Roger Federer Interview Photo

TennisCrowd: Hello Mr. Federer, thank…
Roger Federer: Please, you know you can call me Roger.

TennisCrowd: Ok, Roger. Thanks for talking to TennisCrowd.com. You’re quite the celebrity and we’re not the most popular tennis blog out there.
Roger Federer: Always have time for you, Scott.

(We sit down)

TennisCrowd: Tough loss to Nadal last year at the French. But overall, how’ve you been playing these days? From the looks of it things are going well. What happened last year against Nadal?
Roger Federer: I think you have an American slang saying that explains it…against him, I have, um, brain gas? No…mind flatulence? No…

TennisCrowd: A brain fart?
Roger Federer: Yes! That’s it, right. Against Nadal I was brain farting.

TennisCrowd: I see…well, it looks to me like you’re getting closer to finally figuring him out on clay and playing very well overall. Congratulations on your recent win in Madrid.
Roger Federer: Yes, I feel the same. How about you though? How have you been playing?

TennisCrowd: Me? I’ve been playing fairly well too. I doubt I’d be able to take a set off you again but my backhand is really coming around. I switched to a two-hander last year.
Roger Federer: Good! Glad to hear that!

Roger and Mirka

TennisCrowd: The other big news is that you’re about to be a father, congratulations to you and Mirka!
Roger Federer: Thank you. It is going to be a new challenge for me.

TennisCrowd: So, tell me, what’s your unborn fetus’ ranking on the junior circuit?

Roger Federer: 1,789 right now. I’m sure it will improve. Not much of a serve at this point. Problems with the ball toss, balance, strength, etc.

TennisCrowd: That makes sense considering the age.
Roger Federer: True. How about you? Any kids there in Seattle? Seattle is a great American city.

TennisCrowd: No kids for me. Seattle is nice. Ever travel there? We should play sometime.
Roger Federer: Absolutely! Last time I was there I went to La Carta de Oaxaca in Ballard. Trendy Mexican food in Seattle’s hottest neighborhood. I heard the courts were recently re-surfaced at Lower Woodland near Greenlake. You play there I assume? Crazy bunch of players there!

(Laughs)

TennisCrowd: On another topic, what’s is on your iPod these days?
Roger Federer: I mainly kick it to 50 cent, The Game, and Fat Joe & Ja Rule.

(Roger starts rapping)

Roger Federer: “You got blown over the jack? – That ain’t gangsta – Your Man ran when you got clapped? – That ain’t gangsta – Rockin’ a vest with no gat? – That ain’t gangsta…”

(Roger smiles)

TennisCrowd: Ok…um, back to tennis, how do you feel about your French Open chances?
Roger Federer: Honestly? Not good. I would like to win in the dirt but I really struggle against certain players as we discussed.

(Roger stops smiling)

TennisCrowd: Aw, keep that head up there, tiger. Will you be entering the doubles draw at Wimbledon?
Roger Federer: Yes, I’d like to play doubles there. Would you like to enter as my partner? I could really use you…you’re rated 4.0 you say?

TennisCrowd: Oooh, thanks for asking. Normally I’d jump at the chance…but my USTA team has a league match that weekend. Sorry.
Roger Federer: I understand…maybe the US Open or sometime sooner?

(Roger appears visibly upset)

TennisCrowd: We all know about your on-court escapades, what about off the court? What else do you like to do?
Roger Federer: Off the court I still train, of course. But I also like to chill out and knock back a couple shots of Jack Daniels while playing Call of Duty 4 and Rock Band on my XBOX 360. Also, Mirka and I enjoy yodelling, collecting watches, and tending to the farm.

TennisCrowd: Who wouldn’t enjoy that? The JD and XBOX that is. I’m a huge Rock Band fan. What do you play?
Roger Federer: I usually sing even though I prefer hardcore rap. Mirka drums. She can do “Blackened” by Metallica on Expert. She’s incredible.

TennisCrowd: Wow! I can just do Hard. Anyway, back to tennis, what’s the best advice you have for improving your tennis game?
Roger Federer: That’s a good question, it’s different for everyone. I think at the recreational level players too often focus on their weaknesses. Practice your strengths too. Make them real weapons on the court; that will give you great confidence. The Swiss have a saying, “You learn through mistakes – no one was born a master.” It’s good advice.

TennisCrowd: Excellent advice. Well, you better get back to the practice courts. Thanks again for talking to TennisCrowd.com, Roger. It’s great you had the time to come out to do this.
Roger Federer: Anytime! TennisCrowd.com is great…the pros on tour get a BIG kick out of you. We’re always huddling around the Internet kiosks to read what you have to say next.

TennisCrowd: Nice to hear. Continued good luck at Rolland Garros!
Roger Federer: Thanks!

Disclaimer: By “interview” we mean “what we’re guessing he would say”. By no means should the answers here be mistaken for actual answers that Roger Federer would give in an actual interview setting. If this were an true interview, you’d probably know it. This Q&A was completely made up and does not reflect much of anything other than an attempt at humor. We would absolutely like to interview Mr. Federer in person sometime but he’s a busy man. Hopefully in the near future an actual interview will be granted.

In USTA league tennis, it is certainly against the rules to foot fault. However, it is an area of the game that players tend to give each other some leeway, if they even pay any attention to it at all.

The time to call it is when it’s blatantly obvious and repetitive. Typically, this is rare in singles play. The vantage point is just not there to be sure. In doubles though, if a player is consistently stepping way over the line when serving, and it’s flagrantly obvious, here’s what I recommend:

1. Warn His/Her Partner

Generally, the player’s own partner is the best one to deliver the news to the server. Just make a quick, polite comment like “Your partner is stepping on the line when serving, I haven’t called it yet but you should probably mention it”. If this is too wishy washy for you (or you’re playing singles), move on to #2.

2. Warn The Server

After the server finishes the game (or point for extremely obvious foot faulting), let the server know they are foot faulting. Usually, this is enough to make them aware of the problem and fix it.

3. Warn Them Again

If they still foot faul, it’s time to increase the pressure a tad. Warn them that you will have to call them on a foot fault the next time you see it happen. They aren’t going to like this but hey, rules are rules and you’ve given them more than enough polite warnings. If they STILL foot fault, move on to #4.

4. Call The Foot Faults

Each time you see it, call it. At this point you’ve done all you can and have been more than fair. If they complain, you can say you’ve warned them. If this is an official USTA event/match, you can request a line judge to come watch for the foot faults as well.

More Information

Read #24 of the USTA’s “THE CODE: The Players’ Guide for Unofficiated Matches” for more information on foot faulting in USTA League play.

The game takes you through the Beatles career from the Ed Sullivan Show, through their early career, into trippy transcendence. You can play the guitar, drum, and sing. Actually, many can (and should) sing as there are multiple vocal parts where you need to harmonize. I never tried that as I can sing only one note but I’d love to hear a group actually do this.

To “That” Guy

To you people who have to be “that guy” and say, “real instruments are more fun” or “why don’t you play in a real band”, your argument is tired and short-sighted. We understand that real music is more difficult and more rewarding, but there is no way I could pick up a real guitar and play all these Beatles classics in the couple hours I have. My goal is to have fun, not struggle. By this logic I could say, “you know, I don’t need to play real tennis when I could just be playing on the Wii”. Or better yet, say, “Gee, I feel like invading Normandy. I’ll book a trip to England, rent a boat, and scale the French coast with a rifle.” If you’re anti-video games, fine. But don’t just be anti-music video games. But even then I’d STILL argue that playing Beatles Rock Band is a GREAT way to explore their music. While playing, I was impressed realizing the different chord changes, off beat notes, difficult harmonies, and more. I would never notice these things just listening to their music. Anyway, enough, just stop.

Overall

Overall, it’s an amazing game that sets the standard for how band-specific games should be made. Not only that, but the people at Harmonix have something special compared to the folks at Activision. Beatles Rock Band just feels better than Guitar Hero 5. I don’t know if it’s just smoother, the notes make more sense, or what. But it’s painfully obvious when you play the two side-by-side just how much better engineered Rock Band is compared to the Guitar Hero series.

The one requirement for this game is that you actually like, on some level, the Beatles music. Because it’s ALL BEATLES. Though there are some more obscure tracks, most songs are instantly reliable. But most people do. So give The Beatles Rock Band a whirl the next time you have the chance.

TennisCrowd Rating

Video Preview

I just checked out Andy Murray’s Head YouTek Radical Pro racquet at his new website, the Radical Messenger. Personally, I use the YouTek Speed but it was still cool to see Andy talk about his racquet in the video. Super nice paint job on that stick I think.

As for why my office mates were asking me about Andy? Well, head on over to the Radical Messenger and see for yourself by shooting your friend a message. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be lucky enough to have the old lady like I did.

What strings do you use?

1. Do your strings typically break?
53% – Yes
47% – No

2. Is the color of the string important to you?
77% – Yes
23% – No

3. What single feature do you consider is most important when it comes to tennis string?
45% – Touch and feel
33% – Power and playability
12% – Durability
10% – Maintains tension

4. Who chooses the string that goes on your racquet?
52% – My stringer
23% – Other
18% – I do
7% – Magic 8-ball

5. How often do you re-string your racquet?
30% – Once a month
24% – Every other month
14% – Every other week
12% – Once every three months
10% – Once a year or more
7% – Twice a year
2% – Every week or more
1% – Never

The court starts looking very small. Like, my opponent is everywhere. My shots will get weak. I’ll hit off my back foot. I’ll not react to shots. I’ll start hitting shots wildly all over the court with no control.

I know people say it happens to everyone but for some reason I feel particularly susceptible. I haven’t really figured out how to beat it but sometimes it’s more of an issue than other times. I desperately want to figure out what causes it.

I’ve played for years without really addressing it because overall, I’ve been pretty successful. When I win, I feel like I beat both my opponent and my head. When I lose, I blame myself rather than the opponent. But it’s holding me back. I feel I should be beating certain players that I’m not. I play so well in practices and then in matches, my game changes.

My technique for dealing with this nervousness has been to try talk myself out of it when I feel it coming on. Taking deep breaths, telling myself to relax, focus, whatever. It doesn’t really work. However lately, I’ve been trying something else. Practice makes perfect right? It’s hard to practice not being nervous in a match. Therefore, the only time to practice is during a match. Now, when I feel myself getting tight and nervous, I embrace it. I tell myself, “Ok, soak it up. Here’s a chance to try figure out how to play in this situation”. Instead of fighting it, I try encourage it.

So far so good too. I’ve had some recent matches where normally it would have got the best of me. I figure I can only conquer it when I get some practice doing so. But this is risky; in really important matches, I don’t want to practice it. I just want to win. Anyway, just thought I’d share. There MUST be others like me out there.

Tennis Elbow

It’s easy to blow off initial soreness, but as pain gravitates to the outside middle of the playing arm, discomfort makes it nearly impossible to, say, grab a half gallon of milk out of the refrigerator. Tennis is basically out of the question, rendering a pastime to a past life.

The biggest bummer about tennis elbow is that you typically don’t think about it until after it strikes.

“Tennis elbow will find itself in the age group between 40 and 60,” says Sharon Skylor, a Corte Madera physical therapist who specializes in chronic pain relief. “People wait until they get it. They don’t think about it.”

Although there are a few preventive steps one can take to thwart tennis elbow, the nature of the injury is a result of repetition, which is tough to evade. Due to overuse, micro tears form on the tendon that attaches muscle to bone. Scar tissue builds up to repair the tiny tears, making muscles and tendons sensitive to pain in the form of tendinitis.

Read More

Magic 8-ball

Instead of trusting myself, I decided to base some tennis decisions on what a Magic 8-ball tells me. Here’s my conversation:

Me: My racquet might be too heavy. Should I bother trying out some different tennis racquets?
8-ball: My sources say no.

Me: Oh, ok. So I should stick with my current racquet?
8-ball: Outlook good.

Me: Huh. What about the strings? Should I just stick with the Signum Pro?
8-ball: Cannot predict now.

Me: Yeah, strings are tough. Sometimes I feel like they are perfect, other times not. Would a thinner gauge string be better?
8-ball: Don’t count on it.

Me: I know, I know! It’s not the equipment, it’s the player. Will I have a good practice tonight?
8-ball: Yes, definately.

Me: Sweet. I always like a good practice. How about cheese? Should I smear cheese all over my grip to hold onto it better?
8-ball: It is certain.

Me: Huh, cheese? Really?
8-ball: Most likely.

Me: I was with you about the string thing but now I’m not so sure. Do you know what you’re talking about tennis-wise?
8-ball: Signs point to yes.

Me: Ok, if you say so. Same racquet, maybe the same strings, but spread cheese all over the grip. Got it. Will I make it to the finals of the Silver Lake singles tournament by doing this?
8-ball: As I see it, Yes.

Me: Hmm…I’m really not much of a singles player, are you certain?
8-ball: It is decidly so.

Me: Wow, confident. Will I win that final?
8-ball: My sources say no.

Me: Bummer. Though the finals would be cool. Should I wear a skirt to the match?
8-ball: Outlook good.

Me: That’s what I thought you’d say. Should I also play the match barefoot?
8-ball: Very doubtful.

Me: Yeah, then I’d look silly. Anyway, my backhand remains a problem. Should I switch to a two-hander?
8-ball: Ask again later.

Me: Alright…I suppose it merits careful consideration. Hmm…what else should we talk about? How about the French Open? Can you predict the winner?
8-ball: Yes.

Me: Cool. It’s going to be Nadal isn’t it?
8-ball: Cannot predict now.

Me: But you just said you could…will Roger Federer finally win the French?
8-ball: Concentrate and ask again.

Me: (Concentrating) Ok, will Roger Federer win the 2006 French Open?
8-ball: Very doubtful.

Me: I knew it! It’s Nadal isn’t it?!
8-ball: My sources say no.

Me: Well then it should be an interesting open indeed! Not Federer or Nadal! Well, it was great talking with you. Did you have a good time too?
8-ball: Without a doubt.

So there you have it. According to the wisdom of the 8-ball, neither Federer nor Nadal will be winning the French Open.