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The math behind the achievement. With his 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 win over Robin Soderling at Sundays French Open final, Roger Federer is now tied with Pete Sampras for the most-ever Grand Slam titles at 14.
This video was posted by Roger in his facebook account.
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Federer Overcomes His Recent Vulnerability
June 8, 2009, 11:46 AM ET
Judging Federer’s Place in the Tennis Pantheon
By David Roth
Roger Federer entered last weekend with 13 Grand Slam titles to his name and a permanent saved seat at the best table in the tennis pantheon’s VIP-only area, but without a victory at the French Open. Following his straight-set demolition of Robin Soderling in Sunday’s French Open final, the biggest question facing him from the flattering tennis media is a much less irksome one for him — is he the greatest ever, or just one of the greatest?
Reuters
Roger Federer becomes yet another foreigner to offer an egregious public display of affection in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Federer has the support of WSJ guest blogger Tom Perrotta, who liveblogged Federer’s 6-1, 7-6, 6-4 victory. “The ‘greatest of all time’ debate goes on endlessly in every sport,” Perrotta writes, “but in tennis, the debate is over. One can’t compare players of previous generations, and there’s no doubt that a player like Federer owes a lot to the greats who came before him (they served as his models). There’s no argument about this, however: No tennis player has dominated the game as convincingly (and with such artistry) as Federer. We might never see anyone do it again.”
Federer had done essentially everything in tennis except win the French Open, which made the victory doubly sweet, Barry Flatman writes in the Times of London. “Finally he has the full set of Grand Slam titles,” Flatman exults. “What a wondrous time for the man so many dared to write off as a spent force just a few weeks ago. What a truly awesome achievement by a player who is supremely gifted but nevertheless repeatedly demonstrates that there can be no short cuts from continuous hard work and true dedication.”
While sports naturally condition an underdog-friendly response in viewers, something about Federer claiming his (actually rather predictable) win managed to deliver the emotional goods nonetheless. In the Daily Telegraph of London, Ian Chadband argues this as proof of Federer’s greatness. “Yes, people are in awe of Tiger Woods’s wizardry and resilience, they laugh open-mouthed at Usain Bolt’s athleticism and marvel at Michael Phelps’s greedy annexation of titles,” Chadband writes. “But yesterday, it was possible to sense from the reaction of everyone here something extra for an athlete who showcased all those trio’s qualities so effortlessly again; that is, a deep affection bordering on adoration for a man who demonstrates, more conclusively than almost anyone, that nice guys can be winners. Supreme winners.”
In the New York Times, Harvey Araton notes that the tennis world agrees not just on Federer’s greatness, but also his goodness. “Count on the sport continuing to root for Federer to climb higher up the mountain of immortality, as it has championed him since he rocketed to the top with the beautiful game and the embraceable persona,” Araton writes. “Even Soderling, who by reputation shuns discourse with most players, became a humble charmer during the awards ceremony, paying his respects. ‘You really gave me a lesson on how to play tennis,’ he told Federer.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2009/0...nnis-pantheon/
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/...imme-More.html
To Roger Federer, what’s important is not only that he finally won the French Open. It’s how he did it. “I didn’t think I played the greatest tennis of my life throughout this tournament. But I definitely played the right way: I was smart. I was strong. I had to show fighting spirit and all those things,” Federer said yesterday. “It’s different for me to come through this way, instead of just dominating everybody.”
A day after beating Robin Soderling 6-1 7-6 (1) 6-4 to complete a career Grand Slam and earn a record-tying 14th major championship, Federer met with reporters at a hotel in central Paris. It’s where he slept the past few weeks — and where he drank champagne and celebrated until the wee hours Monday morning with a group of about 60 people.
“I’m just mentally drained and exhausted — and just so happy and thrilled,” Federer said, his new trophy in tow.
Of the 19 times he has reached the final of a Grand Slam tournament, equalling Ivan Lendl’s mark, this was the first time Federer played two five-set matches along the way. He dropped the first two sets of his fourth-round match against Tommy Haas before coming back, then trailed against Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals before coming through in five sets.
More of a Man now
“I feel I’ve definitely become more (of) a man now, the last few years, where I’m not scared of five-setters anymore,” Federer said. “I can handle the pressure.”
He said he’s not too concerned about regaining the No 1 ranking he lost to Rafael Nadal in August. No, Federer’s priority is winning more Grand Slam titles. The first chance to get No 15 and surpass Pete Sampras comes at Wimbledon, which begins June 22.
Federer’s run of five consecutive Wimbledon titles ended with a five-set loss to Nadal in last year’s final.
The 27-year-old Swiss star considers himself the man to beat this time.
“I do think I’m the favourite, actually, with all the success I’ve had,” Federer said.
Nadal’s 31-match French Open winning streak ended with a loss to Soderling in the fourth round. Five days later, Nadal pulled out of this week’s grass-court tournament at Queen’s Club, citing knee problems.
Referring to Wimbledon, Nadal said: “I hope I can be ready to compete by then.”
Federer expects to see his nemesis at the All England Club. “It seems like it’s not 100 percent serious, his knee injury. I only wish him the best and I hope it’s not true that he will miss Wimbledon. I think it’s a lot of speculation at the moment,” Federer said. “He wasn’t taping his knees here in Paris. He seemed fine, (from) what I saw, anyway. I’ve played him so many times, I can tell when he’s in pain and when he’s not.”
Back’s fine
Federer said his back feels OK — he took a six-week break this year because it was bothering him — but he also said he was considering withdrawing from the grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany, that began Monday.
As for his game, Federer figures he can keep improving, particularly on grass and hard courts, “When I can go for my shots more.”
He already has won five championships at Wimbledon, five at the US Open and three at the Australian Open. Now — after having lost to Nadal in the three previous French Open finals — Federer looks forward to being the defending champion at Roland Garros for the first time.
“I’m sure I’m going to enjoy Paris even more in the future,” he said, “because the pressure is off.”
• I feel I’ve definitely become more (of) a man now, the last few years, where I’m not scared of five-setters anymore
— Roger federer
Hailing the Greatest
What he’s done over the past five years has never, ever been done — and probably will never, ever happen again.
Regardless if he won there or not, he goes down as the greatest ever. This just confirms it
— Pete Sampras
Now that he’s won in Paris, I think it just more solidifies his place in history as the greatest player that played the game.
If it hadn’t been for the freak from Mallorca, Federer would have won all the slams a few times
— Andre Agassi
Federer is the greatest player in his era. He’s a great champion and a credit to the game with the way he competes on and off the court
— Rod Laver
His win tying Pete Sampas’s record firmly places him in a special place as the greatest player of all time. He has earned his place and he has proven he belongs.
Roger is a champion for the ages
— Billie Jean King
Sampras was a phenomenal player and his record speaks for itself but you always felt there were aspects of his game that you could target.
Winning in Paris just emphasises that Federer is the ultimate all-court player
— Tim Henman
It is hard court, bay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by m_23_bayarea
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...bag/?eref=sihp
Federer's poise, security concerns, improving the sport and more
As much as we all want to forget about the unfortunate intruder incident in the French Open final in order to deprive said intruder of the satisfaction of accomplishing his goal of getting attention, I feel it is worth noting how this showed us more deeply the side of Roger Federer off the tennis court. When they showed the replay from a different angle, Federer saw the guy and visibly jumped backward in fear. I have never seen Federer as scared as he was or out of sorts like that. It just goes to show that off the court he is a harmless, non-violent guy (I would've smashed the idiot with my racket). The fact that he shook it off after a couple of games is another testament to his extreme mental focus. After the Monica Seles incident, he had a valid right to fear for his life for a moment there.
-- Robert B., Melbourne, Fla.
• Couldn't agree more. This was such a scary, bizarre, unpleasant -- and not even remotely amusing -- moment. But, yes, an unintended consequence was that it enabled us to get a glimpse of Federer's internal wiring. We talk about "fight or flight," but his reaction was really neither. It was abject fear followed by something approaching sympathy. Total non-confrontation. He later put it thusly: "It seemed like he wanted to give me something. So I was actually OK, because I saw he wasn't pulling for anything stupid. It definitely felt uncomfortable once he came close to me. ... Normally, they always kind of look at me and go, 'I'm so sorry I have to do this,' because they have some sort of a reason for it, you know. I remember the English guy [at Wimbledon in 2006] was actually quite funny. He looked at me and goes, 'I'm so sorry I have to do this.' I was like, OK, just don't touch me, you know."
Consider this: How many of us would have reacted with such restraint? How many other athletes -- macho, locked in combat -- would have reacted so demurely? How many other athletes, armed with a racket, would have resisted using it? Guy is lucky he picked on Federer. Otherwise, I suspect he'd meet the same fate as this clown.
What specific steps need to be taken to prevent maniacs from running onto the court?
-- Wendy, Portland, Ore.
• Obviously, there needs to be improved security. But what about the "punishment" phase? After the guards did their Detroit Lions imitation and missed a series of tackles, they finally got the guy and ... then what? No one is advocating anything too cruel or unusual here, but the best deterrent is to stiffen the penalties.
Several of you also noted that the reason the clowns charge the court is for attention and we're playing into their hands by holding extended discussions and, of course, replaying the video clips. Fair point. But I think it's naive to ignore this trend in hopes it will go away. Sadly, this has become as much a part of Grand Slam tradition as awkward awards ceremony. And the tournaments need to address it before it gets further out of hand, or worse.
Concerning comparable upsets of the Rafael Nadal-Robin Soderling magnitude, I didn't find anyone who mentioned this (fairly recent) one: Wimbledon 2007 semifinal, Marion Bartoli def. Justin Henin 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. Blew me away, anyway.
-- Shawn, Long Beach, Calif.
• That was a biggie. But Henin hadn't won Wimbledon once, much less four years in a row! Many of you also referenced Lori McNeil's first-round defeat of Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in 1994. Still, I vote Soderling. As one of you put it to me, Nadal losing on clay is like Michael Phelps losing in water.
About your "ocean of empty seats in Paris" story: Years ago I lived in Paris for a while. I tried and tried to get tickets to Roland Garros. It seemed to me like the whole system was corrupt. You couldn't just go somewhere and buy tickets. The alternatives were to be a member of an exclusive tennis club, know somebody who worked for the "Administration" or pay a scalper. Eventually, I paid a scalper and loved attending the tournament.
-- Mitch Gart, Bedford, Mass.
• Interesting. Here's an anonymous e-mail I got on the same topic:
"You've touched on the empty seats at the majors before, but I have to agree that it's particularly glaring at Roland Garros this year. I am employed by [a main sponsor] and work closely with one of the people who organizes the institutional client seminars that are often planned around the fortnight (as an excuse for our big foreign institutions to send a few people to see a little world-class tennis). Due to the crisis, however, attendance at these seminars is WAY down this year -- probably because these pension funds (rightfully) have tightened the reins a bit on discretionary spending and are requiring that any travel demands get pre-approval as being both compliant and necessary (go figure). So a lot more of those prime seats have gone unused this year than normal. Not a good excuse, I know, but it probably has something to do with it."
I have three quick things. First, Tommy Haas is good-looking and injured a lot, but at least he did not star in The Age of Love Part 2. Second, my father and I took some empty box seats at Cincinnati in 2006. We picked a blacktopping company because we figured our attire would be least questioned. People might be able to creatively fill empty seats. Finally, my daughter is seven months old and 97th percentile in height. If the U.S. needs a crazy tennis parent, I can start replacing her mobile animals with tennis balls. Just say the word.
-- Dan Martin, Dayton, Ohio
French Open
Federer targets 2012 London Olympics
June 9, 2009 -- Updated 1301 GMT (2101 HKT)
By Paul Gittings
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Roger Federer says he has no intention of hanging up his tennis racket any time soon and has targeted the 2012 London Olympics which will be held on the grass of Wimbledon.
The Swiss maestro completed a career grand slam when he beat Robin Soderling in the final of the French Open on Sunday.
It also took him level with the all-time record of 14 grand slams held by American great Pete Sampras.
With Federer set to become a father for the first time later this summer, it led some to speculate that Federer might consider retirement over the next few years.
But he told CNN in an exclusive interview that his motivation was still as strong as ever.
"I love the game too much to walk away from it," he said.
"My wife wants me to play on for many more years so our child can see me play, that has been a big dream.
"Definitely until the 2012 Olympics in London, which will be held at Wimbledon," he added.
Federer has won the Wimbledon title five times and was beaten in an epic five-set final last year by world number one Rafael Nadal.
His record at the All England Club will be added incentive for the 27-year-old to extend his career until 2012 in search of elusive first gold in singles at the Olympics.
He was knocked out in the semifinals at the 2000 Sydney Games, the second round in Athens in 2004 and quarterfinals in Beijing last year to James Blake.
But Federer did pair with Stanislav Wawrinka to win gold for Switzerland in doubles at the 2008 Games.
Federer Video spoke to CNN after his three-set victory over Soderling at Stade Roland Garros. .
He said he was relieved to have won a grand slam again after losing the world number one slot to Nadal and giving up his Wimbledon and Australian Open titles to the Spaniard.
"It's been a fantastic day -- to get the elusive French title in the end was unbelievable. I always believed I was good enough to get it - but holding the trophy, after all I've been through was just unbelievable. I'm so proud right now you can't believe it."
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Soderling, who put out Nadal on the way to the final, also praised his Swiss conqueror.
"For me he is the best ever and I should know as I've player him many times," the world-ranked number 12 told CNN.
Feddy - The great! :notworthy:
AF maams, congrats!! :thumbsup: