Oct 29, 2009 from PR Newswire:
KILCHBERG - Premium chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprungli is partnering with Roger Federer in a long term deal to serve as the global brand ambassador for his favorite LINDT chocolate. The contract details of the agreement will not be made public.
For the first time in the company's history dating back for more than 160 years, the Lindt & Sprungli Group is linking its own name to that of a celebrity. The global fame of top sportsman Federer makes this partnership a highly promising opportunity for Lindt & Sprungli to further enhance the global popularity of its premium chocolates and become still more firmly established in key global markets. With his likeable and down to earth image, Federer is the ideal brand ambassador for Lindt & Sprungli. He uniquely embodies Lindt & Sprungli's fundamental values of "Swissness," "Premiumness," "Quality" and "Passion." The association of these important attributes with the names of LINDT and Federer symbolizes the perfect "match" between the number 1 in premium chocolate and the number 1 in the world of tennis.
Ernst Tanner, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Lindt & Sprungli, comments: "We are naturally delighted to be able to name Roger Federer, an exceptional and well-known Swiss icon, as our brand ambassador. Together with Roger Federer, we will become the foremost ambassadors for Swiss quality."
And Roger Federer confirms this: "I am Swiss by birth, and since my childhood, I have always been a great fan of LINDT chocolate. I am very excited to partner with the global leader in premium chocolate and I enjoy their products and am very impressed with their plans for future growth."
Alongside the proven and successful communication concept based on the universally popular Maitres Chocolatiers, the cooperation with Roger Federer will be used as an additional communication instrument in Lindt's global marketing efforts.
from Reuters:
"Federer symbolises the perfect match between the No.1 in premium chocolate and the No. 1 in the world of tennis," Tanner told reporters.
Tanner offered Federer a tour of the company's chocolate factory after he won the gold medal in the men's doubles at the Olympics in Beijing last August.
Federer said although his new role would boost his personal supply of chocolate, it was unlikely to have a negative impact on his game.
"Of course you always have to make sure you don't eat too much, but I play a type of sport that does not require me to restrict my diet too much. I have dessert two to three times a week," he said.
from AFP:
ZURICH – Roger Federer on Thursday voiced disappointment at Andre Agassi's bombshell admission that he had taken drugs in 1997 and then lied to the ATP to avoid a ban.
"It was a shock when I heard the news. I am disappointed and I hope there are no more such cases in future," Federer said at a sponsors meeting at Kilchberg near Zurich.
But Federer also noted that Agassi "has done a lot for tennis, both as a player and as a human being".
"Today, he raises millions of dollars for his foundation for disadvantaged children," the Swiss commented.
Agassi, one of just six men to have won all four Grand Slam titles and widely regarded as one of the sport's finest players, stunned tennis this week by revealing he'd taken the highly-addictive drug crystal methamphetamine in 1997.
The American, now 39, also admitted that he lied to the governing body of the ATP to escape a ban.
Federer noted that today, players must make themselves available for dope tests between 20 and 30 times a year.
"Our sport must stay clean," he stressed.
from DPA:
Basle - Roger Federer's return to tennis after a five-week pause will be celebrated with joyous voices as his home Swiss Indoors honours the world number one local hero Monday. Amid the a bid from anti-smoking forces to somehow get the Swiss to avoid the event sponsored by luxury good provider Davidoff, plans advanced to honour the native son in a tennis hall re-named for him last year.
The event will stage an opening ceremony to celebrate the record 15 Grand Slam titles of the Swiss star. After that, Federer will take to the court for his opening match.
Organisers say the tournament's 40th edition will feature a concert by Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé in a mix of sport and culture. The Catalan opera singer will be accompanied by the Opera Choir of the Theater Basel and the Basle Festival Orchestra.
A row over tobacco sponsorship at the event has turned ugly, with non-EU member Switzerland perfectly free to accept tobacco sponsorship - as was the case elsewhere in Europe until 2005.
So high was recent pressure that broadcaster Eurosport was forced to drop coverage plans under that of legal action, with a German satellite broadcaster now taking the feed.
The UN, a big part of the Swiss economy has also made its displeasure known, returning a donation from the tournament to Unesco, the UN cultural arm.
British news reports suggest that up to 500 health officials have signed a letter asking Federer to boycott the tournament which is perhaps closest to his heart.
Oct 24, 2009 from Shanghai Daily:
Roger Federer may appear at the Swiss Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo next year "to shake hands with his fans," the top official of the country's Expo showcase said yesterday.
However, Federer may only stay in the pavilion for a short while to avoid a crush of fans blocking access, said Uli Sigg, commissioner general for the Swiss Pavilion, as steel structure was finished on the pavilion.
The Swiss Expo group was still discussing detailed plans with Federer about his Expo appearance because of his busy schedule, Sigg said.
Oct 22, 2009 from DPA:
Zurich - Roger Federer says that his autumn break from tennis is just about done, with the world number one set for a return after a month off with his family as he plays the Basle Indoors in eight days. "I have been back practising and training now for some time and all is going well," the 15-time Grand Slam said on his Facebook page.
"I feel much better. I'm looking forward to playing my hometown tournament in Basel."
Despite reports that the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion might wait until the New Year to make a start after a long 2009 season, Federer insists that's not the case.
He said that spending time with wife Mirka and the couple's three-month-old twins, he's ready for the final sprint of the 2009 ATP campaign.
Federer said that his time away from tennis has been well-spent: "I have also had a chance to spend some amazing time with my family. Myla and Charlene are doing great.
"After training yesterday, Mirka and I took them for a walk along Lake Zurich. I am always excited to be back in Switzerland!"
from TENNIS.com:
Tom Perrotta: Some of your favorites?
Marat Safin: [Roger] Federer of course because he can do anything he wants with the ball. He makes you play all different kinds of shots, slices, high balls, slow balls, low balls, topspin—you cannot really get a grip on the ball, which makes it complicated. You are out of rhythm all the time.
Tom Perrotta: Your win over Federer in the semis at the 2005 Australian Open: Would you rate that match as more important than your victory over Sampras at the U.S. Open? [Safin went on to beat Lleyton Hewitt in the final.]
Marat Safin: I think it was probably the biggest match, but it was a different year, different circumstances, different time of career. I achieved the first Grand Slam, and the second Grand Slam, a lot of people were expecting it. “Is he going to win another one or not, or just stick with one and not do much about it?” So for me it was very important to win the second one—it was important for my ego. I had to go through tough moments, I had two finals before I won the Australian, and playing against Federer, of course—look at him now, he's the best player in the history of tennis. To play against him is not really easy, especially if he's in the semifinals it means that he's playing well, he's in perfect timing, perfect condition.
Oct 18, 2009 from ASAP Sports:
Q. What's the difference for you playing Nadal and Federer?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Completely different games. Federer always have good serve, play fast. He didn't make so long rally. He just try to make winners, and you need always running with him. It's much more difficult.
Nadal always play long rally, a little bit more slow and you have always chance to control ball. You have always chance to play long line across, always fighting with him. That's was -- and he play -- yeah, that's was maybe I have more priority play against Nadal, winning, beat him.
Against Federer, if he very good feeling, have very good confidence, it's not so easy to beat him. If I have many chance like in Paris, Roland Garros, I play also good, but, you know, have always chance to win first, second or third set, but I didn't realize, because he was better after, you know, good concentration and did well job.
But really, I don't know if I play today against Federer what's can happen. (laughter.) Really, it's a different situation, you know. I was really happy it was not Federer today. (laughter.)
from Daily Express:
According to Margaret Court, to be successful one must always have a goal. Taking Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as examples, she said that champions always set some goals for them to aim for.
She told the youngsters that tennis is a wonderful game that teaches ones to be more focused, attentive and disciplined.
Court advised the youngsters to learn the basics first, for example on stroke progressions, steps and most importantly, learn to volley at a very young age, before moving on to much complicated skills.
"If you want to copy somebody these days, copy Federer," said Court, "He always moving forward for the ball and not leaning backwards.
"And always remember to play the ball and not the opponent," she concluded.
Oct 16, 2009 from London Evening Standard:
Chelsea’s German midfielder Michael Ballack has revealed that watching tennis legend Roger Federer recover from a slump in form to win Wimbledon gave him the inspiration to bounce back from a disappointing season at Stamford Bridge
He revealed: "It's good for your career as a sportsman if you watch other professional sports - how they're behaving and how they react in difficult situations. I think it's always good to learn from other sports.
"It was amazing to see how relaxed Federer was and how easy he made it look. This is always a sign he's on a different level. If you play five hours of a match, five sets and the last is 16-14, you have to come to a point where it's getting difficult. But you couldn't see it happening with him and this was unbelievable."
from CareFair:
Online reports indicate that after six years of trying to get the RF brand off the ground, it has been discontinued. Roger Federer’s range included deodorant, shower gel, aftershave and a fragrance. The most recent reports state that the company has been put into liquidation. The downfall of RF Cosmetics is not expected to hurt Federer’s fortunes too much. He still has endorsement deals with Gillette, Mercedes Benz and Rolex.
Oct 13, 2009 from AFP:
MELBOURNE - Juan Martin del Potro is on standby to play if Roger Federer does not take up the eighth and final place in the draw for the Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament ahead of the Australian Open, organisers said.
"If Roger decides against playing at Kooyong, or another player withdraws before the tournament, Juan Martin will step into the field," tournament director Colin Stubs said.
"I am delighted that such strong back-up plans have been put in place."
Other confirmed signings for the Kooyong Classic are Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Fernando Verdasco, Robin Soderling, Fernando Gonzalez, Tommy Haas and Marcos Baghdatis.
from Calcutta Telegraph:
Q: What other sport do you follow?
Pankaj Advani (the world billiards champion): I follow tennis and I am a huge, huge Roger Federer fan. The fact that he has achieved so much with such grace and dignity makes every sportsperson want to be in his shoes.
Oct 12, 2009 from The National:
ABU DHABI - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal head a talented cast list for the second staging of the Capitala World Championship exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi over the New Year.
They are accompanied in the three-day event which starts on December 31 by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Verdasco, and Robin Soderling.
The pre-season tournament offers a winner-takes-all prize of US$250,000 (Dh917,000) with the organisers insisting that the other five competitors will leave empty handed.
Federer, who has a home in Dubai but had not visited Abu Dhabi until competing in the unofficial non-Tour sanctioned event nine months ago, is relishing the opportunity to start a new campaign in the UAE.
“I am very much looking forward to coming back,” said the Swiss player.
“Last year’s tournament was absolutely superb. The line-up this year is very strong again and I’m looking forward to playing in front of the Abu Dhabi crowds who really do get behind the players. Abu Dhabi is a wonderful city and I think what it is doing to promote the game of tennis across the region is fantastic.”
Federer, who played only one match last January, losing in the semi-finals to Andy Murray, made representations to the tournament organisers that it would be advisable to have a third place consolation match in subsequent years.
That suggestion, which was endorsed by Nadal, has been taken on board by Flash Entertainment, whose managing director John Lickrish announced at yesterday’s tournament launch that there would be an extra match on the final afternoon.
Oct 9, 2009 from Sacramento Bee:
After an outstanding freshman season as Florida's No. 1 singles player two years ago, Jesse Levine received a suspicious phone call at home in Boca Raton, Fla.
The caller said he was an agent and asked if Levine wanted to train with Roger Federer for 10 days at the Swiss star's base in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
"I thought it was one of my buddies trying to pull a prank on me, but it was an actual agent," Levine said Thursday.
The request indeed was legitimate. Why Levine? Federer never said, but Levine, like Rafael Nadal, is left-handed. What a coincidence.
"It was the opportunity of a lifetime," Levine said, "and I took full advantage of it."
Levine remembers most of all "how down to earth (Federer) is and what an amazing champion of the game of tennis he is. He's such a normal guy that you can go up to him, give him a high-five and say, 'What's up?'
"I learned a lot, and I still keep in touch with him once in a while via e-mail. When I see him at tournaments, we sit down and talk. We've created a little friendship, which is nice."
Oct 6, 2009 from CP:
"The Swiss Cookbook" tells you how to make over 140 national dishes, and those like the melted creamy cheese "raclette" or the mythical pancake-like potato "roesti" have changed little over the centuries. Also offered are desserts of rich Swiss chocolate and step-by-step instructions to prepare tennis star Roger Federer's favourite meal: Zurich-style ragout.
Oct 5, 2009 from The Times:
Andy Murray withdrew from this week’s Japan Open in Tokyo to give the wrist more time to settle, but it was still sore over the weekend and he would not want to risk aggravating it further, even though the tournament has already been robbed of its No 1 seed, Roger Federer, who has decided to take October off. Federer’s decision was also influenced by the demands of the Davis Cup. He chose to play for Switzerland in the World Group play-off in Italy, the weekend after he had been beaten in five sets in the US Open final by Juan Martín del Potro, of Argentina, though he played only two singles, whereas Murray put himself on the line on all three days.
Speaking in his home country this weekend, Federer said: “People like it still that I am the No 1 or the No 1 again so I have to make a hard decision, the one or the other [either the tour or the Davis Cup] because both together is not working, I feel it myself, it is consuming. If I hadn’t played the Davis Cup I maybe would have gone to Asia, so you see how much energy the Davis Cup takes [out of you]”.
Oct 1, 2009 from Peter Bodo's TennisWorld:
The biggest bummer of that bizarre ending to my Open was losing the tape recorder before I had the chance to download some interviews, including a fairly lengthy one with Marsel Ilhan, the first man playing under the Turkish flag to compete in a Grand Slam qualifying tournament. Ilhan went one better than that - he qualified and won two rounds before he lost in the third-round to John Isner.
Ilhan was born in Uzbekistan and quickly smitten by the game. He lost his father to cancer at a young age but, bent on developing his game, he emigrated to Turkey with his mother, who's done everything in her power to advance his budding career. In Turkey, he was able to train with relatively advanced players and teaching pros, and he's also received help from the Turkish national tennis federation. One thing I remember clearly from the interview: Roger Federer was in the locker room, watching the scoreboard, and he noticed Ilhan's name. Discovering that he was the first player from Turkey ever in a major, Federer introduced himself and wished Ilhan good luck. Ilhan told me it was a highlight of his tournament experience.
|
