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A few years ago at Wimbledon, during the peak of his reign, Roger Federer admitted that he liked to read the newspapers. He'd get up nice and early in London and buy a stack, just to see what was being written about him.
About 10 daily newspapers were (and still are) available there, so Federer could digest a veritable novel on his greatness. There wasn't much to say but "unbeatable," or "nobody ever played this well," so it tended to be pretty fun reading.
I wonder if Federer even passed by a newsstand last week after he was eliminated by Tomas Berdych. If there's a truism about storied athletes, it's that a tear-down process is inevitable, and we're at the heart of the Crush Federer movement -- especially after an interview session featuring dismissive remarks and the excuse of injury. These were some of the reactions, all from journalists with experience and perspective:
"The press conference was embarrassing, the words of a man in denial."
-- longtime Wimbledon chronicler Art Spander
"The excuses fell from the king's sky like acid rain...so put-upon, so unlucky...to see Federer fighting reality so hard was disturbing."
-- Matt Cronin, TennisReporters.net
"It strayed dangerously close to rationalization."
-- Greg Garber, ESPN.com
"His reaction -- that he was dogged by back and leg injuries that hampered his movement -- was particularly ungracious."
-- Neil Harman, the Times of London
"Federer's aura of infallibility at the All England Club? It's long gone, up the hill in the Wimbledon village, having a pint at the Dog & Fox."
-- Mark Hodgkinson, Telegraph
"He was sour, sarcastic, self-pitying, the portrait of an ungracious loser."
-- Linda Robertson, Miami Herald
"The day that Roger Federer says that the 'quarters is a decent result' for him at the All England Club, we really have reached the end of an era."
-- Steve Tignor, Tennis.com
"It wasn't his back that failed, and it wasn't his leg. It was his nerve. That's how it is when a great champion's determination and courage begin to ebb. And, like the proverbial cuckold, he's always the last to know."
-- Pete Bodo's TennisWorld
Roger Federer has signed on to play the grass-court event in Halle for remainder of his career, tournament organizers have announced.
"I am delighted," said Federer. "It feels a bit like I am getting married. I wanted to plan more long-term. I want to build up friendships and I get on really well with [tournament owners] Ralf and Gerhard Weber."
The announcement did not specify whether Federer has committed to playing Halle every year, or only to not playing another event during the same week as the tournament.
General consensus around the tennis community had Roger Federer playing in the Olympic Games in London and then riding off into the sunset with his 16 Grand Slam titles and however many more he could win between now and the summer of 2012. A retirement of one of the greatest players tennis has ever known and an opportunity of sorts for every other player in the men's draw that would like a chance at the top spot.
Not so fast, says Federer in an interview with BBC Radio. It looks like the reigning "king of the hill" wants to stay on top a little while longer. "People think I'm going to retire at the 2012 Olympics - which is not true. Even though you never know, it depends on your body, I would like to play beyond that so we'll see how it goes."Federer not only seems excited about setting the record for most Grand Slam titles, but the birth of his two twin daughters in July has given the star a new breath of fresh air.
"I don't have a problem saying this is the second half of my career because I do have kids and a lot of things have changed around me," he told the BBC. Federer also mentioned that his best tennis may lie in the future.
While this is great news for the tennis world, there are likely more than a few tour players who were quietly counting down the days until Federer's name was no longer being engraved on every piece of hardware he set his sights on. With Federer still traveling with the tour -- and taking his wife Mirka and the twins along with him -- his record setting won't have to end in 2012.
"It's a lot of fun right now and I obviously want to do this as long as possible," said Federer to the BBC. As long as he stays healthy, and rejuvenated, the sky is certainly the limit.
Just how many Grand Slam titles are possible now for a Roger Federer who has no plans to stop anytime soon?
I think Fed will win around 20-22 slams then call it a day.
Federer and Allegro had proceed in the 1/4 final of doubles in Rome after beating favorites and in form (2 titles this year) Aspelin/Hanley 4-6 6-3 10-8. That remainds me when Federer lost his only match in carrier vs Blake,in 1/4 of Olimpic Games 2 years ago,but then with Wawrinka he won a gold medal in doubles. I'm preety sure his main focus now is to win as more matches he can on clay,and its only 3 more for the title. Next opponents are gonna be Isner/Querrey or Bhupati/Mirnyi. Value on Fed for sure!!
Having finally won the French Open last year, Roger Federer is feeling far less pressure entering the clay-court season.
The top-ranked player is preparing to play both singles and doubles at the Rome Masters this week.
``Questions are already very different. It doesn't start off with, 'Oh, are you going to win the French Open this year?' So it's just a bit more relaxing,'' Federer said at the Foro Italico Sunday.
``I also got a lot of confidence from winning the French Open last year. You feel like if you can do it once you can do it twice.''
Still, Federer rated rival Rafael Nadal as the top player on clay after the Spaniard's dominant performance at last week's Monte Carlo Masters, which Federer skipped.
``He's been on an absolute tear for the last five years. He's hardly lost any matches - you can almost count those on one hand - and he's only lost one match at the French Open, so I would think he's still the favorite,'' Federer said.
``I would love to say I'm the big favorite but I don't think it's quite right, even though I won the French Open last year. He's just proven again in Monaco how tough he is.''
Federer said he is feeling refreshed after a month off, having taken a vacation and then prepared for the clay season with 10 days of intense workouts.
``Practice is (the) key during this stage getting ready for clay and the long stretch from Rome on to Wimbledon,'' he said. ``It's a long one and I need to be fresh at the back end as well at Wimbledon, when it comes to hopefully playing another final.''
Roger Federer was extremely disappointed in his level of play against Tomas Berdych Tuesday night. Before the 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6) loss, the world No. 1 had defeated the talented yet erratic Czech eight straight times.
Federer, who squandered three match points against Marcos Baghdatis in the third round at Indian Wells (where he lost in a third-set tiebreaker), let go of another match point in Miami, this time when Berdych rocketed a forehand winner in the third-set tiebreaker.
“I had tons of chances at the end,” Federer said afterwards. “Match point was my serve, I mean, what more can I do? I tried everything I could. It's just not happening for me at the moment. Look, it's no secret I've struggled the last, what is it, five matches I've played here in the States. It’s disappointing, I think, my performance overall, if I've got to analyze right now after the match. But I fought as much as I could under the circumstances with my game having issues at the moment. Definitely lack timing. I don't know where that comes from, because I played so nicely in Australia. I don't like to lose these types of matches. I'm looking forward to the clay court season now."
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