Mr. Tennis

↑winner 勝利的一刻





真不愧是球王
Federer又贏了
還好今天有全程看他的比賽
第一場的時候 真替他擔心ㄝ
他連續7次澳網冠軍...強~

播報員才剛說完Roger在04年溫布頓冠軍致詞時
說一說就哭了
結果Roger在台上一連講了幾句
I don't know what to say
然後也哭了
"你們知道這座獎盃對我的意義嗎?"
這是他致詞的其中一句
因為從1980年代名將Rod Laver手中接過獎盃
真是具歷史性的一刻
2006年 希望Roger可以跟Rod Laver一樣
拿到年度大滿貫的冠軍
「只有曾經站上過頂點的人
才知道要維持高檔有多麼困難」
5月底還有法國網球公開賽
期待~~~
Federer Pumped After Winning a Point


Playing a Forehand
Roger's Rollercoaster
by Amanda Buivids
Sunday, 29 January, 2006
When the laboured backhand from Marcos Baghdatis cannoned into the middle of the net on Rod Laver Arena, world No.1 Roger Federer catapulted his arms skyward and gave an uncharacteristic yelp of joy.
And, then you thought he was going to cry.
He wearily leaned on the net, tore off his lime green headband, looked at his box, congratulated his vanquished opponent and walked back to his chair.
And you thought, for a just a split second, he was going to cry.
But it was when someone asked him to say something that he did. He cried.
His presentation speech will be remembered for what he didn't say - or rather couldn't say in front of those fans at Melbourne Park and millions around the world.
He was unable to get his words out. He was crying and emotional after his 5-7 7-5 6-0 6-2 win.
"I hope you know how much this means to me …" he said while juggling tears with the hefty-sized Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
He revealed afterwards in his media conference that they were tears of relief rather than joy.
He reflected on the moment in the match when Baghdatis, who had dominated earlier with an imposing aggressive game, was beginning to falter physically.
The 20-year-old stumbled in the fifth game of the final set with cramp and required medical attention at the change-of-ends with the score looking ominous at 4-1 in Federer's favour.
"I think after seeing, he was struggling all of a sudden with the cramp on his calf muscle, I knew I was in very good shape, but I had to stay focused," Federer explained.
"So many things go through your head about the win already because you think, 'Well, now nothing can go wrong'."
"But as we saw, it was still quite a long way to the finish line. I was getting I think emotionally ready for that sort of, which normally you shouldn't, but I can't block it out. I'm also just human."
"And I guess, when I won, I was so relieved that I got through it. I wasn't emotional in the first minute, except the relief."
"It only came out later when I was standing there with Marcos waiting for the ceremony. I was very relaxed. Once I got up on stage, it all changed."
The growing sense of his role in the history of tennis is not lost on the Swiss right-hander.
He was presented the champion's trophy by Rod Laver, the only man to win the Grand Slam twice, in the stadium named in his honour.
Winner of 11 Grand Slam titles, Laver is also the last man to win all four majors - back in 1969. Federer spoke to Laver for the first time last Thursday when he was introduced to the US-based Australian by coach Tony Roche.
Federer's 2006 Australian Open inches him closer to the record of Pete Sampras who won eight Grand Slam finals contested from Wimbledon 1995 until 2000 - 1995 Wimbledon, 1995 and '96 US Opens, 1997 Australian Open, and 1997, 98, 99 and 2000 Wimbledon crowns.
On Sunday night he equalled Sampras' record of three consecutive Grand Slams.
Sampras won the Wimbledon and US Open trophies in 1993 and the Australian Open in 1994.
The triumphant gaze towards his box after the final also had emotional as well as historical significance. The family of his former coach and friend, Australian Peter Carter, was watching from the stands.
Carter, who had assisted Federer throughout his junior career and his first Grand Slam breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2003, was tragically killed in a car accident in the same year.
"It's always very emotional, you know, winning here, because of Peter, then Tony (Roche)," he said.
"It's very nice to share the moment with them, you know, obviously. So I think it means a, lot to them, too. Very happy that they still enjoy watching tennis after how much he was into tennis, too."
"They could just walk away from the game and say, 'Look, we'd rather not face it anymore', you know, because of how much he loved the sport. But I'm happy they come out and they really, really support me. It's very nice."
It is only on the rarest of occasions that we are privileged to witness the game's most consummate and complete player reveal his human side.
Miniscule cracks began to appear through the cool and calm exterior in the second week of the Open, particularly during his fourth round five-set contest against unseeded Tommy Haas and No.5 Nikolay Davydenko in the quarter-finals.
Federer was clearly under pressure, but he constantly re-assured us that things about him and his game - were normal. He told us it was hard to win Grand Slams, and not to put too higher expectations on his supposed infallibility. Stop saying I'm infallible …
"I thought I played great from the first round on till third set against Haas. From then on, it was a bit of a struggle," he said.
"I think if I could have closed out Haas maybe earlier, the whole tournament would have been much more of a great run if I would have ended up winning the tournament."
"But that made me struggle to maybe lose two sets in a row. Looking back, I maybe never really played my best except the first two sets against Haas. After that, it was kind of gone for a while."
"It was hard, you know. I really had to battle. I was physically a little tired after a tough couple of matches there. I was happy the way I bounced back against (Nicolas) Kiefer and also for the finals today."
"So it was a different type of Grand Slam victory, and I think that's why it was so emotional in the end for me."


After the Match


A Trophy Well Deserved


Roger Federer Our Champion for 2006
Federer Masters Melbourne Again
Sunday, 29 January, 2006
by Bren O'Brien


Swiss No.1 seed Roger Federer has claimed the men's title at Australian Open 2006 after a brilliant comeback against unseeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis to win 5-7 7-5 6-0 6-2.

Federer claimed the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for the second time in three years, but was forced to come from a set and a break down against Baghdatis who has captured the public's imagination in the past two weeks with his affable manner off the court and never-say-die attitude on it.

It was not the assured performance that has become expected of the Federer in the past two years, but the No.1 seed got better as the game wore on, using his full array of strokes to thwart the determined Cypriot, who had already knocked out No.2 seed Andy Roddick, the No.4 seed David Nalbandian and the No.7 seed Ivan Ljubicic on his way to the final.

Federer's Grand Slam record now stands at two Australian Opens, two US Opens and three Wimbledons, with the French Open the only major title to elude him. At 24, he remains on track to match Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles. Sampras had also won seven of his titles at the same age.

Both men dominated on serve early in the first set with only one point conceded by the server in each of the first four games. However, Baghdatis was able to pressure Federer on his serve in the fifth game. Uncharacteristically, the Swiss conceded three consecutive points with unforced errors and gifted the Cypriot a service break.

But Baghdatis also appeared in a charitable mood, handing back his break after a double fault. Keen to make up for his lost opportunity, the world No.54 continued to pressure Federer's serve, forcing the Swiss to bang down consecutive aces to win his next service game.

The Cypriot was finally rewarded for his persistence in the 11th game of the set. Federer led 30-0 but a series of unforced errors, including one on break point, gave Baghdatis the edge. Some powerful serves then set up two set points and when Federer netted his return, Baghdatis had taken stunning one-set lead.

Baghdatis took the momentum from the first set into the first game of the second set, breaking Federer, who conceded the game with his 19th unforced error for the match. The Swiss was staring down the barrel of a two-break deficit after an all-too casual shot from the net into an open court went wide in the third game.

It seemed to act as a wake-up call for Federer, and faced with the possibility of having to win the match in five sets, he saved two break points to keep himself in the set. He then pressured Baghdatis into conceding his next service game to get back on level terms.

Federer appeared to be under the greatest pressure on his serve, but when the break did come, it was against Baghdatis. Up 40-0 in the 12th game, the set looked destined for a tie-break, but Federer reeled off five consecutive points, including a set point which was over-ruled by the chair umpire, to level the match at a set apiece

Buoyed by his second-set heroics, Federer began the third set in fine touch, winning his own service game to love before breaking Baghdatis. Having romped to a 3-0 lead, Federer broke him once more, then held onto his serve in a tense fifth game. The world No.1 was starting to hit his straps and in just 24 minutes, took the third set thanks to a mis-hit backhand that landed on the line.

When Baghdatis cramped up during his first service game in the fourth, eventually conceding it to love, the writing was on the wall for the Cypriot. Federer had made it 11 games on end by the end of the third game, eventually conceded a game to Baghdatis but not before creating yet another break point.

A lesser opponent would have wilted under Federer's relentless pressure, but despite his body telling him to stop, Baghdatis fought on, ensuring the Swiss would have to battle for his seventh Grand Slam title. He held a break-back point in the seventh game, but couldn't capitalise. In the next game, Federer created two match points, he only needed one as Baghdatis hit a shot into the base of the net.

• Federer had 11 aces to Baghdatis' 6

• Each player had 48 unforced errors

• There were 11 breaks of serve, eight to Federer, three to Baghdatis

• Federer won 142 to 116

---
Roger Federer
Sunday, January 29, 2006
R. FEDERER/M. Baghdatis
5‑7, 7‑5, 6‑0, 6‑2

Q. Why was this such an emotional win for you?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I think after seeing, you know, he was struggling all of a sudden with the cramp on his calf muscle, I knew I was in very good shape, but I had to stay focused. So many things go through your head about the win already because you think, "Well, now nothing can go wrong." But as we saw, it was still quite a long way to the finish line. I was getting I think emotionally ready for that sort of, which normally you shouldn't, but I can't block it out. I'm also just human. And I guess, you know, when I won, I was so relieved that I got it through. Wasn't emotional in the first minute, except the relief. It only came out later when I was standing there with Marcos waiting for the ceremony. I was very relaxed. Once I got up on stage, it all changed. Why, I guess I just explained it.

Q. At any point, like at the end of the first set, in the second set, did the thought creep into your head, "I could lose this"?
ROGER FEDERER: Oh, yeah, many times. Well, I was struggling so much to hold my serve for a set and a half, I would say. And I was sweating like crazy, you know, because I had to fight so hard on my own service games, you know, that I thought, "Well, if this is gonna continue like this, I'll probably lose, and a miracle is gonna save me tonight." But I was impressed the way he played, you know, how he started off. Maybe I was a little passive, you know, in the beginning, not as aggressive maybe as I should have been. But I always like to give the credit to the opponent, you know, because it is a Grand Slam final after all. He was the better shot‑maker in the beginning. He totally deserved the first set. The second set got tight once I came back. Didn't take his opportunity early in the second. Actually went very similar to the match with Kiefer. That that happened again surprised me, obviously, because I thought he had more left in the tank.

Q. The fact that he was unseeded in the beginning, an incredible story really, did that put even more pressure on you?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I think the whole fact of being such a huge favorite, you know. And if I lose, huge upset since I don't know when. Him having so much, you know, positive and good press, having the whole fans with him. What a great story. It would be basically perfect to basically win the tournament. I think, I don't know, I felt very nervous going into the match again. I was incredibly nervous, actually. I remembered when I was last time that nervous. I think that whole thing was building up. And waiting also all day for the night session, that is nerve‑wracking on top of it. So those were the reasons why it was a really tough match for me mentally today.

Q. Do you think the fact that you've beaten Haas the way you did, Davydenko, then Kiefer, now this, the whole effect of the four matches from the fourth round onwards, does it make it that much more satisfying? Is that why you're churning more than you would actually?
ROGER FEDERER: I thought I played great from the first round on till third set against Haas, you know, basically. From then on, it was a bit of a struggle, you know. I think if I could have closed out Haas maybe earlier, the whole tournament would have been much more of a great run, you know, if I would have ended up winning the tournament. But that made me struggle to maybe lose two sets in a row. Looking back, I maybe never really played my best except the first two sets against Haas. After that, it was kind of gone for a while. It was hard, you know. I really had to battle. I was physically a little tired, you know, after a tough couple of matches there. I was happy the way I bounced back against Kiefer and also for the finals today. So it was a different type of Grand Slam victory, and I think that's why it was so emotional in the end for me.

Q. Would you consider this the most difficult of all Grand Slam titles?
ROGER FEDERER: Of all I've won? I mean, the first one, I had a totally blocked back. I didn't expect at all to win. There was other ones, I was down also against Agassi at the US Open. So I don't know. I put it up there with a few, actually. Also what I would like to say is, once I got out there, you know, I wasn't scared of the fans or anything. I went through them last year, so I knew what to expect. And actually once I got on court, I said, "Compared to New York, this is nothing," because, I don't know, we didn't even speak about it in the press room, what I went through in New York. So for me, when I was out there on court was very actually comfortable. Because in New York, it was really tough.

Q. Seemed very often, especially early on, you went right at him punch for punch. He often seemed to get the best of it. Was that surprising to you?
ROGER FEDERER: No, I knew he was a good counterpuncher. I knew he's a shot‑maker. I knew that he will for sure do this on a few occasions. I was just as surprised that his backhand was so steady, and the way he just played in the beginning, you know. I was struggling on my serve. He was returning well, you know, hardly missing any returns. I was really trying to make that kick serve go in. But credit to him, he really played good in the beginning and didn't really allow me to play.

Q. He said he started thinking too much and then he lost it a little bit. Was there any point in the second set where you figured he was starting to play below par?
ROGER FEDERER: Who was? He?

Q. Marcos. He said he started to think too much.
ROGER FEDERER: I thought the end of the first and beginning of the second, this was the time when I had to really weather the storm. I did, thank God, stay with him. I knew that eventually, you know, that's what happened. I told you this the other day, that in Doha, this is what happened. He played maybe a little bit of a loose game. And this is also what he did I think at 2‑1. He got me back into the match and he went on from there. So that was obviously the key of the match, I thought.

Q. Did you feel you had to get to the net?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, it only ‑‑ the idea of coming to the net, especially after maybe the second serve of his, only came at the end of the second really. I realized, maybe if I do that a little bit more often, cut down the points a little bit more, don't give him the rhythm maybe he's looking for, that might change a little bit.

On top of that, he got a little bit tired and maybe a little disappointed he couldn't win the second after he should have. I think the combination did the trick in the end, you know. I think that was a good effort from my side to really change up my game a little bit more, play more aggressive, and it paid off. So that's really nice.

Q. Is there any added significance to winning here in Australia, given that Peter Carter worked with you at the beginning of your career, and his family was here with you tonight and celebrated afterwards?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, absolutely. It's always very emotional, you know, winning here, because of Peter, then Tony. It's very nice to share the moment with them, you know, obviously. So I think it means a lot to them, too. Very happy that they still enjoy watching tennis after how much he was into tennis, too. They could just walk away from the game and say, "Look, we'd rather not face it anymore, you know, because of how much he loved the sport." But I'm happy they come out and they really, really support me. It's very nice.

Q. Could you say how difficult it is when day in, day out, you're having to spend an entire day waiting around. It's likely to happen more and more because No. 1 seeds at US Open and here, there's more night sessions coming along. It's going to become a trend. How difficult is it to spend all day waiting to play, two days really?
ROGER FEDERER: Also the rhythm is just really difficult, you know, because the average going to bed was about 4 o'clock in the morning, you know, the last few nights, waking up at 12 to 2 in the afternoon. So it's a really weird schedule, you know, I'm going through. I wake up and all I do is rest and hit a little bit. If I feel like I need, you know, to do some extra stuff, I'll do it, but I didn't have to do it this time because I thought I was ‑‑ I had to save myself. I think especially before the big matches, like maybe Kiefer and now Baghdatis, it's hard, waiting in the room all day. So actually nice to get out here and get the first hit, take a shower, get ready, you know, sort of eat something and being active. Just sitting in the room, it makes it hard, but you don't want to lose energy either. So makes it hard, but I think once you get used to it, it's easier.

Q. Going for four straight in Roland Garros, there's going to be a lot of attention, obviously. Is there anything you can change or you would like to change between now and then in your preparation?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I would like to get even more fit. I have ‑‑ I'll have time for that, for sure. I'm not gonna change anything in my game very much. I thought I played the right way last year at the French. Maybe just I didn't play as great as I was hoping to, but I still gave myself a chance. I thought the match against Nadal was decent, you know, but maybe was my ‑‑ unfortunately, my worst semifinals I ever played. But, again, he deserved. He was better on the day. Best player by far on clay last season. He totally deserved the French. I hope he'll be back by then and I get a chance to play him again.

Q. Will Tony Roche maybe travel with you a little bit earlier, given it's clay court?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, he came to Hamburg last year, which I thought was pretty early. He might come a week early, maybe to Rome. We'll see about that. He's definitely coming for that trip again, I'm very happy about. I think he also knows the importance of the French and of the clay. I think the more time I spend with him, you know, the more information I get about playing on clay. Just, you know, being together and working together, it's very interesting.

Q. You've said in the past, like Wimbledon is normally your priority each year. I mean, has that changed at all? Would the French Open now become more important this year given that you could have all four slams?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, doesn't help I win the other ones, you know. Now I've won them twice each at least. Puts the pressure on the French. What can I do? I enjoy winning tournaments. I enjoy playing well at slams. Obviously, I know the importance of winning the French, what it would do to my career. But, again, Wimbledon is the one for me. And if I keep on winning Wimbledon and not the French, I'm very happy about that, too. So that's no problem.

Q. You said you are not as fit as you actually wanted to be considering the injury. You thought you had enough time to be 100% as fit as you wanted?
ROGER FEDERER: No, it's interesting, you know. I went through tough time, you know, because I came back from Shanghai, I took vacation, I started practicing again. I thought my ankle got pretty stiff. It got really, really solid, but too solid almost. So I needed flexibility back. I told you guys this a few times. I was wondering how it's gonna to hold up with the conditioning work with Pierre, then also the tennis with Tony here in Sydney when I practice every day four hours, how it's gonna hold up. Thank God nothing happened. Thank God it held up. Then obviously Doha was, for me, a big break, knowing that I can back up match after match and play well. Coming here, I was not very worried, but I started very slow in Kooyong, just to not take a chance. It was worthwhile doing it. So very happy that program I chose, I could keep it. Because obviously when it happened with the injury, I didn't know what the plan's gonna be, you know, for the next couple of months. But I'm happy I did Shanghai. I'm happy I won the first two events of the year. It's fantastic. It's actually more than I could expect.

Q. Roger, with each one of these you win, majors, as you etch your place further in the history of tennis, do you have a growing sense of your role in the history of the game with each one of these you win?
ROGER FEDERER: Obviously, yeah. I left my idols behind me now. That means something, you know. I'm very pleased. But they still stay my heroes from back in the day, Becker and Edberg. No, definitely on a great roll at the moment. I don't forget, you know, that it's been a tough road for me. I amaze myself every time I do well. It's been so consistent, too, you know, winning so many slams, seven out of the last eleven I think it was. You know, it's quite incredible. I try to keep it up, you know, stay healthy and keep enjoying it, because that's what I'm doing, and I think that's what makes me play well.

Q. Would you one day quite like to sit in a tennis court that's named after you and walk out there and present a big cup to someone like you coming along? ? Would that be nice?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, it would be nice, I think. But I don't think I will get one, of a Grand Slam.

Q. Maybe in Switzerland somewhere, "Roger Federer Court"?
ROGER FEDERER: Maybe. But it's not the same like a Grand Slam, I think. I think it's especially nice from Rod, you know, to come out and do it, you know, because he doesn't need it. He doesn't live in Australia at the moment. It's a long way, you know. He's not the youngest anymore, so we really appreciate the players. Very disappointed, you know, not to have seen also Ken Rosewall last year in the finals, at the trophy ceremony. But I've seen him, you know, many times now at Tony's place. I know him well. But it's nice, you know, to finally met Rod. It means a lot to me. You know, I don't expect anything like a court named after me. I'm not playing the game because of that, but obviously it would be nice (smiling).

Q. Why is it that winning makes some people more hungry rather than less hungry?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, because you want the hard work to be paid off. I think once you get the sense of winning, you want more of it because it just feels great. Going through such an emotional roller coaster, every time it's different. I think that's what you're looking for.

Q. What would be the best single tennis advice you would give to a tennis player, beginner, intermediate?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, you go through up and downs in tennis. It's a very mentally tough game emotionally, I think because you win a lot and you lose a lot, too. You lose usually more than you win in the beginning. You have to stay positive and enjoy it and get good support from family and coaches. Then, you know, be tough. When the days come, your chance comes along, you want to take your chance and don't choke on it (smiling).

Q. When are you going to make a decision about Davis Cup, do you think?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know how much time I have left, but probably next couple of days I'll let the people know if I'm in or out.

---
Rod Laver 訪問
Sunday, January 29, 2006
ROD LAVER: Hi, how are you?
Q. How are you?
ROD LAVER: Feeling great. Terrific to be out here again and seeing what happened to Australian tennis. It's an amazing stadium. The tennis has been spectacular, I guess. I came out here only the last four days.
Very happy to be here watching it.
Q. You won eleven Grand Slam titles, and you miss 20 because of professional status. If you had to pick one of those eleven, which one?
ROD LAVER: Probably, well, the most meaningful is probably the last one in '69 when I played Tony Roche, to which is completed the Grand Slam. It would have to be I would think something like that.
The other one I think that I played was in '69, the French champions, because that's always been a tough one for Australians to play. Of course I was playing another Australian in Rosewall, but I think I probably played the best tennis, clay court tennis, that I ever played. Consistent, everything just flowed.
Q. What do you make of the world No. 1? I know you've said of all the players you've seen, he's capable of perhaps reproducing what you did in '69. What makes him so special?
ROD LAVER: Well, he's got so much talent. There's a lot of ingredients that goes into being a tennis player: the temperament to start with, the stroke production. Court positioning and anticipation, I think, is something that he seems capable of doing a lot more than other players. A lot of other players go back a little deeper on the baseline and slog away and hit heavy ground strokes. But Roger seems to just move around the baseline. As soon as they make a mistake, you know, he sits on top of them and he's got a wide‑open court because he's not back very far and doesn't allow a player to get back into play. I think just his court coverage, I think, is quite unusual, uncanny. He doesn't seem to be out of position.
I guess he concentrates very well, too. I haven't seen a lot of his tennis live, and that's the one thing that you miss a little bit catching what a player is doing watching them rather than on television. It all looks so easy on television, how they're doing it.
But, you know, his backhand I think, yeah, keeps his game, you know ‑‑ if his backhand is in good shape, I think he just seems to roll.
Q. Is there any one he reminds you of that you've played against or have seen subsequently?
ROD LAVER: No, not really. You know, wood racquets, you couldn't put the amount of spin that is on today's game. The little wider head, it's a bigger face than, you know, a regular Maxfly or regular wooden racquet. But a lot of people have asked me about the volleying, more people maybe about his serve and volley. You probably know hitting the ball so much harder, the return of serve is more depth and a lot of heavy spin on the ball, so it's hard to volley that shot.
Those that are coming up through the ranks and the Juniors never really get to learn to volley like a Roy Emerson backhand or a forehand. I mean, they don't learn the game at that level. There's no suppleness in their wrist or their game. So that's something that I think has changed for more of these players now. They're back hitting heavy ground strokes just like Marcos Baghdatis. He's a great retriever, great mover on the court. You'll find a lot of those players, it's not going to allow you the chance to get to the net too often. When you do, you're getting a ball at you with a heavy spin and a lot of speed. You might be able to get there, but then you've got to control it with that racquet. Of course, the metal racquets, composite racquets, are very heavy so it's hard to control that ball.
Q. Barring injury or illness with Roger, how many Grand Slam titles do you think he might be able to amass?
ROD LAVER: I don't know. What's he got now, five or six?
Q. He's got six.
ROD LAVER: That's a pretty good start, and he's 24. He's got ‑‑ the main thing is that he just enjoys ‑‑ looks like he's enjoying the game, and it's not pressure. He's just playing the game, and when it doesn't work, he tries something else. He finds a way to win.
But if you're ‑‑ you have to grind out all the matches all the time. Mentally you're going to get drained and the desire starts to ebb. You think ‑‑ I was fortunate because I learnt the game as an amateur, just loving the game and playing and enjoying it, then coming up slowly and traveling overseas until, you know, I turned professional at 24.
So then, you know, that five years, while I was really getting it, is when Open tennis opened it. They allowed the pros and amateurs to be together. I was up there and thought, "God, get back to Wimbledon again." Your desire is up right there at a high level again.
I think age is not really an issue when you're looking at someone like, you know, Roger. He could be 31, 32 and be winning matches if the desire's there.
Q. You definitely think he'll pass Sampras?
ROD LAVER: Well, certainly amazing how well he plays in the finals. I wouldn't bet against him.
Q. What do you make of him as a bloke after you met him the other day? Is he a good ambassador for tennis?
ROD LAVER: Oh, yeah, I think so. Not only the way he speaks, he speaks so well about the game and enjoys it, but that his game speaks a tremendous amount. You can see, like I mentioned, he's enjoying the game and playing just as he sees it and plays beautifully.
So, you know, it's a credit to, you know, tennis that Roger's in it.
Q. Five years, you miss five years. Five years makes for 20 Grand Slam tournaments. How many do you think you could have won?
ROD LAVER: I guess I was in my prime when I turned, but that's something that...
Q. Probably the best years of your life.
ROD LAVER: But at the same time, Hoad and Rosewall, Gonzalez, Manuel, Buchholz, they're all amateurs, so it's open. The competition gets a little stronger. I wasn't just playing a Roy Emerson or Neale Fraser.
Q. Eleven years.
ROD LAVER: Yeah, but no, I had no regrets turning professional, you know. Back in the amateur days, you can't do much with trophies. Otherwise, you sell insurance or you have a sports store or something like that when you're over the limit.
But, you know, it was Ken Rosewall and Lew Hoad that convinced me that I wanted to play them. That was a challenge for me. The best players were pros, and that was something for me to enjoy. And of course I asked them to, under the contract I had was that Lew and Ken would stay on the tour until I reached my contract. Fortunately, Open tennis came, so we all got into it.
But, I mean, that was a thrill for me to play against ‑‑ my idol is Lew Hoad, and Rosewall of course was an unbelievable talent. There we were, cruising up and down some of these slippery freeways (laughing).
Q. You think that helps the players, having the chance to watch their opponent on television and things like that?
ROD LAVER: Yeah, I don't know if it helped. I mean, I think it's better to watch it live if you're looking to see just hitting the ball. You know, you can almost ‑‑ I played by sound pretty much when I ‑‑ I could tell immediately, as soon as I was hitting the ball, how clean I was hitting it. I could sound it. Then all of a sudden you become a lot more confident because all of a sudden the sound is right.
So I think that's something that, you know, you work with.
Q. Are you still enjoying it? Are you playing? Do you play from time to time?
ROD LAVER: At the moment I haven't played in the last sort of nine months because I had a knee replaced. I want to get back and start playing some, yes.
But just socially. I enjoy playing, yeah.
Q. Do you belong to a club there? Where are you?
ROD LAVER: At LaCosta is where I spend most of my time. You travel around, out to the desert, the Indian Wells tournament that Charlie Pasarell and Ray Moore are doing, they do some social things and I work with the Nabisco Dinah Shore event, socializing with the people on court.
Q. Do you ever see American college tennis?

ROD LAVER: Not so much, no, I haven't. But I have watched some of them, yeah. Some of them are very talented.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
ROD LAVER: All right, well. Thank you.
澳網 公開賽- http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/index.html


Tears of Joy and Happiness


The New Legend is Congratulated by The Legend, Rod Laver


The Two Legends Embrace as Baghdatis Looks On

澳洲網球公開賽》連下11局逆轉 費德勒含淚擁金杯！
【麗台運動報 】
蔡明樺／綜合報導
在「球王」面前不允許任何「黑馬」存在，費德勒（Roger Federer）再次做了完美詮釋！
第101屆澳網29日進行男單決賽，巴格達提斯（Marcos Baghdatis）先盛後衰，第二盤5比5平手後連丟11局，神奇之旅畫下句點，「瑞士特快車」費德勒以5－7、7－5、6－0、6－2逆轉搶下生涯第7座大滿貫金杯，球王氣勢所向披靡。
現年24歲的費德勒，自從2003年拿下溫網冠軍後，不到3年時間已累積7座大滿貫賽金杯，連同去年溫網、美網冠軍，「費大王」已完成大滿貫3連霸，只剩紅土法網尚未征服，去年費德勒在4強賽敗給冠軍得主納達爾（Rafael Nadal）。
巴格達提斯首局延續「黑馬」氣勢，7－5給對手下馬威，第二盤未把握40比0優勢遭破發，費德勒如睡醒猛獅，攻勢一發不可收拾，連下11局扭轉氣勢，賽後從1969年拿下年度4大滿貫賽金杯的名將雷佛（Rod Laver）手中接下冠軍獎座，費德勒喜極而泣：「這座金杯對我意義非凡，難以形容的美妙！」
費德勒去年在沙芬（Marat Safin）攔路下止於澳網4強，今年順利揚威墨爾本，有機會挑戰睽闈37年「獨霸」4大滿貫賽壯舉。
2003年稱霸澳網青少年組的巴格達提斯力抗球王雖敗猶榮，世界排名可望提升到30名內，「過去兩周彷彿夢境，神奇之旅總算畫下句點。」巴格達提斯逗趣的說：「賽前我壓根兒沒想到能打進冠軍戰，祖國同胞的支持給了我強大動力，我以塞浦列斯為榮！」