Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Roger Federer, three-time champion at the Dubai ATP, which began on Monday, was in fine form with verbal volleys at the pre-event press meet. Asked whether he had missed Marat Safin from the tour, his response was sharp: ‘‘Missing’s not quite the word. You miss your girlfriend or someone, not players like Safin.’’ Other master quotes:
On the goals for the season:
Maintaining world Number 1 is very important for me, and also winning Wimbledon. Everyone knows what the French Open means to me.
On coach Tony Roche:
It’s his entire experience in tennis, and he talks about tactics that will work, and those which won’t. It’s obviously not about where I should be serving, it’s about the mindset. He’s a very interesting man, and we talk a lot when we are together, because we are together rarely.
On Baghdatis Down Under:
He played well and deserved to win the first set. In the second I got my act together and made him believe it was the most crucial set of the match, in the fourth I was in total control. I wanted to win it badly, and hence the emotion in the end.
On Martina Hingis:
She was always a role mode but it’s important for her as a player that she does well, not only because she is a Swiss. She has already beaten a player like Sharapova which is a good sign, but frankly I was surprised at how well she played so soon.
On a similar PR stunt like the match against Andre Agassi on the helipad of a Dubai hotel:
What I did last year was unique enough, so I don’t want to go skiing in an indoor dome like Sharapova and Davenport did in Dubai this time. I like skiing, but I prefer doing it in the Alps. Besides, I like the sun here.
