Roger Federer Answers 73 Questions | Vogue

Okay. And there he is. Just two days before Wimbledon. This is so crazy. Should I just interrupt him? I mean, there's so many rules here. I'm not sure. Okay, here we go. Roger!

Hey! How are you doing, Joe?

I'm doing great. Thanks for making the time to slip in a quick 73-question interview.

I'm not going to miss it.

This is going to be great. So how are you feeling about the tournament?

I'm feeling great. I'm so happy that it's Wimbledon time again. I love this place.

Good. And can you walk me through how you start your days right now?

Um, it's pretty relaxed, actually. It's all about recovery and coming into the tournament, you know, with loads of energy. That's my plan.

All right. Can you show me what makes a perfect serve?

Okay. Perfect serve is, I think it's all in the toss, really.

It's the only shot we actually do control. Everything else, we have to react to the opponent. So here we go.

Up, jump, hope it lands in.

You make it look pretty easy.

All right. Can you demonstrate an extremely difficult and technical thing I probably won't understand?

Um, maybe overhead on the backhand side. It hardly ever happens. And when it does, you lunge back, jump up, can't see the opponent anymore.

You try to connect and you hope for the best.

Okay. What do you consider to be your signature shot?

My slice. Maybe my forehand.

And why don't you have a two-handed backhand?

Because all my heroes had one-handers, so I had no choice.

Do you want to get attached to your racket?

I do. I love my racket, and it's the extension of my arm, and it does all the magic for me. So, yeah.

All right. Now, what's your favorite part about playing at Wimbledon?

Um, it's history and tradition.

And how would you describe playing at center court?

It's, I think, a dream come true for every tennis player to play there.

Can we check it out?

Let's go.

All right. Great. And, whoa, I am destroying you at tennis around that scoreboard right there.

What is going on? What have you done? And why are you asking questions and not playing at Wimbledon?

Does your family have any nicknames for you?

Uh, yeah. They call me Rog, and in Swiss German, Rotschi.

Okay. What's the most Swiss thing about you?

Um, that I'm a chocoholic, if that's something.

Yes, it is.

Okay.

What languages do you speak?

I speak, uh, Swiss German, German, English, and French.

Do you have any favorite expressions in these languages?

I like Allee in French, uh, Kaman in English, and Chumjetze in Swiss German on the tennis court.

We got some ball boys and ball girls.

Hey!

Hey!

How's everything? All good? Nice to see you all.

Hey, guys.

And having strawberries and cream!

Do you want one?

Um, sure.

Roger, what's up with the strawberries and cream here?

I don't know. It's a Wimbledon thing.

Okay.

What is it?

Do you know?

Tradition.

Tradition.

Now, I heard you started your career as a ball boy. Is that right?

Yes, I was like them. I was about 12 years old. At my home tournament in Basel. I did it for two years. It was great. I loved it.

How many hours a day at age 12 were you playing?

Um, two hours every second day, I'd say.

Wow. And, uh, versus how many hours today?

Between zero and four. I gotta save my energy sometimes.

Who was your tennis idol growing up?

Uh, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras.

When did you first realize you were really, really good at tennis?

Well, in the juniors, I thought I was good. And then when I beat Pete Sampras here in 2001, I felt like I knew I was good. It's so wrong to say that. Oh, my God.

Now, is it true your mom was a tennis coach?

Yeah, a little bit. She didn't really coach me, though.

Okay. Well, what's the best piece of advice that she gave you?

Never let the ball bounce twice.

Oh, okay.

Makes sense. So simple, right?

Yeah, just run after that ball all the time.

Sure.

It's like a dog.

And what advice would you give, uh, these guys here?

Um, I love your tennis, uh, but then work hard, and, uh, what else can I tell you guys? Dream big. You know, sometimes we don't dream big enough that it's possible because we think there is barriers and stuff.

You're gonna go for it and do it full on.

That's wonderful advice.

Have fun. See you later, guys. Take care. Nice to see you.

Roger. Grass or clay?

Grass, of course.

Forehand or backhand?

Uh, forehand.

Spin or flat?

Spin.

What TV show are you obsessed with at the moment?

None, really. Um, I used to love Prison Break. That was so cool.

Who's your style icon?

Tom Ford.

What are you wearing when you're feeling your best?

Um, I mean, a suit's good, but, uh, baiting suit and a T-shirt on a beach somewhere.

What's the most memorable thing that you've ever worn?

Um, Met Gala. I wore a tuxedo from Gucci with a diamond-encrusted sort of a cobra on the back.

That was pretty sick.

Uh, what do you do on your off days?

Um, nothing. I just take it easy, run around with the kids.

Hey, Roger.

Merci, c'est sympa. Ciao, ciao.

What's the best fashion advice you've ever received?

Um, you wear the clothes, not the clothes wear you.

And Anna once told me, um, when I asked her if I should wear the dark suit or the light suit for the evening, she said, the dark suit, of course, Roger.

I was like, of course.

That's pretty good advice, right?

I don't know who's best.

What's something about yourself that you think a lot of people wouldn't know?

Not about, uh, I don't know.

Um, I feel like I've done so many interviews, I think, I really feel like people know everything by now.

All right, now you have identical twins.

Now, be honest with me.

Do you ever get them confused?

Um, I used to sometimes, if I couldn't see their face right away, but, uh, no, now, nowadays I'm a pro, of course.

I can't tell them apart.

What lessons have you learned from your kids?

Patience and snuggling again. It's been the best.

That's so sweet. And what do you hope your kids learn from you?

Everything. I want to teach them everything I know and more. I love them so much.

That's wonderful.

All right. Hello. Nice to see you.

Roger, out of all the places you play in the world, what's the craziest location?

Um, I played on the Jungfrau Joch, Top of Europe, in Switzerland on a Mountain with Lindsay Vaughan.

And, I guess, Santa Cora Wimbledon, of course.

And here we are in the clubhouse. We finally made it.

I can't believe I'm here right now.

And look at the trophies.

This is the one.

Roger, get right next to that.

Look at that.

So good.

It's so beautiful.

So close, so far.

And you have eight of these things.

Yeah, I do.

Where do you keep all of them?

I have a big trophy cabinet at home, but we always have space for one more. I tell you that.

I can imagine.

What Wimbledon tradition do you look forward to the most?

I think it's wonderful to have the center court be opened up by the defending champion at 1 o'clock on Monday.

Do you remember the first professional tournament you played?

Of course.

Kstad, 98, after I won the juniors here, actually, at Wimbledon the week before.

Wow.

What's the most surprising moment in your career?

Surprising moment.

I truly believe becoming world number one and winning all the titles that I did is crazier than any dream I ever had about my career.

I never thought I was going to be this successful.

What's your most prized memorabilia?

The net of my 2009 Wimbledon final against my good friend Andy Roddick.

There you go.

Would you consider tennis your favorite sport to watch?

Yes, and football and basketball. I love basketball. It's cool.

And growing up, you also played soccer, right?

I did.

What made you choose tennis over soccer?

I didn't want to blame the goalie, in all honesty. I wanted to blame myself. Maybe that is what made me pick tennis. Thankfully, I did.

What's the biggest challenge as an athlete that you didn't appreciate when you started?

I was incredibly homesick in the beginning, jet lag, and all the interviews. Couldn't trust journalists in the beginning.

And then, little by little, I actually started joining interviews. That's why I'm talking to you right now.

I'm so lucky to be here. And, Roger, how do you want to be remembered?

I was a good guy for tennis. Philanthropic, and, I don't know, good tennis player maybe. I don't know.

Now, I've been told that you enjoy ice cream before a match. Is that right?

What? Pre-match ice cream? I'll have loads afterwards, but not before.

And here's a wall of champions.

Oh.

Oh, that's a lot of Federer right there.

Yeah.

It almost takes up half of the space.

But in 2019, you're going to want to make it, what, nine times on this board, right?

Yes. Eight's great. It's actually my favorite number, but nine has a better term.

sound to it.

Now, can you point to the win that was the most memorable?

2003.

Why?

It's my first one.

There you go.

It's like I thought that was it. I achieved my dream winning Wimbledon. It was epic.

And I heard that they engraved these pretty quickly when you win?

Yeah, so apparently even the trophy. So you hold it up in the air, and it's already got your trophy engraved, and you walk out of this court that you win just back here.

Wow.

Look to your right, and bang, winner 2019, and the name.

Can you actually tell me something really quick about Mr. Rafael Nadal?

What would you like to know? He's an intense guy on the court. He's super honest and open off the court, and he's got a heart of gold. He's also going to help me with my foundation again next year.

We're going to try to break the record for most attendants in Cape Town in South Africa for my foundation.

I'm so looking forward to it, so thank you, Rafael.

Amazing. Now, I sense center court is right behind these doors over here, right?

It is. Want to have a look?

Let's take a look.

All right, let's go.

All right. Hopefully, it's everything that I hoped and dreamed. Here we go.

After you.

This is so cool.

Roger, do you have any pre-match rituals or superstitions?

I am not superstitious at all, actually, funny enough.

What kind of music would you probably be listening to before a match?

I don't usually, but maybe something relaxing, funny enough.

And the grand moment. This is incredible. Wow. Look at this.

So nice.

What do you say to yourself before you walk on this grass?

Come on, Roger. You got this. Go for it. Enjoy it. Let's go.

Do you think I can all walk out on the grass with you?

I mean, for me, it's okay, but maybe you've got to ask Neil.

No.

What's your favorite memory playing here?

Winning my first Wimbledon or maybe beating Pete Sampras here in 2001.

Okay, Roger, you're here. It's match point. What is that experience like?

You hear a pin drop when you're about to serve.

Nobody's talking. It's amazing. You hear a cough, maybe, and then it just crowd erupts when you win the point.

Who's the first person you look out for in the crowd?

I want to feel the vibe, see how into the crowd is, how much they're into it.

And then I check my team, if they're all seated already, maybe.

And umpire and opponent, you know.

And you have stiff competition.

Who's the player that you dread playing the most?

Uh, Rafa Nadal.

Who's your favorite player to play against?

Rafa Nadal.

And who do you want a rematch with?

Maybe Del Potro US Open final in 2009.

You have a strategy called fire and ice. What does this mean?

So, I think you've got to have fire in the belly, wanting to win every point.

You give it your absolute best.

And the ice in the veins for me is basically, you're so focused in the most important moments.

You are so calm and so composed. That's what it is.

Now, prepping for a first round match versus prepping for a final match, what changes?

Well, there should be none.

But, uh, you know, sometimes you get a bit nervous. You do.

So, how nervous do you get before matches?

I think it's the amount of butterflies you feel in the belly that makes a difference.

Mental exhaustion or physical, what's harder to overcome?

I'd say mental. Just as hard to sometimes be picked up.

It's not always easy to say positive.

Servant volley or power baseline?

Mmm, a bit of both.

Footwork or strokes? Which is harder to nail?

Uh, footwork is easier to perfect.

I feel like strokes are maybe more talent involved.

Last question, Roger.

Question number 73.

How did surviving Bear Grylls compare to surviving Wimbledon?

Uh, a bit different.

A Bear Grylls show I did, uh, uh, Freeze and I peed over the fire.

Uh, I didn't do that here, you know, at Wimbledon.

And Bear Grylls was actually sitting over there in the Royal Box, uh, with the Royals attending the finals.

And my team was sitting over there with my lovely wife.

Wow.

Wonderful moment.

All right, well, that concludes the interview.

I'm going to leave with a message from a special guest.

Okay.

Here she is now.

Hello, Roger.

This is Anna.

Good luck at Wimbledon.

And now back to those practice courts.

Thank you, Anna.

How did she do that?

What, is she here?

Thanks, Roger.

Okay.