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Federer wins 10th Basel title

Roger Federer won his 10th Swiss Indoors Basel title, defeating Alex De Minaur 6-2, 6-2 to secure what the Swiss legend described as "an unbelievable" success at the home-town tournament.

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Federer to play 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Roger Federer will go for gold in 2020. The Swiss star confirmed that he will compete for Switzerland at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

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Federer wins 10th Halle title

Roger Federer made history in Halle, defeating David Goffin 7-6 (2), 6-1 to win a record 10th Noventi Open title. It is the first time that Federer has earned 10 crowns at one tournament.

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Federer wins fourth Miami Open title

Roger Federer produced a championship masterclass under the Florida sun, dominating reigning champ John Isner 6-1, 6-4 to win his fourth Miami title.

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Federer makes history in Dubai, wins 100th title

Roger Federer made history at the Dubai Duty Free Championships, defeating reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to win his 100th tour-level title.

Rafa, Murray and Nole sends wishes for Federer's 30th birthday





Roger Federer is on the cover of next week's Schweizer Illustrierte Magazine. The magazine revealed that Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have sent him birthday wishes.

Date: 30.07.2011

Federer and Hingis taking next Olympic steps

Roger Federer and Martina Hingis are one of the most eagerly anticipated potential pairings in mixed doubles as we look ahead to the 2012 Olympics. Luckily for many tennis fans, early steps are being taken to set a Federer-Hingis partnership in motion.

The London Games will mark the introduction of a mixed doubles event at the Olympics, and many in the tennis world were thrilled by initial rumors of a Federer-Hingis pairing after Hingis confirmed that she had been approached by a member of Federer’s team. At the time, Hingis had sounded unsure about the possibility of competing alongside the 16-time Grand Slam champion.

According to SI.com, former world No. 1 Hingis has indeed had an “informal conversation” with Federer’s camp about the matter, says Phil de Picciotto, the Octagon president of athletes & personalities and one of Hingis’s agents. De Picciotto said that it would be “premature for Martina to think about the Olympics,” however.

Nevertheless, Swiss Tennis president Rene Stammbach says that he is planning on sitting down and “having conversations with the parties involved on that potential subject” in August.

The Swiss Tennis Association will also be meeting with Federer’s team next week to discuss the world No. 3’s plans for the 2012 Olympics, a meeting that would include a discussion of potential mixed doubles partner Hingis.

In order for Hingis to join Federer in the mixed doubles competition, however, she will need to satisfy a number of requirements. The five-time Grand Slam champion must likely make a return to the WTA tour so that she may gain the professional ranking that she would need in order to qualify for Olympic singles or doubles play.

Additionally, Hingis must make herself available for anti-doping testing for a minimum of three months prior to the Olympics, although she would be able to achieve this through testing outside of competition.

Another requirement would be for Hingis to play Fed Cup in 2012, as players must have made themselves available for Fed Cup two of the past four years. Switzerland would therefore need to petition the International Olympic Committee to secure entry for Hingis, who has not participated in a Fed Cup tie since 1998. According to SI.com, ambiguity in what constitutes a player making herself “available” for Fed Cup leaves open the possibility that Hingis could be found to have satisfied the requirement.

Hingis has never won an Olympic medal, while Federer claimed Olympic gold in men’s doubles in 2008 with partner Stanislas Wawrinka. Hingis and Federer have made a winning duo in the past, leading Switzerland to a Hopman Cup title in 2001.

Date: 26.07.2011, Source: 10 Balls

2nd Birthday for Myla Rose and Charlene Riva

23rd July is the most beautiful and joyful day in Roger Federer and his family members life. Today is the second birthday for Federer's twin babies Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.

Roger Federer is married to Mirka Vavrinec. They were married in Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family at Wenkenhof Villa (municipality of Riehen). On 23 July 2009, Mirka gave birth to twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.
I wish a very happy birthday to Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.

With Regards,
Nirmal Balaji

Federer aiming for 6th US Open Title

The 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer aiming to win the 6th US Open championship in this year.

The 29-year-old Roger Federer is one of the hot favorite to win the 2011 US Open tournament, where he won the championship for five consecutive occasions from 2004 to 2008. Federer is looking for his sixth US open, which it could surpass American tennis legend Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors for most US Open titles victory record. Federer had become the only man to win the Olympus US Open Series and US Open crown in 2007.

Federer has been struggling with his form from past season, where he had not won a single major title in this year. His best performances at a Grand Slam come in 2010 Australian Open, as he defeated World No. 4 ranked Andy Murray in three straight sets with a 6–3, 6–4 and 7–6(11) to lift the title for fourth time. Federer also reached in the 2011 French Open final, but failed to make into victory against Rafael Nadal.

The Swiss star Federer should work hard on his main weapons in tennis like volley and serve. He has been started working with Coach Paul Annacone, ahead of the Roger Cup in Toronto and Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, which will begin on next month.

Date: 22.07.2011, Source: LTG

Roger Federer is on a visit to Miami from Rapperswil

Rapperswil-Jona - Roger Federer turned Grünfeld sports complex in a commercial for Wilson.

The Tennis Hall Green field in Rapperswil-Jona remained closed yesterday, Wednesday. The reason: global star Roger Federer beat the balls on the pitch for a promotional film of Wilson tennis racquet manufacturer.

Lasted about seven hours filming. "Last year, the TV ad was filmed in Miami yet. And now! ", Says Peter Merkli, Chairman of the Sports Center Grunfeld.

About 20 indoor tennis courts in Switzerland are beginning to come into question, "but we've made a TV crew apparently with our excellent conditions," stresses Merkli. The souvenir photo with Roger Federer will now be given a place of honor.

Date: 22.07.2011, Source: Blick

Annacone: Federer focusing more on strategy

Roger Federer’s coach, Paul Annacone, tells the Sag Harbor Express that the Swiss is primarily focusing on the mental aspect of his game to continue competing at the top level.
 

"When you’re fortunate enough to be with someone like Roger, most of it is just game management: Understanding what he wants to do and how he’s going to do it," Annacone said.

"Obviously, in today’s men’s game it’s very difficult to compete. And you see Novak Djokovic having such a great year and Rafa’s always Rafa, so that makes it difficult. But, Roger got to the semis in the Australian Open, got to the finals of the French Open, and quarterfinals of Wimbledon: he’s right there."
 
"I don’t see any reason why he’s not going to be really geared up and ready to play in New York. A lot of it is your mental disposition and also the strategic way you’re approaching the match on the day. Obviously, we go on the court and do a lot of drills and we do a lot of things to work on good habits and engrain good technique in their shots and understand how they’re hitting the shots. But a lot of it is shot selection and an emphasis on strategy." Annacone added.

Date: 17.07.2011, Source: Tennis.com

Agassi says Federer, Nadal are the best

His own rivalry with Pete Sampras was intense, but Andre Agassi feels nothing matches the current battle for tennis supremacy between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"Federer and Nadal has been even more compelling, with the standard of their play and that they are the antithesis of one another," Agassi said Thursday on a conference call. "Having someone dominate the game like no one else like Federer, and then Nadal to have a two-to-one record over him in his prime.… that speaks to the complexity of our sport."

The Las Vegas native known as master returner of serves said the level of tennis played on the ATP Tour is continually rising and that Federer, a record 16-time grand slam champ, has "an entirely different skill set than I ever encountered. Roger have pushed the game further than Pete or I ever did."

Date: 15.07.2011, Source: Canadian Press

Federer launches school project in Malawi

Top tennis star Roger Federer on Tuesday launched a $3.3-million (2.4-million-euro) project that seeks to put 54,000 children in school in impoverished Malawi in the next 10 years.

"As the father of two little girls, I observe every day how incredibly fast children learn if their environment is a stimulating one," the 16-time Grand Slam winner said in a statement.

"It is a great privilege for me and my foundation to help give children in Malawi the chance to reach their full potential," the Swiss star added.

The programme, through the Roger Federer Foundation, will be implemented in collaboration with development organisation Action Aid Malawi and will aim to build 80 community-based child care centres in six of the country's 28 districts.

The centres, aimed at three- to five-year-olds, will be equipped with classrooms, education supplies and play areas and also provide a "nutritious meal to every child in attendance," said Martha Khonje, country director of Action Aid.

"In a country where nearly half of all children under five are chronically malnourished and over three million children under eight are out of school, the initiative could not have come soon enough," Khonje told AFP.

She said Federer's foundation had been "looking to work with organisations who specialise in early child development, and we fitted into their requirement after submitting a concept paper."

Khonje said every day her organisation "witnesses devastating impacts of children missing out on school, from low literacy rates to early pregnancy."

Malawi is one of Africa's poorest countries, with half its 13 million people living below the poverty line.

Founded in 2003, the Roger Federer Foundation supports education and sports projects that have enrolled almost 20,000 children in Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Switzerland, according to its website.
Date: 13.07.2011, Source: AFP

Roger and Stan win the doubles

Roger and Stanislas Wawrinka won their doubles match against Portugal's Frederico Gil and Leonardo Tavares 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 today in Bern. They needed less than two hours, even though they had a tough start.

Switzerland has now an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the group and only two matches left to play. They are now qualified for the World Group playoffs in September.

Date: 09.07.2011, Source: RF Official

Roger Federer wins for Switzerland in Davis Cup

Roger Federer overcame early problems to beat Portugal’s Rui Machado and guide Switzerland to a 2-0 lead in the Davis Cup on Friday.

Federer’s service was broken twice in the opening set by the 93rd-ranked Machado before he recovered to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the Group I second round match.

“I guess I struggled early on and Machado played good tennis and deserved to win the first set,” Federer said.

It was Federer’s first match since losing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga last week, and his first on hard courts since April.

“I don’t want to say I underestimated the conditions. It’s again a surface change … it’s very different to Wimbledon,” he said.

Earlier Friday, Federer’s Olympics gold medal-winning doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka beat Frederico Gil 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Federer and Wawrinka are scheduled to face Gil and Leonardo Tavares in Saturday’s doubles rubber. The winning nation advances to a playoff in September with a chance to join the 16-nation world group.

Federer’s first Davis Cup match in almost two years meant he met International Tennis Federation eligibility rules for the 2012 London Olympics events being played at Wimbledon.

The noisy home fans in an 8,000 crowd most dressed in red and some swinging traditional Swiss cowbells had occasional uneasy moments as Federer made twice as many unforced errors as Machado.

Federer served to open the match and lost the game after sending two miscued backhand topspin shots long. The third-ranked Swiss broke back in the fourth game but fell behind 5-6 when Machado seized his third break point chance with a forehand cross-court winner. In the second set, Federer punched the air and shouted “Come on!” when he broke Machado’s serve to lead 3-1.

Federer took the opening game of the third on the Portuguese’s serve, and shouted encouragement to himself again when overturning a 0-40 deficit on his serve to lead 3-1. He saved a break point at 5-4 with a service Machado could not return, then clinched the set with another service winner.

Federer ended the match with an ace before conducting the crowd in a victory celebration.

“I really enjoyed myself out there,” he said. “I was happy at the end that we got the second point for Switzerland.”

Date: 08.07.2011, Source: AP

Federer set for Davis Cup return

Looking to swiftly put behind him his Wimbledon quarter-final defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a match in which he had led by two sets, Roger Federer will this weekend lead Switzerland in its Davis Cup clash against Portugal.

The Basel native posted a photo of himself on his official Facebook page, which has 8.2 million followers, saying, “In Bern having a nice time with the Swiss Davis Cup team, walked through the city earlier today.”

The 29-year-old Federer has a 37-11 record in the ITF men’s team competition, and is representing Switzerland for the first time since September 2009, when he helped his nation to a 3-2 victory over Italy.

Switzerland was relegated from the World Group in 2010 and Federer declared on his official web site earlier in the year that he is committed to helping his team return to the elite eight-team group. “I've decided I'm going to play the Davis Cup tie in July at home against Portugal,” wrote the Swiss No. 1. “I'm really looking forward to helping Switzerland begin the process of getting back into the World Group.”

Federer is joined in the Swiss team by World No. 15 Stanislas Wawrinka and will face a Portugal side spearheaded by the No. 90-ranked Frederico Gil and No. 93 Rui Machado. The tie will be played on indoor hard-court in Bern from  8-10 July, with the winning nation progressing to the World Group play-offs in September.

Date: 05.07.2011, Source: ATP

Rafa Nadal: "I will never overtake Roger Federer's record"

Rafael Nadal fears he will never take Roger Federer’s place as the most successful player in the history of men’s tennis.

Nadal have won 10 Grand Slams so far. But that would still be six behind Swiss star Federer’s record for winning the game’s major prizes and the ­Spaniard believes even at the tender age of 25 it will be too big a gap to bridge.

Nadal said: “The career of Roger is probably impossible to repeat and I believe the number he has is not going to stop where it is. He will have more chances to win more."

“It’s going to be strange if within three or four years one player wins more than him, and he’s the best ever. Probably that’s not gonna happen.”

Federer is far superior in measures of No. 1 ranking (total years, total weeks, consecutive weeks, ranking points); Grand Slam and World Tour Finals championships (total and consecutive titles / finals / semifinals / quarterfinals as well as major match winning percentage); total tournaments (titles, finals); match winning percentage (career, year/season, Grand Slam, against top ten players); winning streaks and records; retirements and withdrawals from matches; Laureus World Sportsman of the Year awards; sportsmanship awards; etc.

Federer has been No. 1 for 285 total weeks (237 consecutive weeks) compared to Nadal's only 102 total weeks (only 56 consecutive weeks). Nadal lost the No. 1 ranking twice during his peak age. Federer has reached 29 major finals (won 21 major titles in Grand Slams and World Tour Finals) compared to Nadal's 14 major finals (won 10 major titles). Nadal does not have a season ranked among the ten most dominant seasons in modern tennis history. Federer has three of the top ten most dominant seasons (2005 season 81-4 win-loss, 2006 season 92-5, 2004 season 76-4). Despite Nadal's 17-8 winning record over him, Federer has the better winning record against other top ten players (when you remove Federer-Nadal's matches, Federer's 130-54 win-loss over other top ten players is better than Nadal's 65-35 win loss).

70 % of Nadal's titles came on clay.

Date: 04.07.2011, Source: Mirror

Roger Federer captured on Canvas in four minutes



In a spectacular show, the artist Jean-Pierre Blanchard painted a portrait of Roger Federer at the presentation of the SVC Entrepreneur Award in Zurich in no time at all. The painting was auctioned for charity. The highest bid was made by Ernst & Young Zurich.

Thomas Sauber, a partner and head office manager at Ernst & Young in Zurich, recently purchased an oil painting of Roger Federer on behalf of his company. What is remarkable about this portrait is that the tennis star did not have to sit for hours. The French action painter Jean-Pierre Blanchard only took four minutes to capture Federer's face on canvas from memory without a model. “I was delighted by the artist's performance and the quality of the painting,“ said Sauber.

Painting Auctioned for a Good Cause

The fast-paced art show took place at the presentation of the Swiss Venture Club's (SVC) Entrepreneur Award for the Zurich business area at the Hallenstadion. The painting was auctioned for a good cause at the event itself. “I made an off-the-cuff bid,“ recalled Thomas Sauber. And it secured the lot. The painting was acquired by Ernst & Young for 16,100 Swiss francs. “I would have gone a bit higher but not much,“ he said. All of the money will go to the Roger Federer Foundation which supports children in Africa. Christian Bonnot, owner of the event and artist agency Bonnot’s Event House, which organized the SVC event, explained that the tennis champion had insisted on this condition. He said: “He immediately gave us permission to use his image during the entertainment section. But the proceeds from the auction had to go to his foundation."

Hoping for Federer's Signature

Sauber already knows exactly what he intends to do with the painting. He explained: “Ernst & Young Zurich will soon relocate to new offices in the Prime Tower. We'll hang it up there in a prominent spot.“ However, the attorney at law still has other plans which he hopes come to fruition. “I'd like to organize an employee event at which Roger Federer signs the painting personally and money would be collected for his foundation,“ he added. Although the tennis star's signature would significantly increase the painting's value, Sauber is not entertaining any thoughts of reselling it: “I'm a big fan of Roger Federer. The painting is a collector's item and will remain in our offices.“

Iconic Figure like Che Guevara

Jean-Pierre Blanchard is also a fan of Roger Federer. “I admire him greatly,“ revealed the artist. “He's incredibly talented but has kept his feet on the ground.“ Blanchard immediately accepted the invitation to paint the tennis star's portrait. He required just under four days to prepare. He said: “Federer has a distinctive face that fits with his competitive nature and strong character. He is relatively easy to paint.“ The artist normally paints portraits of figures like Pavarotti or Che Guevara at his shows. “I'd like to include Federer in my standard repertoire,“ he commented.

AC/DC Preferred

Blanchard was more than happy with his performance at the SVC event. The audience was captivated by his show which is a combination of a “dance with a paint brush“ and music. There was one minor drawback. Blanchard said: “The organizers wanted a classic pop track for background music. I would have chosen something by the rock band AC/DC. Their music is more rhythmic, punchier and has greater tempo. That would have suited Roger Federer better."

Date: 02.07.2011, Source: Credit Suisse

Federer Greatness: Rolex Commercial for Wimbledon 2011



ROGER FEDERER: SIX WIMBLEDON CROWNS. He's gone through the record books. A seemingly effortless rewrite of the sport's history. But his story goes well beyond the court. A life inspired inspires others.

Date: 30.06.2011 , Source: Rolex