Russeljones
Talk Tennis Guru
http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-revival-of-roger-federer-1408917608?mod=e2fb
At 33, the 17-Time Grand Slam Champion Is Fit, Relaxed and a Threat to Win Another U.S. Open Title
Toronto
It was the opening weekend of the Rogers Cup, a popular U.S. Open tune-up in early August, and Roger Federer was sparring on a practice court with 23-year-old Bulgarian pro Grigor Dimitrov, who began playfully taunting the tennis legend about a shot Federer called long.
"How do you live with yourself?" Dimitrov howled.
Across the net, Federer grinned.
"How do you sleep at night?" Federer shouted to Dimitrov.
Both players laughed. Soon after, Dimitrov's coach, Roger Rasheed, issued a bet: If someone swept the final two games, the loser had to do 20 push-ups.
Dimitrov wound up winning. Federer's palms hit the hard court. With the practice-court crowd clapping—and Dimitrov capturing the moment with his smartphone—one of the greatest tennis players ever, winner of 17 Grand Slams, easily knocked out a brisk 20 push-ups.
This is Roger Federer at 33: fit, relaxed and ready, and still having fun.
A half hour later, I joined Federer upstairs at the tournament's players' lounge. He was dressed in shorts and a green zip-up sweater, and ordered a sparkling water from the bar. Asked about the push-ups, he smiled. "When I bet, I can't play," Federer explained. "Some guys love it. They're like, 'Let's play for something. I don't need it at all."
Federer is doing fine playing for real. His game is amid a stirring revival; a narrow five-set Wimbledon final loss to Novak Djokovic confirmed that another Slam (or more) remained within reach. Federer would get to the Rogers Cup final and later win Cincinnati's Western & Southern Open, where he also became the first player to win 300 matches at the ATP Masters 1000 level. He begins this week's U.S. Open as the tournament's second seed, behind only Djokovic, and five spots higher than in 2013.
"This is where I wanted to be a year ago," Federer said.
Remember those dark clouds of last summer? The Inevitable Decline of Roger Federer was an open, awkward discussion. Now a familiar confidence has returned to the game's most recognizable player. There's a new coach, Stefan Edberg; a new, larger racket; and most important, improved health. Federer has been wearing a Nike T-shirt that says BETTERER, which seems to wink at his resurgence, and among his international legion of fans—the rapt Federer-verse—there's a happy rush on optimism. Suddenly, a sixth U.S. Open title for Federer doesn't sound so crazy.
"I knew it was physical," Federer said of last year's rough patch, in which he was plagued by a back trouble and suffered surprising defeats, including a loss at Wimbledon to Sergiy Stakhovsky, a player ranked outside the top 100 at the time. "I knew I wasn't going to get to certain balls, or even if I did, I knew I was going to lose the point…" The memory gave him pause. "It's not a great feeling."
Today Federer said he now feels 100%—and has for several months. Those hurried proclamations of his demise, so prevalent not long ago, seem to both amuse and charge him. "When they tell me I'm old, or I can't move, or 'in the 5th set, you're going to be tired'—that is such nonsense," he said. "In the 5th set, it makes zero difference if you're 33 or 27. It's the everyday grind that can be harder if you're not motivated or inspired or in the mood…at 33 or 32, It's still so young."
Recovery is essential, however. After this year's Wimbledon, Federer took almost a month off, including more than a week completely away from the game. Just walks with his children and time with his wife, Mirka. No tennis, no practice, no Federer working on Federer. "Nothing," Federer said. "The body needed it, to be honest."
Doing nothing has become a little more complicated in the Federer household. In May, the family welcomed a second set of twins—Lenny and Leo—who joined twin daughters Myla and Charlene, now five. "It's been a busy last few months, but nice," Federer said. "It's pretty straightforward with newborns: sleep, eating, changing nappies, making sure they're not cold, all that stuff." Of course, Federer was quick to emphasize that he's had it much easier than Mirka.
"Sometimes I'd wake up in the morning and ask, 'How was the night?" She would say, 'You didn't hear? It's been brutal,'" Federer said. "And I'm like, 'Oops. OK.' They were in the same room with us and everything, but sometimes I am so tired, I can't hear it."
For years, Federer has brought his family mostly everywhere with him on the road, preferring the bustle of domestic life to traveling solo. Now the team has expanded to Edberg, one of Federer's tennis role models, whom Federer admitted to being slightly starstruck by, even now. "At the end of the day, he is my idol," Federer said. "Sometimes I look at him when I'm having coffee with him and I'm like, 'I have Stefan Edberg opposite me.' I felt that way yesterday. He was in the room, and of course I am not going to tell him, but I look at him and go, 'That's Edberg.'"
Federer himself is an idol to a generation of players—no list of the game's historical best is complete without his name at or near the top. But resolving the 'greatest ever' debate is of little interest to him, especially considering how hard it is to compare eras with different technologies, schedules and travel. Federer marvels at the pioneering titans who played before him. "When I see the Ken Rosewalls or Rod Lavers, I look at them in awe, because I know they played maybe 250 [exhibitions] a year, on a bus, on funky surfaces, just to promote the game. Of course they were doing it for themselves a little bit, but for winning Wimbledon, they got a tap on the shoulder and a voucher at the pro shop for 20 bucks. The game has changed."
Federer has led one the most luminous generations in tennis history—between the "Big 3" of himself, Djokovic and the currently injured and sidelined Rafael Nadal, there are 38 Slam titles, a remarkable domination. Federer expects a new constellation of stars to emerge. "The game always creates great characters, so from that standpoint, I'm not worried," he said. "But who it is exactly right now, I don't quite know. Signs are that it looks like a Dimitrov, looks like a [Milos] Raonic…I don't know who else. Maybe [Wimbledon quarterfinalist Nick] Kyrgios? I think something is there, but the question is when."
It will happen. That's the beautiful inevitability. There will be life in tennis after Federer. Nobody knows that more than a prematurely written-off superstar, who is thrilling and rolling once more.
"That's one thing you can never forget," Roger Federer said. "The game will live on. It doesn't matter who's world No. 1, or was the best, or will be the best. The game is bigger than everybody."
===================================================
At 33, the 17-Time Grand Slam Champion Is Fit, Relaxed and a Threat to Win Another U.S. Open Title
Toronto
It was the opening weekend of the Rogers Cup, a popular U.S. Open tune-up in early August, and Roger Federer was sparring on a practice court with 23-year-old Bulgarian pro Grigor Dimitrov, who began playfully taunting the tennis legend about a shot Federer called long.
"How do you live with yourself?" Dimitrov howled.
Across the net, Federer grinned.
"How do you sleep at night?" Federer shouted to Dimitrov.
Both players laughed. Soon after, Dimitrov's coach, Roger Rasheed, issued a bet: If someone swept the final two games, the loser had to do 20 push-ups.
Dimitrov wound up winning. Federer's palms hit the hard court. With the practice-court crowd clapping—and Dimitrov capturing the moment with his smartphone—one of the greatest tennis players ever, winner of 17 Grand Slams, easily knocked out a brisk 20 push-ups.
This is Roger Federer at 33: fit, relaxed and ready, and still having fun.
A half hour later, I joined Federer upstairs at the tournament's players' lounge. He was dressed in shorts and a green zip-up sweater, and ordered a sparkling water from the bar. Asked about the push-ups, he smiled. "When I bet, I can't play," Federer explained. "Some guys love it. They're like, 'Let's play for something. I don't need it at all."
Federer is doing fine playing for real. His game is amid a stirring revival; a narrow five-set Wimbledon final loss to Novak Djokovic confirmed that another Slam (or more) remained within reach. Federer would get to the Rogers Cup final and later win Cincinnati's Western & Southern Open, where he also became the first player to win 300 matches at the ATP Masters 1000 level. He begins this week's U.S. Open as the tournament's second seed, behind only Djokovic, and five spots higher than in 2013.
"This is where I wanted to be a year ago," Federer said.
Remember those dark clouds of last summer? The Inevitable Decline of Roger Federer was an open, awkward discussion. Now a familiar confidence has returned to the game's most recognizable player. There's a new coach, Stefan Edberg; a new, larger racket; and most important, improved health. Federer has been wearing a Nike T-shirt that says BETTERER, which seems to wink at his resurgence, and among his international legion of fans—the rapt Federer-verse—there's a happy rush on optimism. Suddenly, a sixth U.S. Open title for Federer doesn't sound so crazy.
"I knew it was physical," Federer said of last year's rough patch, in which he was plagued by a back trouble and suffered surprising defeats, including a loss at Wimbledon to Sergiy Stakhovsky, a player ranked outside the top 100 at the time. "I knew I wasn't going to get to certain balls, or even if I did, I knew I was going to lose the point…" The memory gave him pause. "It's not a great feeling."
Today Federer said he now feels 100%—and has for several months. Those hurried proclamations of his demise, so prevalent not long ago, seem to both amuse and charge him. "When they tell me I'm old, or I can't move, or 'in the 5th set, you're going to be tired'—that is such nonsense," he said. "In the 5th set, it makes zero difference if you're 33 or 27. It's the everyday grind that can be harder if you're not motivated or inspired or in the mood…at 33 or 32, It's still so young."
Recovery is essential, however. After this year's Wimbledon, Federer took almost a month off, including more than a week completely away from the game. Just walks with his children and time with his wife, Mirka. No tennis, no practice, no Federer working on Federer. "Nothing," Federer said. "The body needed it, to be honest."
Doing nothing has become a little more complicated in the Federer household. In May, the family welcomed a second set of twins—Lenny and Leo—who joined twin daughters Myla and Charlene, now five. "It's been a busy last few months, but nice," Federer said. "It's pretty straightforward with newborns: sleep, eating, changing nappies, making sure they're not cold, all that stuff." Of course, Federer was quick to emphasize that he's had it much easier than Mirka.
"Sometimes I'd wake up in the morning and ask, 'How was the night?" She would say, 'You didn't hear? It's been brutal,'" Federer said. "And I'm like, 'Oops. OK.' They were in the same room with us and everything, but sometimes I am so tired, I can't hear it."
For years, Federer has brought his family mostly everywhere with him on the road, preferring the bustle of domestic life to traveling solo. Now the team has expanded to Edberg, one of Federer's tennis role models, whom Federer admitted to being slightly starstruck by, even now. "At the end of the day, he is my idol," Federer said. "Sometimes I look at him when I'm having coffee with him and I'm like, 'I have Stefan Edberg opposite me.' I felt that way yesterday. He was in the room, and of course I am not going to tell him, but I look at him and go, 'That's Edberg.'"
Federer himself is an idol to a generation of players—no list of the game's historical best is complete without his name at or near the top. But resolving the 'greatest ever' debate is of little interest to him, especially considering how hard it is to compare eras with different technologies, schedules and travel. Federer marvels at the pioneering titans who played before him. "When I see the Ken Rosewalls or Rod Lavers, I look at them in awe, because I know they played maybe 250 [exhibitions] a year, on a bus, on funky surfaces, just to promote the game. Of course they were doing it for themselves a little bit, but for winning Wimbledon, they got a tap on the shoulder and a voucher at the pro shop for 20 bucks. The game has changed."
Federer has led one the most luminous generations in tennis history—between the "Big 3" of himself, Djokovic and the currently injured and sidelined Rafael Nadal, there are 38 Slam titles, a remarkable domination. Federer expects a new constellation of stars to emerge. "The game always creates great characters, so from that standpoint, I'm not worried," he said. "But who it is exactly right now, I don't quite know. Signs are that it looks like a Dimitrov, looks like a [Milos] Raonic…I don't know who else. Maybe [Wimbledon quarterfinalist Nick] Kyrgios? I think something is there, but the question is when."
It will happen. That's the beautiful inevitability. There will be life in tennis after Federer. Nobody knows that more than a prematurely written-off superstar, who is thrilling and rolling once more.
"That's one thing you can never forget," Roger Federer said. "The game will live on. It doesn't matter who's world No. 1, or was the best, or will be the best. The game is bigger than everybody."
===================================================
http://graphics.wsj.com/us-open-32/
Top player earnings. Worth a look!
Top player earnings. Worth a look!
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