Roger Federer had a busy “off” day yesterday in Miami, which included signing autographs, giving a presser and even getting ogled by Svetlana Kuznetsova on the practice courts (Don’t worry, the photo’s at the end.)
The presser had some interesting tidbits, the general gist being that Roger doesn’t want advice from any coach or Dr. Spock wanna-be. (I took most of the “you knows” out, since it’s an annoying verbal tic.)
On his recent losses to Murray and Nadal:
Q. The last few sets you lost to Nadal and Andy Murray, is it something you want to think about a lot or you want to forget about?
Well, I mean, I guess you could analyze it but in a big way. But at the same time, it just happens sometimes. Of course I was disappointed the way the match ended in Australia, also how it ended at Indian Wells. But at the same time it’s not the end of the world. You move on from there, and you try to not make it happen. But honestly, it doesn’t really play on my mind a whole lot, you know, because I go out there and try to play every point as tough as I can. When errors happen, it’s disappointing; and when they don’t happen, it’s what you expect, kind of. It was a bit unexpected, but I just have to make sure I play well and have the right attitude. I was excited. I was playing okay midway through the second set, so it was surprising to play so bad towards the end.
On how to beat Rafa – note his (delusional?) final statement.
Q. Down the line in this tournament, if you end up having to play Rafa again, do you play him differently, or do you still go out and play your regular game? Do you feel at some point you need to change the way you play against him?
ROGER FEDERER: No, I play as well as I can against him. I’ve tried many different things against Rafa. It depends a lot also on the conditions, you know. You look at the finals last week. Both (Murray and Nadal) couldn’t play the way they usually play because the wind was howling, you know. You have to adapt to the conditions. Is it really hot? Is it windy? Is it cool? Is it day? Is it night? All those kinds of things matter in tennis. Usually, it’s the aggressive playing style that makes me beat Rafa. And especially on the hardcourts, you know, I didn’t get that many chances if I look back. I’ve had so many more times on clay. You know, on a hardcourt I have to play aggressive against him. There’s no way around that. I know how I have to play him. I’ve beat him enough to know.
Notice how Roger deftly avoids answering the question about diapers and “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”:
Q. I just want to ask you about becoming a father this summer. Are you already, like, reading books about babies and things like that? Do you know anything about babies? Have you ever changed a diaper?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I’m very excited, so is Mirka. We’re looking forward to see how it’s going to impact our lives. I hung around quite a few kids last few years, so it’s been fun seeing how it all works. You know, before that, I was young myself. So I think it’s sort of the right time now for us to do this move, and, yeah, we’ll see how it goes.
On “what Mirka wants”:
Q. You’re friends with a couple of former players, like Pete Sampras and Tim Henman, both of whom are fathers and both of whom had to balance the challenge of playing with being a father. Have you spoken to them, or would you like to speak to them to find out how it was for them?
ROGER FEDERER: I haven’t actually spoken to them, but they both congratulated me. That’s nice. I think it’s up to me to make the right decisions. I’m sure I’m still going to be very, very focused in the game of tennis. That’s what Mirka wants, anyway, as well. That’s a good thing. I think it’s just going to be more fun, even. I think it’s going to motivate me and inspire me seeing how the child grows and so forth. And Mirka’s dream, especially mine too in a way, was always to maybe one day have maybe, you know, a kid on the sideline seeing me play while I’m still active. I think there’s a great possibility now, and so I’m excited about that.
Wait, so is it Mirka’s dream or your dream, Roger, to haul a little tyke around the world from tournament to tournament? My bet is that Mirka’s would like someone other than Gavin Rossdale to chat with in the players’ boxes.
Oh, and I didn’t forget! Here’s Roger being ogled by his female fans!
I know what you all are thinking!
This may look G-Rated, but trust me, that lady’s ready to pounce!
Roger/Sveta image: Down the Line via justjared
Press conference photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images
Roger/Fedophile photo and Wilson booth photo by Michael Heiman/Getty Images
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