the All England Club. "I always thought it was easier staying No. 1 than getting there."

"Some reason getting there was awfully hard. Back in 2002 and 03, I was playing unbelievable and still I wasn't able to get to No. 1. Then it took a huge effort at the (2004) Australian Open to win there to finally get to No. 1."

"Once I was No. 1, everything just clicked, and everything was easy," Federer said. "I beat all the other top-10 guys, I won every final I played, and so I hope that's going to return again, that I'm able also to dominate my fellow rivals again and go from there. I'm delighted, of course, I'm No. 1 again."

from Reuters:
LONDON – Roger Federer will set about extending his collection of grand slam titles way beyond the record breaking 15th he won at Wimbledon.

"(Eighteen or 19 slam wins) definitely seems possible. I've reached 16 out of 17 grand slam finals in a row now, so I definitely have a shot for the next few years," the 27-year-old told a small group of invited journalists on Monday.

"I'm still young in tennis terms, I think. It's only after 30 the clock starts ticking, you know, how many more years you've got left in your mind... because normally it's also the body that gives," Federer said.

"Pete always said one major a year is a good year. I really feel I have chances in all four majors to wins. That's what maybe gives me a bigger chance to win some."

Federer has rediscovered his sublime touch and precise footwork.

"I have no more back pain," laughed the genial Swiss.

"I'm not scared anymore of going into the very corner of the court and digging out the ball, which I was scared of doing at times. That's why my serve sometimes faltered, like in important moments, because I did not have enough belief that my body was holding up.

"Now I feel so much better, I can play the way I normally play. Use offence, use defense, my serve's clicking. I know in the important moments I will take the right decisions.

"Now I feel like the old guy again."

When Sampras broke Australian Roy Emerson's previous record of 12 at Wimbledon in 2000, and then extended it at the 2002 U.S. Open, most people thought that landmark would last a lifetime and Federer was almost apologetic for surpassing it so quickly.

"Being on the same level in majors as Pete, that was kind of important for me and not really breaking his record. I almost feel a little bit bad if I'm quite honest," said Federer, who looked extremely fresh despite getting only two hours sleep.

Andy Roddick's heartbreaking five-set defeat in the Wimbledon final can spur him on to greater things, his conqueror Roger Federer said on Monday.

Federer said his own career has been galvanized after five-set losses of foe Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last July and at the Australian Open in February.

"I came out being horribly sad and it was a tough loss," said Federer.

"And then I look back, and it's going to be similar this time for Roddick, he's going to look back and think what an amazing match we played. It was so nice to be part of it."

Federer had to fight tooth and nail for four hours and 16 minutes on Sunday before finally subduing Roddick to claim the Challenge Cup for the sixth time.

"I was lucky that I was part of three five setters here in the finals at Wimbledon. You couldn't wish for a better scenario. I also lost one and it's rough but it makes you stronger," Federer told reporters.

from CNN:
Roger Federer has exclusively told CNN that he was so excited after his historic Wimbledon victory over Andy Roddick, that he could not sleep on Sunday night.

"It's going to take some time to digest what I've done because it was such an historic day for me and for tennis.

"It's unbelievable that I am the main character in such a wonderful journey and I could not go to bed on Sunday night because I was still so excited by what I had achieved," said Federer -- whose victory also lifted him above the injured Rafael Nadal to the top of the world rankings.

"I have never been part of a match that has ended 16-14 in the fifth set so it was a special moment, although everything still feels pretty crazy."

Federer also revealed that he likes to savor each big tournament victory as much as possible, by reading media reports and looking at recordings of the match.

"I try to read how the fans viewed the match to get their perspective. I like to view as many videos and photos as possible just so I can understand how the match went.

"Sometimes you can walk off the court and not remember anything of the match you have just played in, but I like to relive the moments which helps me digest and understand what happened."

The Wimbledon champion also revealed that good friend Tiger Woods loves it when the Swiss maestro wins tournaments. "Tiger wants me to dominate. He loves it when I go on court and show them who's the man -- because that's what he likes to do.

from ATP World Tour Finals:
London – Roger Federer has qualified for the prestigious Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after winning a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title on Sunday at Wimbledon.

Federer joins Rafael Nadal as the singles players to have clinched their Barclays ATP World Tour Finals berths.

from AP:
Taylor Dent echoed those who are calling Federer the best ever now that he has won a 15th Grand Slam tournament title to surpass Pete Sampras.

"I'm happy for Federer. I don't think we've ever had a better ambassador for the sport," Dent said. "I think he's taken over the mantel as the best ever. I'm an American. I hate to see Pete Sampras dethroned a bit."

from Forbes:
Roger Federer ($33 million) came in at fifth on Forbes' list of "Best-Paid Celebs Under 30."

from Chattanooga Times Free Press:
By Mark Wiedmer - A few years ago while covering a wheelchair tournament at the Champions Club, a participant told me of meeting Federer at an event in Florida.

"He actually played a few games with us," the young man said. "He hung out with us for a couple of hours. I've never met a nicer famous person."

from Independent:
While the British wait for glory goes on, one Briton, Dan Cox, 18, from Lincoln, did get to play with Roger Federer yesterday. The British No 11, ranked No 623 in the world, got a call from Paul Annacone on Saturday night, asking if he would like to hit with Federer yesterday morning. Huge crowds gathered to watch. "It's a massive honour to hit with someone like him anytime, let alone before such a big final," Cox said. "Even having the chance to talk to someone like that is fantastic and it's something I'll never forget."

from London Evening Standard:
Roger Federer today said his Wimbledon win over Andy Roddick was so tense he feared his pregnant wife Mirka would go into labour.

Mrs Federer was in the court-side box to see her Swiss husband collect a record 15th Grand Slam and reclaim the world No.1 spot.

The pair were more relaxed at the Champions' Dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel in Hyde Park. Mrs Federer, due to give birth to their first child before the end of August, stayed for more than hour wearing a pink cardigan and dark blue maternity dress. Her husband ignored the black tie dress code and turned up in a dark suit and tie.

Federer said: "This is very special because of the situation with Mirka. In fact, she thought she was going to go into labour during the match and so did I! I will now regroup after this amazing win and people are asking what am I going to do now — and supporting Mirka is my answer."

Jul 5, 2009 from Reuters:
WIMBLEDON - Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick in one of the most extraordinary finals ever seen at Wimbledon or any other grand slam on Sunday, holding off a brave challenge from the American to win 5-7 7-6 7-6 3-6 16-14.

The final set alone of an unforgettable Centre Court duel lasted 95 minutes before a Roddick, who took 107 Federer winners on the chin, mishit a weary forehand out of court to give the Swiss great his sixth Wimbledon title and the record of 15 grand slam titles he so cherished.

Roddick said before that he hoped to stall Federer on 14 and he will look back at blowing a 6-2 lead in the second set tiebreak when Federer was on the ropes. His failed backhand volley on his fourth set point will haunt him for a while.

Fittingly, Pete Sampras, the only other man to have previously won 14 slams, was sat in the Royal Box alongside five-times winner Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver, as a match of unrelenting drama stretched into a fifth hour.

"Andy I want to say you're going to come back and win one, I'm sure," Federer said on court as a shattered Roddick contemplated his third defeat to Federer in a Wimbledon final.

"Today I was on the lucky side. It feels funny to have the trophy back. It feels great. It was a crazy match, my head's still spinning. It's an unbelievable moment in my career."

At the end, Centre Court looked like a lonely place for Roddick who still managed to congratulate the man he has now lost to in four of his five grand slam finals.

"I want to say congratulations to Roger, well done, he deserves it. I tried -- sorry Pete, I tried to hold him off," an emotional Roddick said.

Right from the start it was clear Roddick was up for the fight with the accuracy of his sledgehammer serve and his aggressive hitting from the baseline keeping Federer subdued.

Roddick saved four break points at 5-5 in the first set then carved out a set point in the next game that he won with a raking double-handed backhand up the line.

Serving around 80 percent of his first serves in, Roddick maintained the pressure in the second set as Federer, for once, struggled to find his flashes of genius.

When Roddick marched off for a toilet break having had the second set ripped from his grasp it seemed that his challenge might fizzle out. Not a bit of it.

Federer, who served a career record 50 aces in the match, was rock solid in the third set but still had precious little joy on the Roddick serve -- eventually taking the inevitable tiebreak 7-5.

Roddick, playing one of the matches of his life, refused to buckle and broke the Federer serve in the fourth game of the fourth set for the second time -- again his often maligned backhand doing the damage with a fizzing pass.

There was a moment of alarm for Roddick when he fell awkwardly in the baseline dust but he served out confidently to set up a nerve-racking decider.

Ten times Roddick had to serve to stay alive. Ten times his trusty weapon did not let him down. Federer dug himself out of a hole at 8-8 when he trailed 15-40, blasting down a great first serve and then whipping a drive volley.

Just when it seemed as if for the second year running Wimbledon could be heading for another long night, Federer conjured a match point out of nowhere.

from Wimbledon:
Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova have risen to the top to be respectively named the greatest men's and women's champions of Wimbledon of all time after tennis fans from around the world voted in the HSBC Champions of Wimbledon poll. Nearly 100,000 votes were cast as the public had its say in the debate of who is the greatest Wimbledon champion of all time.

The final voting results are as follows:
A total of 96,298 combined votes were cast for the greatest men's and women's HSBC Champions of Wimbledon of all time.

Men's:
Roger Federer 28,794
Pete Sampras 12,573
Bjorn Borg 2,140
Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi took fourth and fith spots respectively.

Roger Federer led from the start and had 80% of the vote at one stage, holding on comfortably to finish with 59.8% of the vote, despite a late surge from Pete Sampras.

Women's:
Martina Navratilova 19,546
Steffi Graf 15,934
Venus Williams 3,792
Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis took fourth and fith spots respectively.

Roger Federer doesn't ever let his style slip - even on the practice court. The super Swiss emerged on Court 15 looking as dapper as ever for a pre-men's final hit with British junior Daniel Cox.

Fed marched on court in his now-trademark military jacket and gold-rimmed shoes before revealing a RF logo on his white T-shirt.

Q. Roger is such a tough opponent. What qualities make him so outstanding?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I mean, I don't know where to start there. You know, he just makes it real tough. You know, he was having trouble picking up my serve today for the first time ever. He just stayed the course.

You know, you didn't even get a sense that he was even really frustrated by it. He kind of stayed the course and just toughed it out. He gets a lot of credit for a lot of things, but not a lot of the time is how many matches he kind of digs deep and toughs out. He doesn't get a lot of credit for that because it looks easy to him a lot of the times.

Q. What was the atmosphere out there with the fans? Obviously the match before was quite dramatic.

MARK KNOWLES: It was actually pretty fantastic, I thought. I wasn't expecting that many people to be there. Obviously after such a thrilling encounter in the men's singles, it's pretty tough to follow that.

I made a joke with Roger after the match that, you know, now the crowd are waiting to see what they came for in our match (laughter).

But it was actually a great atmosphere. I thought it filled up pretty well. Felt like a lot of people were there, they were pretty into the match. Like Anna (Groenefeld) said, any time you play a final you're ready to play whenever you're called. It's not every day you get to play a Wimbledon final on Centre Court. We were extremely excited to be there.

Q. What did Roger say to your comment?

from ASAP Sports:
Q. So Roger now has bragging rights, he's won 15 Grand Slam titles.
TIGER WOODS: Pretty impressive, isn't it?

Q. Are you looking forward to catching him in two weeks' time?
TIGER WOODS: Hopefully. I mean, hopefully. One good thing is our player career is a little bit longer than theirs (laughter), so I've got one good thing there. But 15 is -- he is the greatest player that's ever played. I've talked to Pete about it, and it's just one of those things where he's so good on any surface. It doesn't matter. If Nadal wasn't around, he'd probably be the best clay courter on the planet. It's pretty impressive what he's done and the humbleness he's done it with.

Q. Do you have any plans to contact him?
TIGER WOODS: I already did.

Q. When?
TIGER WOODS: When I was on the range.

Q. What did you say to him?
TIGER WOODS: "Great job. Now it's my turn." (Laughter.) Not by 15; I meant to win today.

Q. They ran those commercials before he even got the trophy. When did you film it?
TIGER WOODS: We filmed it the week before the U.S. Open for me, so a few weeks ago.

from USA Today:
In April Federer had gone winless for nearly eight months. To imagine him then beating Nadal on clay at Madrid, bagging the only major missing from his résumé at the French Open and then breaking the record he shared with Pete Sampras of 14 majors at Wimbledon seemed unlikely, at best.

"People would have said, 'Get your head checked out,' " Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, said.

Federer's part-time coach, the Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi, says it's not as far-fetched as it seems.

According to Luthi, Federer needed time to recover mentally from the loss in Melbourne and also to regain his strength after suffering a back injury in February that sidelined him for six weeks. He never lost his work ethic or focus even if the news media were chronicling his decline.

"Australia was a tough moment for him," Luthi said. "But he went on, he was practicing hard, he was staying focused and everything is paying off now."

ESPN analyst Darren Cahill said the outbursts might have been a blessing in disguise.

"We saw an emotional side of him that we've never seen before on the pro tour," Cahill said. "It did him a world of good to get that out of his system."

Cahill also said Federer, who held the top ranking for a record 237 weeks before losing it to Nadal last year, needed to adjust to the challenge of not only Nadal but also of No. 3 Andy Murray and No. 4 Novak Djokovic.

BEAVERTON – Nike today introduced a 30-second video celebrating tennis great Roger Federer's record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title. The tribute, broadcast on various networks around the world and posted on niketennis.com, features sports icons Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.

Nike is giving consumers the opportunity to celebrate Federer's historic feat with a collection of signature "RF15" tees and hats that will be available at Nike retail around the world while supplies last.

from Daily Mirror:
Serena Williams has been known to swap clothes with sister Venus - now she's getting into Roger Federer's outfits too.

The women's world No.2 has been lounging around off court in the long cardigan Federer wore as his warm-up gear last year.

Jul 4, 2009 from AFP:
Fabian Cancellara backed compatriot Roger Federer to win the final of Wimbledon against Andy Roddick of the United States on Sunday.

"We might be from a small country, but we have talented sportsmen," he said with a grin.

Jul 3, 2009 from AFP:
WIMBLEDON - Roger Federer reached a record 20th Grand Slam final and a seventh straight Wimbledon title match with a 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 6-3 win over Tommy Haas in the semi-finals on Friday.

Watched by Grand Slam greats Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver, comfortably installed in the Royal Box, the world number two put on a magnificent show of serving against the German 31-year-old, not giving up a single break point.

"Tommy played great so I knew that there was a danger. I'm happy with my performance and it's unbelievable to be in another final," said Federer.

"I have had a lot of pressure over the years but I am looking forward to another great match and a chance to get into the history books."

Federer said he was looking ahead to the challenge of the final.

"I have had great matches with Roddick. You can never underestimate him with that serve," he said.

"Murray's at home. My record against him is not that good. He's shown over the last 18 months that he can be a Grand Slam contender."

Haas was full of praise for the Swiss.

"There aren't really any weaknesses. He moves in such a smooth way and has such good defensive play. The slice bites a lot," said the German.

"When you think sometimes you might get a relatively easy volley, he kind of either dinks it in front of you, or he made two spectacular slice lobs over my head at important points."

The opening set on Friday was dominated by serve, but the Swiss second seed was the strongest in the tiebreak.

He went to three set points when Haas unleashed a loose forehand with the world number two wrapping up the set when the German, stranded behind the baseline, pushed a backhand into the net.

Former world number two Haas, playing in his first Wimbledon semi-final, had to save a set point, which was also the first break point of the match, at 4-5 in the second set.

But the Swiss broke through in the 12th game for a two-sets lead when another Haas forehand went long.

Haas cracked for the last time in the eighth game of the third set when he netted an easy approach having saved four break points.

from Telegraph:
This morning, Roger Federer was doing his Pied Piper thing, drawing the crowds towards Court 16, where he was practicing for his semi-final against Tommy Haas.

from The Times:
Federer, as generous as only the greatest player ever can be, is delighted about his friend (Tommy Haas)'s resurgent form.

"I've trained with him a lot, and I knew that it was just a matter of time before he started getting good results again," he said. "We've got closer recently, training then going for something to eat together afterwards. It's great when someone shows the determination to come back after injury, but I am happy the way I'm playing. I am prepared for a tough weekend ahead of me, but 21 semi-finals in a row is amazing and means the world to me."

from Wimbledon:
The argument may go on long into the future but with every tournament and every Grand Slam that passes, Roger Federer's case to be crowned the greatest player of all time gets stronger and stronger.

1 Today Federer is bidding to become the first player to appear in the Wimbledon final for a record seventh straight year. If the Swiss star achieves this record streak it will break the previous record that has stood since 1922 when the Challenge round was abolished.

2 In reaching the semi-finals, Federer has already become the first player to reach the final four here on seven straight occasions and more impressively he has not lost once.

3 Outside of the Wimbledon walls this is Federer's 21st consecutive Grand Slam semi-final. The remarkable feat sees the 27-year-old extend his own record. His nearest rivals for this particular record are Ivan Lendl and Rod Laver who both retired with a record of 10.

from London Evening Standard:
Tim Henman: "I definitely think he'll win several more slams. I just find it staggering how many times I read Federer is over the hill, that he is not going to win another major and that Rafael Nadal has his number.

"For me, you're talking about the best player that's ever lived and he's only 27. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he kicks on again. I don't think there has ever been such a compete player."

from New York Times:
By Harvey Araton - Abigail Teubner, 37, an American who moved here six years ago and who works in management consulting, was in the Roddick camp Friday. She found it in her heart to commiserate at the end with her fiancé, Peter Jackson, a BBC journalist. But he couldn't claim to be in too much pain, having already committed himself to Federer in the final, one way or another.

"His tennis is one of the most beautiful things to watch on earth," said Jackson, 38, of Richmond, a London suburb. "I'm British and I don't care. I'd want Federer to beat Murray any day of the week."

Making the rounds early in the match, I'd heard that sentiment from others, or at least from those who said they knew people keen on having Murray in the final against Federer, as long as he didn't win it.

Jul 1, 2009 from AP:
WIMBLEDON — Roger Federer neutralized Ivo Karlovic's huge serves Wednesday to reach the Wimbledon semifinals and move a step closer to a record 15th Grand Slam championship.

In a match featuring short points and few rallies, Federer conjured up a few great returns to break the 6-foot-10 Croatian twice and secure a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (3) victory on another sunbaked day at the All England Club.

Federer reached his 21st consecutive semifinal at a Grand Slam tournament and extended his winning streak to 17 matches with another vintage performance on his favorite Centre Court.

"I love the record I have of reaching so many semifinals in Grand Slams in a row — 21 is quite a number," Federer said. "It shows how consistent I've been."

It was Federer's ninth win in 10 matches against Karlovic, who was playing in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Karlovic served 23 aces to raise his tournament total to 160, but it was Federer who never faced a break point in the match. The second-ranked Swiss star won 74 of 85 points on serve and was taken to deuce only once, in the sixth game of the third set. Federer got out of that jam with a 129 mph service winner and a 128 mph ace.

"It's difficult because there's not really any baseline rallies on his serve or on my serve," Federer said. "You expect a tough scoreline all the time. It's not easy to break him. I'm very happy to break him twice and win the match."

The statistics told the story: Federer had 39 winners and only seven unforced errors, to 29 winners (almost all on serve) and 17 errors for Karlovic.

Federer grabbed the upper hand early when he broke Karlovic in the fourth game of the match with flashes of brilliance.

He got to break point with a reflex backhand return winner off a 130 mph serve and then ripped a forehand return winner off a 122 mph serve, pumping his fist and shouting, "Come on!"

It was the first time Karlovic had been broken during the tournament after winning 80 consecutive service games.

The first extended rally of the match — and one of only a handful during the entire contest — didn't take place until the fourth game of the second set, a 15-stroke point that ended with a Federer forehand winner 35 minutes into the match.

The second set turned Federer's way when he broke Karlovic in the 11th game with four straight winners: an overhead, a forehand passing shot down the line, a reflex backhand return off a 126 mph serve and a passing shot that glanced off Karlovic's racket frame.

The third set ended with the 13th tiebreaker the two men have played against each other in 25 sets of tennis. Karlovic's limitations were exposed as he made several glaring errors, missing badly on what should have been easy putaways.

from New York Times:
On Wednesday, Federer defused Ivo Karlovic in straight sets and improved on one of the most phenomenal records in tennis by reaching the semifinals of his 21st consecutive Grand Slam tournament. The closest men to him are Ivan Lendl and Rod Laver, whose streaks did not go past 10.

"I'm really proud of this streak because it's not going to be easy to beat it," Federer said.

from London Evening Standard:
As Boris Becker said after this latest masterclass (quarterfinal match): "Federer is the greatest."

from Reuters:
Of head racket stringer Roger Dalton's current customers Vince Spadea has the highest tensions while Roger Federer, who takes a dozen rackets on court, likes a mixture.

"Roger tends to like them fairly low although he will have a range so that he can go up and down."

from Sports Business Daily:
Wimbledon viewers were upset this morning when ESPN failed to show Roger Federer's quarterfinal match and did not provide score updates during the match. Instead, ESPN was showing the less popular Tommy Haas-Novak Djokovic match. The reason: NBC gets to choose one match to show in their window. The broadcaster chose the Federer-Ivo Karlovic match, even though it could not be aired live. "We're following history," said an NBC spokesperson, referencing Federer going for his record 15th Grand Slam title. By contract, ESPN cannot show highlights or provide score updates during its Wimbledon coverage. However, an ESPN spokesperson said it was providing those updates on "SportsCenter," ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile. NBC is making live feeds of the Andy Murray-Juan Carlos Ferrero and Andy Roddick-Lleyton Hewitt matches available on NBCSports.com.