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March 16, 2010
How Fed, Tiger handle spotlight differently
By Tom Tebbutt, ESPN
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Roger Federer casually walked into the interview room Sunday, stepped up onto the dais and offered a friendly "good evening" to the assembled reporters.
He did it in a relaxed, civil manner, very much the way he seems to do everything in both his private and professional lives.
Having won 16 Grand Slam titles and now ranked No. 1 for a total of 274 weeks, he has been in the tennis spotlight for about seven years and, with the rarest of exceptions, always has conducted himself in an exemplary fashion.
He fits in with his peers on the tour in as normal and natural a way imaginable for someone who is one of the most recognizable athletes in the world.
As for his dealings with the media, he is the consummate professional.
A few years ago, Federer had a conversation with Tiger Woods, with the golf superstar telling the No. 1 tennis player that he never did more than a half hour of postplay interviews. The Swiss was reportedly surprised, but he did, and continues, to spend a lot more time than Woods satisfying the needs of the media in English, French and his native Swiss German. One year, after winning the Australian Open, he was still doing electronic media interviews more than three hours after the final ended.
Last week, Federer talked with reporters in Indian Wells about his attitude toward the media and how it has evolved. "I said, 'OK, I know I'm not going to be able to escape the media, and so let's be open and easy and honest with everybody,'" Federer said. "Because at the end of the day, you guys tell our story to the fans who are reading the paper or, you know, TV and whatever. I just think that's important. So for me, that was always the way I looked at it. And I don't want to be miserable coming to press conferences, because I can't escape them anyway. Might as well have some fun with it and make it interesting."
Federer isn't a glass-half-full kind of guy; for him it's more like at 90 percent of capacity. He seems to easily make the best of the situations and comes across as a world-class player. For example, going to Indian Wells wasn't always his idea of a fun week or two on the tour. "It's very quiet, and there are a lot of retired people," Federer said, recalling his first impression of life in the California desert. "There aren't many nightspots or restaurants or hotels. It's more like resorts.
"I didn't like it too much when I first came because I thought every tournament had to be like Miami, New York or Paris. Indian Wells was really superquiet.
"But nowadays I appreciate the tournaments that are a little more quiet. For example, my parents are here, and it lets us do things as a family -- and of course Mirka [his wife] and the little ones are here, too. We can go for walks and there's less stress, and that's really pleasant. So, I enjoy coming back every year."
This year, he arrived in Indian Wells on March 4, a full 10 days before he played his first match.
Todd Martin, current co-coach of Novak Djokovic and a former world No. 4, was part of the greatest American tennis generation with Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang. He has witnessed firsthand his share of No. 1s during his years in tennis.
"I don't know Roger well enough to say," he said Monday about Federer, "but my speculation and my observation is that he's about the happiest guy around -- and that's not always dependent on the fact that he's conquered the world of tennis. He's just got a great disposition. Sure, it's a lot easier, in some ways, to be happier when you're as successful as he is. I think his parents must have done just a great job of setting him up to be a constructive, productive adult regardless of what his natural talents are."
It may not exactly be one of those talents, but Federer, 28, has a growing sense of himself in the greater scheme of things beyond his sport. Last week, he spoke about the trip he made to Africa to see firsthand the charitable works of his foundation there.
"It's just a nice thing to do if you can help others," Federer said. "Obviously, I'm in this fortunate position that I can, you know, help in a big way. And I'm very happy to do so. I think every human who has an opportunity should give maybe something back, if it's time, if it's money or if it's just inspiring others. I think it's really important because the majority of the world does live in poor conditions."
Canadian doubles specialist Daniel Nestor, 37, has been on the tennis scene through a few generations of top players and confirms the notion that Federer is a special breed. "He's a genuine guy, an unbelievable talent, obviously we all know that. But people probably don't know the real guy inside the locker room. He jokes around with everyone, knows everyone's name, says hi to everyone and has time for everybody, which is the most important thing."
When it was suggested to Nestor that Federer's success is directly related to keeping his life relatively simple and uncomplicated, he was quick to react. "He's definitely someone who's very motivated -- surprisingly still motivated considering how much he's won," Nestor said. "He has his eye on his goals, and nothing is going to get in his way. You see other top athletes, Tiger Woods and others, and they get sidetracked a little bit out of their element. Federer, you're never going to hear anything like that coming from him. He's so focused and all about being the best ever and breaking every single possible record. And he deserves to -- he's the best player of all time."
Although it will not last forever, Federer is surely in the zone these days, both on the court and away from it.
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