• Inside Tennis noted, “It’s a treacherous business to limit Federer’s future.”
• Jim Courier observed, “Time is undefeated but Federer is fighting the good fight.
• After Federer’s agonizing loss in the Wimbledon final, Andy Roddick said, “I feel as sorry for him as I can for anyone who has won 17 Slams.
• Gael Monfils admitted, “Roger asks many questions, and I have to find many answers.”
• John Millman, when he was about to play Federer, commented, “You don’t play someone’s reputation.”
• Writer Rohit Brijnath noted, “The fine art of Roger Federer is…adoringly classified on YouTube in an endless series of Top 10 lists.” Brijnath reported that Roger sometimes checks them out, and when he does, it’s “like an artist scrutinizing his curated work.” Roger confided, “Sometimes it can be…very inspiring, too, to see yourself do great things.” Brijnath then asked that eternal question, “Is it humanly possible to be tired of praise?” Earlier in the year Roger said, “I have no problem accepting criticism, because I’ve gotten so many compliments over the years.”
• So what keeps the 34-year-old going? Federer, who won the ATP’s Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the 11th time, answered, “Probably hitting tennis balls, getting the feeling of winning a match point and the roar of the crowd.” He added that “being happy” is a key to ATP longevity, that being based in Europe is an advantage, and playing on the tour is “like running your own business.”
• Roger compared his former dominance to “a bullet train” or getting caught in an ocean current.
• As for the future, roger told Brijnath that he just has to “remind myself to still keep going for it, keep staying young in my mind, stay fresh, stay fearless.”
• This year, he’ll again be cutting down on his schedule. He’s planning to not play for over two months between Indian Wells and the French Open, and will compete in just five of the nine Masters Series tourneys. Beyond that, Roger said he hopes to compete in a new arena that opens in his hometown of Basel in 2018. He also signed a two-year contract to play the Stuttgart tournament.
• Roger’s young twin sons are named Leo and Lenny. To us, Leo is short for Leonard, and for that matter, Lenny is also short for Leonard. Federer agreed, but added that he and his wife Mirka just like the names.
• Federer told Singapore’s Straits Times that he does a little at collecting. He spoke of the joys of hearing a Chinese pianist, of taking his mother to the symphony in Rotterdam, and of visiting London’s National Gallery. And, as a good Swiss lad, he added, “I always liked figure skating. I like beauty in motion.”
And so do we, Roger.
