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Oct 10, 2008 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Dear fans

After some rest and physical training, I have decided to play in Madrid next week. I am eager and excited to get back on court after winning my 5th consecutive US Open and the Davis Cup tie last month in Switzerland. I will take it one week at a time to ensure I am fully prepared for 2009.

Oct 9, 2008 from AFP:
MADRID - Roger Federer will be back on the ATP tour for the Madrid Masters this month, organisers announced Thursday.

"It's definitely great news to be able to count on the presence of Roger Federer for another year," said the director of the tournament Manolo Santana. "He is a great champion and one of the favorites for the title."

Oct 6, 2008 from AFP:
Roger Federer is now in Dubai working on his fitness with Davis Cup coach Severin Luethi and resting to make sure he's erased all traces of the glandular fever which compromised his early season.

The US Open champion says he will decide week-by-week when and if to return this season and could conceivably miss both remaining Masters Series dates in Madrid next week and Paris two weeks later.

from BBC:
Q: You were the last serve-volleyer to win Wimbledon in 2001. How do you think you would do if you were playing in this era and will we ever see a serve-volleyer in the top 10 again? (From jimbo7482)

Goran Ivanisevic: "Tough, because first of all the grass is very slow. I played the seniors there last year and the bounces on Centre Court and Court One were so high.

Before you couldn't stay back, it was impossible because the court was so quick. Now, I ask Roger Federer why he doesn't come in more and he says, 'I can't, it's too slow.' So I don't think it's going to happen because they're going to make the court even slower and it would be a suicide mission.

Oct 2, 2008 from Reuters:
MELBOURNE - Roger Federer will again warm up for the Australian Open at the invitational Kooyong Classic, organizers said Thursday.

"The (20)09 field is shaping up well, headed by an in-form Roger Federer," tournament director Colin Stubs said.

Federer's Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka has also been confirmed for the January 14-17 tournament.

from BusinessWeek:
NEW YORK - Golfer Tiger Woods, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and NBA Commissioner David Stern top BusinessWeek's second annual "The Power 100" ranking of the 100 most powerful people in sports. LeBron James ranks as the top NBA athlete at No. 17, 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps debuts on the list at No. 42, and Danica Patrick, Indy Racing League driver, is the highest-ranked female on the list at No. 50.

Measuring individual power in a global industry as diverse as sports isn't easy. But for the second year in a row, a panel of experts has done just that for BusinessWeek, ranking the 100 most powerful Americans in sports. This year, BusinessWeek also asked them to do something else: choose the industry's 25 most influential people in sports outside the U.S., which includes Joseph Blatter, President of FIFA (No. 1), David Beckham (No. 5), and Roger Federer (No. 9).

Oct 1, 2008 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger announced today that he will not be participating in the Stockholm Open which starts next Monday.

"2008 has been a tough year for me as I was always playing catch up after being diagnosed with mononucleosis at the beginning of the year. I feel fortunate to be healthy again, but I want to remain at the top of the game for many more years to come and go after the #1 ranking again. In order to do that, I need to get a proper rest and get strong again so that I am 100% fit for the remainder of the year or next year. At this point, I am not sure when I will be ready to play again, but I hope to be back at some point before the end of the year. I apologize to the tennis fans in Sweden as I was looking forward to playing in Stockholm again. The country has produced so many incredible tennis players and the tournament has such a great history. I hope to be able to come back at some point in the future."

Sep 29, 2008 from Sports Business Journal:
David Higdon, when he was with the ATP, once talked Roger Federer into a mid-tournament interview during Wimbledon with David Foster Wallace, telling Federer that Foster was his idol. The resulting piece, “Federer as Religious Experience,” according to Higdon, was the “No. 1 forwarded story in 2006 from the New York Times online sports section.” Now Higdon has written a tribute to Wallace, “a genius” who recently committed suicide.

Sep 23, 2008 from AP:
Tuesday's 2009 Davis Cup World Group draw handed the United States a tough opener at home against Switzerland, though it's not certain whether Roger Federer will play in the March 6-8 matches.

The countries split their two prior meetings, with Federer winning three points to lead the Swiss to victory in Basel in another first-round series played in 2001.

But Federer hasn't played in an early Davis Cup series since 2004, preferring to wait until the later rounds.

Federer said last week that the schedule is more conducive for Davis Cup next year.

"This year it was particularly brutal actually for all of us," he said. "It has been really difficult. Next year it is going to be easier."

Swiss Tennis spokeswoman Sandra Perez said the team hopes Federer will play, noting that he is scheduled to play in the United States the following week at Indian Wells, Calif., from March 9-22.

"Roger has said he wants to put the Davis Cup into his calendar, but he wants to see all the details first," Perez said. "He will do anything possible to be there.

from ESPN:
Last week the USTA made an impressive hire in bringing Jose Higueras into their fold as Director of Coaching for USTA Elite Player Development, backing up his new boss Patrick McEnroe, General Manager of the operation.

McEnroe told ESPN's Bonnie Ford during the Davis Cup last week in Spain that Higueras' contract precludes him from working with individual players -- including Roger Federer, who hired Higueras to refine his clay-court technique earlier this season and employed him again as a "consultant'' during the U.S. Open.

Sep 22, 2008 from Sports Business Journal:
Swiss coffee machine maker Jura has renewed its endorsement contract with Roger Federer in a seven-year deal valued by one source at $16 million.

Jura is a high-end coffee maker whose machines sell for more than $1,000 in upscale retail shops such as Williams-Sonoma. Three years ago, Jura invested most of its marketing dollars in Federer.

The effort has succeeded. Last year, Jura’s sales rose 18 percent, to $343 million. With the new deal, Federer’s image will be emblazoned on all Jura packaging.

“It’s a small company from a small village in Switzerland, and they took a risk three years ago with Roger,” said Tony Godsick, Federer’s agent at IMG. “He is not just about bigger deals, but smaller deals.”

Godsick declined to comment on terms of the renewal.

Sep 21, 2008 from Davis Cup:
LAUSANNE - Switzerland celebrated its immediate return to the World Group in the Davis Cup in style defeating Belgium 4-1 and also gave their fans a lot to cheer about on the last day when the stars got a day of rest.

Stephane Bohli, who replaced Roger Federer, proved his value as the No. 3 Swiss player by defeating Steve Darcis 63 16 63. The 25-year-old from Geneva didn't lose his focus when the Belgian No. 1 equalized and got the decisive break at 4-3 in the final set. "It was a great day for me with this great crowd and I'm so happy that I was able to contribute one point," Bohli said after contributing his fourth consecutive singles point this year.

Xavier Malisse then gave the visitors a deserved point when he disposed of Yves Allegro 63 62. Allegro came in as a substitute for Stanislas Wawrinka, and scored the first point for his country after an absence of more than four years. The spectators had a lot of fun in this match which at times seemed more like an exhibition with the Swiss doubles specialist showing a lot of comical talent.

The Swiss have reason to be optimistic about the future. This year has showed more than ever that it's not a one-man-show. In fact, in the absence of Federer - as well as in his presence - Wawrinka, Bohli, Allegro and Michael Lammer have all contributed to the success and with long-time injured Marco Chiudinelli there is another player capable of supporting them.

Sep 20, 2008 from Davis Cup:
LAUSANNE - Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka gave Switzerland an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Play-off tie against Belgium. The Olympic champions won the doubles in Lausanne against Xavier Malisse and Olivier Rochus 46 76(6) 63 63.

The magical ride with the two heroes of Beijing had begun thirty minutes prior to the start of the match: The Swiss received a special celebration for their Olympic effort in a place that was already filled to capacity. Accompanied by sports minister Mr Samuel Schmid, and Jörg Schild, the director of Swiss Olympic, Mr René Stammbach, the president of Swiss Tennis, had a speech for the champions who had entered the court with their gold medal. "The Olympic success is also encouraging for the Davis Cup. After winning the gold, why shouldn't we dream of winning the Davis Cup now?"

The 6000 fans were certainly not ones to say no to this proposal. Federer and Wawrinka got long standing ovations and each a collage with memories from Beijing. After one more celebration round, the Swiss had to prepare for the doubles. "The emotions were strong. I had tears in my eyes and couldn't find the proper words", Federer said.

And there were no more gifts. In fact, in the beginning it was quite a bumpy ride with the Belgians, 2004 winners of the French Open, taking the early break to lead 2-1. The Swiss equalized to 4-4 when Olivier Rochus was unable to win a point but then the next pieces of magic came from him. The small player with huge heart and great hands sealed the break against Federer in the next game by scoring an unbelievable point with a forehand passing shot. He then converted the third set point with a perfect drop volley.

And the bumpy ride continued in the second set, when the Swiss were taken to a tiebreak. "Fedrinka", as they are called by some people now, took a 5-2 lead but Wawrinka then couldn't serve it out. As a result the Swiss got in trouble and faced set point at 5-6. A forehand-top-spin-volley by Federer led to 6-6 and then Malisse missed a "penalty shot" at 6-7 by hitting an easy backhand volley long. "Of course, it would have been a big difference if we could have gone two sets up", Rochus said.

From that moment, the Swiss took charge and cruised. They broke Malisse three consecutive times and finished the match after almost three hours. Then, the memories of Beijing came up one more time, when they repeated their Olympic celebration, with Wawrinka on the floor and Federer trying to get some of the heat out of his young partner. "The whole day was unbelievable with all these emotions", Wawrinka said.

from Reuters:
"It actually takes off a lot of pressure because we came into this tie as big favorites and we lived up to expectations," Federer said. "Now we can enjoy Sunday and then look forward to the World Group next year."

Federer said he felt honored and proud to represent Switzerland but was still unable to commit to the Davis Cup for 2009 and beyond.

"I don't know yet but it looks good," he said. "On Tuesday we will know the draw, that's going to answer many questions.

"It depends a lot on the ITF (International Tennis Federation), if they get their act together and put the Davis Cup weeks in the proper place.

"We have had long discussions and it has always been very difficult because some people think they know better than us players. It's actually cost me the Davis Cup for the last four years, unfortunately, because people won't understand.

Sep 19, 2008 from AP:
LAUSANNE - Roger Federer showed some rare frustration Friday, requesting a change of line judges before going on to beat Belgium's Kristof Vliegen 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-2 to give Switzerland a 2-0 lead in a Davis Cup World Group playoff.

Upset by a baseline call that led him to lose serve and trail 2-0 in the second set, Federer walked to his chair and called for match referee Norbert Peick to change the line judges.

"It was an annoying call for me and I just asked him to change them, that's all I did," the Swiss star said. "Who knows, maybe I overreacted, but I was so irritated by the call because for me it was such an obvious call."

The team of nine officials was kept in place before being removed at a change of ends when Federer trailed 4-1. They left the indoor arena to a chorus of boos from a partisan Swiss crowd.

Earlier, Stanislas Wawrinka, playing in his hometown, beat Steve Darcis 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in a four-hour match. Federer said there were also questionable line calls in the opening singles match.

"Maybe I came into the match already a bit aggravated," he said. "I know it's not easy for a linesman. I wouldn't want to be one myself."

After Federer's initial complaint, the 95th-ranked Vliegen also showed his displeasure with calls that went against him in the three games before the officials departed.

"If Roger himself is complaining about the people, with the umpire and the line umpires ... that is a really good sign to me that I was not the only one," Vliegen said.

Federer dominated the first-set tiebreaker, clinching it with an ace. After the new line judges were brought on, Federer won the next five games to take the second set.

He broke the 26-year-old Belgian's serve to open the third set and was never threatened as he closed out the match. He improved his career record in Davis Cup singles to 25-6.

"I was worried going into the first set tiebreak, I was worried midway through the second set," Federer said.

"I always thought if my game comes together from the baseline, then I would always be the overwhelming favourite and that is exactly what happened."

The Swiss pair are scheduled to revive their Olympic partnership in Saturday's doubles rubber against Xavier Malisse and Olivier Rochus.

Sep 18, 2008 from AP:
LAUSANNE - Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka will revive their Olympic gold medal-winning doubles partnership against Belgium and try to lead Switzerland back into the elite Davis Cup World Group.

Swiss captain Severin Luethi confirmed Thursday that the pair will team up for the first time in Davis Cup play in Saturday's doubles of the best-of-five playoff.

Wawrinka, ranked No. 9 in the world, will open Friday's singles against 58th-ranked Steve Darcis. Federer follows against No. 95 Kristof Vliegen. The matchups are reversed for Sunday's singles.

The Swiss pairing will face Olivier Rochus and Xavier Malisse, who won the doubles title a the 2004 French Open. The Belgian duo each present Federer with some personal history.

As a 17-year-old in 1999, Federer lost both his Davis Cup singles matches — including one to Malisse — and the Swiss team fell 3-2 in the quarterfinals in Brussels.

"I don't have any good memories of that match," Federer said. "I have waited a long time for revenge."

Federer and Rochus are friends from their days on the junior circuit. They teamed up to win the boys' doubles at Wimbledon in 1998, when Federer also won the boys' singles.

The 27-year-old Rochus said he was not surprised that Federer turned a rare appearance in doubles into a gold medal at Beijing.

"When it was important in the Olympics he played once and he won it," the Belgian said. "That proves he is the best player in the world. He can do anything with the ball."

from Davis Cup:
Since Monday Federer has been practising with the team and doesn't consider fatigue a factor: "I feel fine, I haven't played a match in ten to twelve days and am ready to go."

Both Swiss can benefit from the home court advantage to the biggest extent. Wawrinka is from the village of St-Barthlemy and lives in Lausanne and Federer has had some of the most important years of his career when he joined the national centre in Ecublens at the age of 14.

Sep 17, 2008 from Desert Sun:
World-renown tennis coach Jose Higueras of Palm Springs has been named the director of coaching for the USTA Elite Player Development on Tuesday, which will essentially end his working relationship with U.S. Open champion Roger Federer.

It was with Federer's blessing that Higueras took the job.

“From the beginning, Roger said he only wanted someone for eight to 10 weeks per year,” Higueras said. “When this came about, he didn't discourage me because he thought it was a great opportunity and he would respect that.

Sep 16, 2008 from Reuters:
LAUSANNE - Roger Federer is hoping his return to form can help take his country back into the World Group of the Davis Cup this weekend when Switzerland battle Belgium.

"I think the Olympic gold medal definitely inspired me," Federer told a media conference on Tuesday. "I was disappointed to lose in the quarter-finals (of the Olympic singles) but I didn't play terribly then or throughout the summer."

Swiss captain Severin Luethi said he had yet to decide if Federer would pair up with Wawrinka again in Saturday's doubles or play with regular Cup partner Yves Allegro.

Either way, Federer said his return to action in the team competition would bring back memories of his Olympic triumph.

"For sure it's very similar to the Olympic Games," said Federer. "We have a really nice team here, the doubles was great over there. It was a dream come true to win gold for Switzerland and now here we go again.

"It's happened very few times that I have won a grand slam and then come straight on to a Davis Cup tie, and it's a nice scenario to share that victory with the Swiss people."

Federer has opted to skip the early stages of the Davis Cup in recent seasons, returning only to help the team in their efforts to avoid relegation from the World Group.

The strategy, aimed at allowing Federer to focus on his individual schedule, backfired last year when a full-strength Swiss team were upset 3-2 in the Czech Republic, consigning Switzerland to the Europe/Africa Zone Group One.

"I said a few years ago that I wanted to concentrate on keeping my number one ranking, that I hoped the team could win without me and that I would then return for the quarter-finals," Federer recalled on Tuesday. "Unfortunately it didn't work out quite the way we had planned."

Federer said he hoped to make the Davis Cup more of a priority in the future, but that it was too early to say if he would play in Switzerland's opening tie next year.

"The first thing we have to do is beat Belgium, and we won't be underestimating them," he said.

from AP:
LAUSANNE - Winning an Olympic gold medal helped Roger Federer turn around his difficult year.

"I think it has definitely inspired me," Federer said Tuesday as he prepared to lead Switzerland in a Davis Cup playoff against Belgium this weekend.

"It helped me to stay positive and be motivated for the U.S. Open and not maybe be too disappointed," said the 27-year-old Swiss.

"I'm happy that I've got an Olympic gold now in my pocket and that I've also got a U.S. Open trophy, so it couldn't be better right now."

On Friday, Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka will play in the opening singles matches against Belgium.

"It was a dream come true for both of us to win Olympic gold for Switzerland," Federer said. "And here we go again."

Swiss fans have snapped up every ticket for the three-day series at the 6,400-capacity Malley indoor arena, a converted ice rink near the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne.

Sep 15, 2008 from Jura:
Niederbuchsiten - JURA and Roger Federer have extended their partnership to the year 2016. Federer becomes the long-term worldwide brand ambassador for the Swiss premium brand and has represented JURA since August 2006.

Thanks to the cooperation with Federer, JURA's brand awareness has grown worldwide. JURA General Manager Emanuel Probst says: "Roger Federer shares a lot of values with JURA: heritage, precision, hard work and a passion for excellence."

Thanks to the 'Federer effect' JURA's sales have grown faster. "To have him as an ambassador helps us to open many doors and increases our brand awareness" says Probst.

Federer is an important factor in the growth of the Swiss company. In 2007 JURA grew 18.2% to CHF 384 millions. In the last ten years, JURA has quintupled its revenues.

For Probst, Federer is not only a great tennis player, but someone with a modest and downto- earth personality. He is a global star with none of the trappings of success. "Now that the battle for the number one position in tennis has taken on a new dimension, the interest surrounding Federer has actually increased. That adds even greater value to our brand" says Probst.

from India Express Buzz:
CHENNAI - Pankaj Advani, the world billiards champion who believes that cue sports is 75 percent mental and 25 per cent physical, draws huge inspiration from tennis legend Roger Federer.

"Federer is my idol. I like the way he plays, even when he plays 80 percent of his ability he wins Grand Slams. I was upset when he lost the No 1 crown to Nadal. But I was happy when my World Championship win coincided with his US Open win," said Pankaj stating that he wished to coach school children in the future.

from Star-Telegram:
It’s the Face the Nation host’s first tennis match, where he’ll eventually get to see the great Roger Federer beat Scottish upstart Andy Murray for Federer’s fifth consecutive U.S. Open final. Bob Schieffer may be a tennis newbie, but his 7-year-old granddaughter knows who Federer is, so the 71-year-old newsman figures he has some catching up to do.

Sep 14, 2008 from SLAMXHYPE:

+41 started this project along with Nike with the idea that Roger Federer is a kind of magician. His career is already historical and it is well known that this amazing tennis palyer is more than just a great sportsman. This project began when the team at +41 met Federer and Mirka in Wimbeldon this year. +41 based the concept and aesthetic around Magic and Infinity, researching and collecting on symbolism, magic, infinity and esoterism. They came out with a minimal modern magical language and developed a series of logos representing ten of the most defining moments in Roger’s life. These logos tend to represent in the best way these moments. The goal was to make them expressive and scheming at the same time, acting like a kindred of mysterious symbols. The RF infinite talent Logo, has been the starting point of the all series. We had to insist on the point that there is no finish line on such journey. What Roger Federer is accomplishing is unique and historical, in other words its Magic. The installation refers to the two main themes of Infinity and Magic. +41 created a physical experimentation of the infinity, by making a mirrors corner, where people can enter in an infinite space, like a portal to the never-ending. The reflections in the mirrors create a timeless moment around a timeless Talent. The mirrors corner contains the RF Windrunner on a hanger, designed like a one line geometrical star, as an infinite sign.

Sep 13, 2008 from Daily Record:
Roger Federer may have tanked Hibs fan Andy Murray in the US Open Final but Easter Road keeper Yves Ma-Kalamby revealed he's had some help from the Swiss tennis superstar.

It was at the Olympics Games in China that the 13-times Grand Slam winner struck up an unlikely alliance with SPL star Ma-Kalamby.

The pair became lunch buddies in the Olympic Village canteen as the Hibee was representing Belgium in the football event.

Federer and Ma-Kalamby chatted sport and psychology and the keeper admits it was an enthralling experience. He vowed to take football-fanatic Federer's advice on board in his bid to nail down the No.1 jersey in Leith.

The Belgian said: "The Olympic village housed only the 12,000 athletes and 5000 staff. It was like a closed city with restaurants and shops. There were no media or press inside and the only thing you had was the T-shirt of your country so the security staff knew who you were.

"I was there with the runners, the jumpers and all kinds of sportsmen. There were a few double takes. When Rafael Nadal went by, I looked at him twice. It was the same with the US basketball team.

"Seeing how they behave on a normal day was great and inside the village you got the respect of fellow athletes.

"When you were eating, there were no sections for different countries. It was just one big dining area.

"I was like a kid being around some of those stars but we all had something in common.

"I spoke to Federer a few times. He speaks French, so it was easier.

"Roger was having food one day and I took my place next to him. We just started talking. I knew who he was but he didn't know me so I explained I played football in Scotland.

"He gave me good advice about focusing on your own goals and not caring what people say. He reckoned that at the end of the day, goalkeeping is the same as tennis. Even though there are 11 players in the team, you are on your own as a goalkeeper at times.

"He told me to be a bit more selfish and think about myself more. I need to put it into practice.

"Obviously, he is doing that really well himself and I'm trying to do the same. He was a great man. Very elegant but very down-to-earth and he loves his football. To be fair, his advice was right as although football is teamwork, a keeper can be highlighted and sometimes you have to deal with things on your own."

Sep 12, 2008 from Roger Federer Official Site:
Roger enjoyed a triumphant welcome home in Basel yesterday. Around 3,000 people turned out for the event, giving Roger, Stanislas Wawrinka and Fabian Cancellara (cycling, the third Swiss winner of a gold medal in Beijing) a standing ovation as they arrived.

Doubles tennis winners Roger and Stan and two-time cycling champion Fabian Cancellara displayed their medals from a balcony at the city hall on Thursday. The celebrations came just two days after Roger clinched the US Open victory, his 13th Grand Slam title. "It is good to be back in Switzerland after a long journey of more than nine weeks. It is special to be able to share this moment with Stan and Fabian," said Roger.

It was a perfect event to celebrate the great victories. Video clips were shown on a large screen, with great music bringing back all the emotional moments. The three athletes enjoyed walking through the crowd, giving autographs and having their pictures taken. They were then interviewed on a large stage, joking and eventually hitting autographed, oversized tennisballs towards the spectators. Official speeches by local politicians, the president of the fan club as well as Ralph Jeitziner from Nationale Suisse, sponsor of the whole event, rounded the party off well.

from MyCentralJersey.com:
Rhys Darby's star may be on the rise in America. He recently appeared in a Nike television commercial as an imposter pretending to be tennis icon Roger Federer's coach. "I was surprised that the greatest tennis player in history is shorter than me," Darby said. "I looked at his arms and I thought, "Those arms don't look more powerful than mine.' But of course, his arms are more powerful than mine. Looks can be deceiving."

from Evening Standard:
By Matthew Norman - Never has a major British sporting defeat been as painless as the one suffered by Andy Murray in New York.

Eighteen years on, I haven't even begun to recover from the World Cup '90 semi final defeat in Turin (at least that's what my £150 an hour psychoanalyst keeps telling me), while Tim Henman's Wimbledon loss to Goran Ivanisevic in 2001 and several of Nick Faldo's near misses are as raw today as they were at the time.

With Murray, there was no pain at all. This is partly because it wasn't a near miss, but mostly because it is impossible not to be delighted by Roger Federer's return to peak form.

Apart from a brief wobble in the second set, the Fed was flawless enough to make dunces of we who thought he was irreversibly on the slide.

from Sports Business Journal:
Q: Favorite Player Of All Time?

Kurt Kamperman (USTA Chief Exec of Community Tennis): Roger Federer.

Sep 11, 2008 from swissinfo:
Swiss Olympic medal winners have been given a heroes' welcome at a post Beijing Games reception in Basel.

Doubles tennis winners Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka and two-time cycling champion Fabian Cancellara displayed their gold medals from a balcony at the city hall on Thursday.

Around 3,000 people turned out for the event, giving the trio a standing ovation as they arrived.

The celebrations came just two days after Federer clinched the US Open victory, his 13th Grand Slam title.

"It is good to be back in Switzerland after a long journey of more than nine weeks. It is special to be able to share this moment with Stan and Fabian," said Federer.

"It's a fantastic feeling to have all three Swiss gold medal winners here," said Basel City official Christoph Eymann.

from CNN-IBN:
New York - With his fifth consecutive US Open trophy in hand, Roger Federer surveyed New York City from the top of the Empire State Building on Tuesday.

With this win, he has also moved to within one major championship of tying Pete Sampras' career record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

"I would like to think of this Slam as being as the Slam that I got five in a row. I know 13 is a strange number, funny number whatever you want to think. But I don't want to get struck at 13 - that's the last thing I want to do. I would love to break Sampras' record, but at the moment I think the joy is right there just having won a Grand Slam for the first time this year and having kept the run alive here at the Open," Federer said.

"I am no No. 1 at the moment but this is definitely the best reaction I could do. A win at New York and makes things more easy for me," he said.

Talking about his future plans, Federer said that he was aiming for London Olympics.

from Times of India:
NEW DELHI - MaheshBhupathi, who along with his partner Leander Paes failed to reach the semi-finals of the Beijing Olympics, said it was the hunger of Roger Federer that put paid to their efforts.

"We were playing very well that day but it was Federer who made all the difference. Losing the singles actually triggered the hunger in him and he became dangerous, he was playing all sort of shots, saving crucial points.

Sep 10, 2008 from PressReleasePoint:
New York - The following is a question and answer session with Rene Stauffer, the author of the book The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection, on Roger Federer’s victory at the 2008 US Open.

QUESTION: With this victory, can you say that "Roger is Back?"
STAUFFER: Absolutely, although he was never really gone. A lot of fans and media people tend to over react and read too much into single tournaments or results. He had spoiled everybody by winning so many major tournaments over the last four years – and that’s why the reactions (to his losses at major tournaments) this year were so strong. But Roger’s career is defined by Grand Slam tournaments more than ever, and he continued his run this year. He stands at 18 Grand Slam tournament semifinals in a row and was part of 13 of the last 14 major finals - even though he had a case of mono in early 2008, which shattered his whole preparation and made what was already a tough year with the Olympics even more difficult.

QUESTION: Does Roger feed off of a lot of the talk of people writing him off, saying that he is no longer the top man in tennis?
STAUFFER: Maybe a little more than he is ready to acknowledge. It was a bitter learning experience for him this year to realize how fast people tend to switch opinions, how changeable sport fans can be, how little respect he got from some media and certain people. But he is too proud to let this bother him, and he tried with success to stay positive and in the best possible frame of mind to give himself more chances. He really showed his mental strength in the last few months.

QUESTION: Just how rattled was Roger after losing at Wimbledon and losing his No. 1 ranking and how satisfying is this win at the US Open?
STAUFFER: Since he realized that the Wimbledon final made tennis history and lifted tennis to a new popularity, he digested the defeat much better than expected. Right after the final, he had said in interviews with the Swiss press that he was devastated and that it could not get any worse than that. However, he realized that Nadal deserved the No 1 ranking much more, but Roger gave the right answers, since in his first tournament as No. 2, he won his fifth U.S. Open.

QUESTION: How important was winning the Olympic doubles gold medal for his confidence coming into the US Open?
STAUFFER: That was the key to this title. The gold medal gave him back the inspiration and motivation, the confidence and the joy of playing tennis. He said after beating Murray that winning the doubles in Beijing put him on a cloud and that he refused to come down in New York.

from paidContent.org:
According to the US Tennis Association, some 300,000 viewers from the U..S. and U.S. territories logged on to watch Monday's rain-delayed US Open Mens Final through CBSSPorts.com or USOpen.org without geo-coding in place.

They watched a total of 234,000 hours of video with an average viewing time of about 49 minutes. As for the limits, a USTA spokesman says, "We restrict the stream to domestic use only based on international broadcast agreements."

from IHT:
Anyone for tennis? The excitement of the U.S. Open last weekend drew a few fashion editors away from the shows and to the tennis courts.

The kindest thing to say about Thom Browne's menswear collection, which opened with hunky guys in polo shirts traced with blood red and knee-high socks patterned with tennis rackets, is that he let Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray go to his head.

Sep 9, 2008 from Sky News:
On a dreary morning in New York, Roger Federer was all smiles as he posed for photos atop the Empire State building.

Federer vowed that he will stick around at the top level of the game for some time yet.

"Yeah I mean good. I've had some unbelievable years here now, five as a matter of fact. And coming over here for the Madison Square Garden event against Pete (sampras)," Federer said.

from ATP:
Roger Federer became just the second VIP after Diane Sawyer to gain access to a certain NYC landmark, the morning after winning an Open Era record fifth straight US Open title.

from BBC:
The Telegraph's back pages of the later editions record Andy Murray's defeat in the final of the US tennis open. The papers all agree on the might of Roger Federer: a "genius" says the Express; "awesome" says the Mirror.

from Independent:
There were conflicting allegiances for British musician Gavin Rossdale last night as his Swiss pal, Roger Federer, came up against Andy Murray, the only Brit to reach a Grand Slam final in a decade. Rossdale has been close friends with Federer since they met at a charity match, and cheered him on through his Wimbledon final. Rossdale backed Federer but his wife, Gwen Stefani, took the diplomatic route: "Gwen stayed firmly out of this one," I'm told.

Sep 8, 2008 from AFP:
NEW YORK - Roger Federer won his 13th Grand Slam crown and fifth consecutive US Open title, defeating British sixth seed Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 to move one Slam title shy of the all-time record.

Federer's 56th career crown moved him into sole possession of second place on the all-time Slam title list, one more than Roy Emerson and one below the career record 14 won by Pete Sampras.

"One thing is for sure. I'm not going to stop at 13," Federer said. "That would be terrible."

"After Wimbledon, after Paris - I had some rough losses those - to come away with the last Slam, to sit on this for four months, it's unbelievable," Federer said.

Federer became the first man to win five Slams in a row at two different events, having also completed the feat last year at Wimbledon. No one had won five US titles in a row since Bill Tilden in 1924.

"It definitely feels great," Federer said. "This is a very special moment in my career. To take this one home is incredible. It means the world to me."

Federer stretched his US Open match win streak to 34 and took home the top prize of 1.5 million dollars and a Lexus. It took Federer 38 Slam appearances to win his 13th Slam, five fewer than Sampras needed to reach the same mark.

Murray, playing in his first Slam final, had won two of three prior matches with Federer but was outclassed to bring a disappointing end to a run that will see him rise to fourth in the rankings, matching the best-ever British mark.

"I had a great tournament," Murray said. "Came up against, in my opinion, the greatest player to ever play the game. I got the best of him the last two times we played. He definitely set the record straight."

Federer thrilled a sellout crowd of 23,763 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the first US Open final since 1987 pushed to Monday by bad weather. It was the first Monday men's Slam final since Goran Ivanisevic won at Wimbledon in 2001.

Federer broke Murray in the sixth and eighth games of the match to win the first set in 27 minutes. He broke Murray again in the second game of the second set but Murray broke back at love in the next game and the fight was joined.

"I started serving well. I put the pressure on Andy. I started the second set well so I always had a little bit of a cushion," Federer said.

Murray went to 0-40 on Federer's serve in the fifth game of the second set but Federer denied the Scotsman and the two traded holds of serve until the last game, which Federer finished with three winners to break for the set.

"I played well in the game I broke to win the set and that was key because it was going to be hard for him to come back from two sets down," Federer said.

Federer broke Murray's first two service games at love in the third set and, after surrendering a break when he was serving two points from the title, broke him again in the last game on his third overhead smash of the point.

from BBC:
By Tim Henman - It's important when you look at the US Open final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray, you applaud just how well Federer played.

Andy has had an unbelievable tournament and he played some incredible tennis, especially against Nadal.

But, in the first and third sets and some of the second, Federer justified why so many people say he's the best player to ever have played the game and I think he definitely is.

Federer was the best player I played against and I played Pete Sampras seven times.

I played Federer 13 times and his game is so complete, there are no holes in his game that make you feel you can attack.

from Boston Globe:
Roger Federer lingered on Arthur Ashe Stadium long enough for the sun to descend, turning from tennis-ball yellow to burnt orange to fire-engine red. He waltzed around the court's perimeter - cradling the US Open chalice like a newborn - chatted with the tournament officials, then made his way over to the courtside boxes, where fans were waiting with programs, hats, and giant tennis balls. He signed every one.

from The Times:
Federer smiled all the way through the interview given before the players walked on to court, though it was conducted by Mary Joe Fernandez, the wife of his agent, so that made for a happy arrangement.

from Los Angeles Times:
And so after Federer's champagne celebration in the locker room with his family and his longtime companion, Mirka, his father Robert emerged from the locker room and said, "I always said if he would just win one of four, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the Olympics, and the U.S. Open. So actually he won the U.S. Open. For me it's success."

from FOX Sports:
"It was hard for me the next three days (after Wimbledon)," said Federer's father, Robert. "I suffered. There's this pressure on you that you don't feel is nice. But the thing I like about Roger is how relaxed he is and how even his life is."

from New York Times:
"He always said you can’t always be 2,000 points ahead," Robert Federer, the champion’s father, said, stepping out of a Champagne celebration in the locker room.

"Some of you guys were writing negatively of him, saying Federer was gone," Robert Federer said. "Wilander also said that Federer would never win another Grand Slam title. Federer proved them all wrong today."

from SI.com:
One of Federer's best friends will be getting married next weekend in Mallorja. So Federer will be headed to The Land of Nadal in a few days.

from New York Magazine:
Was there ever really any doubt that A-Dubs would skip Proenza Schouler in favor of cheering on Roger Federer as he won the U.S. Open for an unprecedented fifth time? Anyone who thought otherwise clearly doesn’t believe in the power of true love — or has never seen Anna’s reactions to Roger’s victories. We got home from Proenza Schouler this evening just in time to see Federer clinch it all, and La Bob leap out of her prime seat next to Federer’s girlfriend, clapping and smiling wildly. We have literally never seen her look so thrilled.

from The Battalion:
Being sent back to College Station without a victory at the U.S. Open was far from a disappointment for Austin Krajicek. He said he was very positive about the whole experience.

"I really love to play the game and I think that to reach the professional level you have to," he said. "It's a hard sport mentally and there's a lot of ups and downs and almost every week you're going to lose a match unless you're Roger Federer. Almost every week you're going to lose and that's tough to deal with sometimes.

"You have to wait three or four weeks to get past the first round and you just have to be patient," he added. "It's really hard to stay positive through that and I think I've done a pretty good job of that so far."

Coincidentally, Krajicek's draw was in the same bracket as Federer, his favorite tennis player. Had Krajicek defeated Agustin Calleri and continued to make a Cinderella run through the tournament, he would have faced Federer in the quarterfinals.

Sep 7, 2008 from Philippine Daily Inquirer:
By Anton San Diego - The occasion in the US was actually a two-day affair so we checked in at the very posh Carlyle Hotel to make time with my family. While there I bumped into tennis superstar Roger Federer. He was an unassuming and shy man, just like his on-court persona. My cousin, Yvette Oca, was fortunate enough to get a photo not only with him but with my all-time tennis hero Bjorn Borg. Lucky girl!

Sep 6, 2008 from AP:
NEW YORK - Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 Saturday to move within one victory of a fifth consecutive U.S. Open championship and 13th Grand Slam title overall.

"One more match is all I need," he said.

He wasn't going to go to bed knowing the name of his next opponent. Tropical Storm Hanna hit the New York area in the afternoon, dumping enough rain to force the suspension of the semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in the third set. That match will resume Sunday afternoon with Murray ahead 6-2, 7-6 (5), 2-3, and the men's final was delayed until Monday for the first time since 1987.

Federer was asked about his preferred foe for the final. "Who do I prefer? I prefer the trophy, that's what I prefer," Federer said, drawing a roar of approval from the fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I guess I've got to say Rafa," Federer continued, "because we've had such great battles over the years. Wimbledon was unbelievable, so I hope we can do it again here."

He dominated the opening set and the last 1 1/2 sets to win his 33rd straight match at Flushing Meadows and reach his 13th final in the past 14 Grand Slam tournaments.

The one gap in that span was the Australian Open in January, when Djokovic upset Federer in the semifinals. Perhaps that gave Federer extra motivation. This was hanging in the balance, too: Had Djokovic won Saturday and gone on to win the championship, he would have surpassed Federer in the rankings, dropping the longtime No. 1 all the way to No. 3.

The fans cheered for both Federer and Djokovic, but the reigning champion got more backing. Maybe they remembered what happened Thursday night. After beating Andy Roddick, Djokovic drew merciless boos by lashing out at the American, taking him to task for making light of the Serb's series of medical issues earlier in the week.

It was as though Federer knew that those gray clouds could stop things at any moment and he wanted to get as far ahead as fast as possible. As he and Djokovic played on, tournament officials concerned about the impending rain shifted Nadal-Murray to Louis Armstrong Stadium instead of having it follow the first semifinal on Ashe.

Federer compiled seven winners and no unforced errors as he raced to a 4-1 lead. He smacked a 130 mph serve to set up a forehand winner and end the first set. By then, Federer had won 20 of 24 points on his serve and accumulated 13 winners and three unforced errors.

The real Djokovic showed up in the second set, striking shots more crisply, pressuring Federer more consistently. When Federer served while trailing 6-5, Djokovic earned three set points. The first two were erased, reminiscent of last year's final, when Djokovic wasted seven set points. This time, Djokovic returned a 121 mph serve and watched Federer rush an easy forehand on the third set point.

Looking rattled as fans harassed him while he served, Djokovic put a forehand into the net, setting up break point at 5-5 in the third set. When Djokovic missed a volley, Federer had the break, a 6-5 lead — and a rousing chorus from the stands.

That roar grew louder a game later, when Djokovic hit a smash that would have ended the point against nearly anyone. Near a wall, Federer stretched and jumped and carved a winner that stunned Djokovic. Federer raised a fist imperiously, and five points later he danced in delight, the fourth set and momentum his.

Federer broke for a 3-2 lead in the fourth set, then used four aces to hold to 4-2. By now, Djokovic was gasping for air between points, and when he sent a volley wide at the end of a 19-stroke point, Federer broke again for 5-2. Moments later, the match was over, and Federer pumped both fists and bellowed.

from Globe and Mail:
In an interview on CBS television later in the afternoon, Federer let down his guard a little about the criticism he has endured over the last six months for his mediocre, by his standards, results in 2008.

"In sports, very quickly, respect gets lost, for everything I've achieved the last five years," he told CBS host Dick Enberg. "I've had a fantastic career. You lose a few matches and some [people] don't even believe you that you were sick [with mononucleosis at the beginning of this year]. That can make you a little disappointed for all the time and effort you put in giving the media a lot of time. So I was a little bit disappointed but I'm not the type who has to prove myself in any way. I know that if I work hard, if things go my way, I can play my best again. And I've shown it this year in Grand Slams. I've been in one semis, three finals and I still have a chance to win the US Open. The season hasn't been that bad like people have been talking about."

Sep 5, 2008 from Tennis.com:
As is always the case in New York City, fashion icons also ever present. Roger Federer fans, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, sat alongside one another to take in some night action earlier in the week. Wintour made another visit to Flushing Meadows on Friday, while de la Renta was MIA, perhaps tending to more important matters. His collection was being showcased at MasterCard’s Luxury Week in Hong Kong. Vogue’s Editor-at-Large, Andre Leon Tally, sporting an EleVen hat from Venus Williams’ fashion line, took in her match from the stands on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the New York Post reports that another slew of celebrities is headed for the pricy suites of Arthur Ashe stadium, including Donald Trump, Catherine Zeta Jones, Christie Brinkley, Jim Carrey, Jimmy Buffet, Derek Jeter, Nicole Kidman, Michael Phelps, and more.

from The Star:
A huge screen is erected at Madison Square Park in Manhattan, broadcasting the US Open live matches from Queens, where all the action is.

"I come here for lunch and also to watch the match," said accounting professor Masako D. last Saturday, when Rafael Nadal defeated Victor Troicki. "It’s a lovely day; a bit humid though," she added. It was a sunny 27°C then.

Tennis, Masako said, was popular in New York and she was a big fan, citing Roger Federer as her favourite.

Another Federer fan is Melissa Collery, a lawyer who went for the live action on Sunday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens.

from PA:
Olympic triple sailing gold medallist Ben Ainslie said he has a "huge amount of respect" for British cyclist Chris Hoy. He named Lewis Hamilton, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer as his other sporting heroes.

"They are humble, hard-working sportsmen who are really out there doing something special in their sports," he said.

Sep 4, 2008 from Reuters:
NEW YORK - Roger Federer weathered a tough battle against Luxembourg qualifier Gilles Muller to book his place in the U.S. Open semi-final with a 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5) win on Thursday.

Federer was tested on a sweltering, breezy afternoon in New York by a player ranked 130th in the world before sealing victory in two hours 26 minutes.

The opening set went with serve until the 12th game when Federer piled on the pressure and appeared likely to break his big-serving opponent. However Muller, trailing 5-6, did well to save five set points before holding for 6-all.

Federer raced into a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak but was pegged back to 4-4 before again pulling ahead. The crowd gave both players a standing ovation after a breathtaking rally of aggressive shot-making finally ended with Federer winning the point to go 6-4 up. The Swiss clinched the first set at the seventh attempt.

Federer broke Muller in the ninth game of the second, working his opponent around the court before ripping a passing shot down the line to lead 5-4. He comfortably held serve to wrap up the second set.

The third set was also tight, each game going with serve to force another tiebreak which Federer won 7-5 when left-hander Muller netted a backhand.

from New York Times:
On the practice courts Thursday, Federer, Safina and Venus Williams were smashing forehands at their hitting partners. One at a time, they holstered their rackets.

"Federer’s coming," somebody inside the pen whispered. It was true.

"Federer’s coming," somebody repeated, and then Federer appeared and the mad crush began and the things to be autographed were raised high in the air.

"Don’t push!" a security guard shouted. "Don’t push in the back! Ladies!"

Sep 3, 2008 from ESPN:
USA Network analyst Jim Courier remains convinced that Federer is not operating at anything close to 100 percent.

"Let's all step back, take a deep breath and admit that Federer is still sick," he said Wednesday. "It's pretty clear to me he's still not right."

from Gulfnews:
Dubai - The 'Auction of Hope', a joint initiative by the Dubai Sports Council and Right to Play, will attempt to raise funds to support the initiative of Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on students' development of health and mind in schools.

Among the collectables that will go under the hammer are Muhammad Ali's autographed boxing glove, a 1960s Pele jersey signed by the football legend, a blazer worn by 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev and a tennis ball signed by Roger Federer.

Sep 2, 2008 from DPA:
NEW YORK - Roger Federer had to fight to dodge an approaching bullet as he quelled a rebellion from Igor Andreev 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the US Open quarter-finals.

Federer found himself in a battle with the clay ace ranked 23rd and playing just his ninth match in New York. It took five sets for the 12-time Grand Slam champion to move through, winning his 31st consecutive match at Flushing Meadows Tuesday.

"It was a tough one, I haven't played him in a long time," said Federer, 42-4 at the event. "I'm happy with the score. Of course you wish for three sets, but those five-setters can be fun also."

"He broke me so easily in the first set, I was struggling to get into the groove. I was just trying to stay in the match. It went from day to night and the wind was changing. It was tough but fun conditions."

from E!:
Roger Federer and Venus and Serena Williams, chatting at p.i.n.k. vodka's pre-U.S. Open party at a private mansion outside of New York City.