Wimbledon Round 2: Federer def. Mannarino

This went from sublime display to pity party to mildly interesting to sublime display all over again.

Roger was pretty scary during this one. Clearly with all his experience, he knew the importance of getting off court as soon as possible, which is why he wasn't willing to charge in too much or mess around with drop shots. It's pretty clear what his baseline plan is. Compared to the first match, he stood far more inside the court and was determined to take ball on the rise even in defence, which is why when Mannarino finally got hold of a point, which was very rare, he would usually win it. Roger wasn't going to scramble too much, but I felt he definitely looked a lot more sprightly than his first round, during which I worried about whether his groin was still annoying him since he wasn't bending low enough even on some groundstrokes and was using his wrists to compensate for a lot of good core use. At least from the backcourt today this didn't seem to be the case. He got down low on all backhands and ran around forehands marvelously. The first set and a half was not much worse than the Federer of 2006, hitting the ball early, serving unbelievably (at one point 22 of 22 service points won), and just outright killing anything short or hitting anything short with an inside-out forehand into Mannarino's backhand corner with contempt.

Mannarino for his part, really tried his best. He came with a bit of a game plan on serve, but I felt it was all too easy for Roger to read, especially in the ad court. He was going either body or out wide, and both were very easy to read since he telegraphed his intentions very early on in his action with his ball toss (throwing the ball well to his left for the out wide serve and straight up or slightly behind him for the flat/kick body serve).

I loved Federer's attitude on the return. I think his baseline template should remain the same for the rest of the tournament (except against Nadal who I think he should just approach with a go-for-every-return attitude). On the return he came over almost everything, but during rallies he really knifed his slices and at times he seemed more willing to hit a slice than topspin/flat backhand, which of recent has been rare, and is probably the result of some advice from Paul Annaocone.

Roger did get a little carried away by how pretty his game was, and nearly paid a price for not putting the foot on the gas when he went ahead. He served a great game out to come back from 0-40 and stayed true to my hope that he would not get broken until at least the fourth round here. With his next opponent being Nalbandian however, that might be a tough ask.

I'll have to let the lack of approaches slide this time because clearly Roger needed to get off court quickly and couldn't mess around too much. He did seem a little more eager towards the end of the match to try and come in.

He will be playing my second favourite player on tour in his next match, David Nalbandian, and a man who certainly knows how to counter his aggressive baseline game with supreme changes in direction and down-the-line drives. It's a tricky match, but not something Roger should spend more than three sets on. The real challenge will be to see if he can get through it without losing serve. If Roger gets through that match he can be sure of his baseline game since it would have been put to a rather stern test.

Follow Up On Round One

Thanks to wcr for a great post on Roger's first round win over Kukushkin who surprised us with some great play.

First set had some great baseline tennis, which was a little disappointing because neither player really looked to steal the net away from the other. The grass seems incredibly lush with the ball dying very quickly thus allowing for a great opportunity to come forward on nice heavy slices. Many times Roger seemed to reach for the ball on the forehand, and the wind didn't help things. But with his sublime feel on this surface, he did better in windy conditions on a quick surface than anyone else on tour could. Blistering crosscourt forehands, and backhands which he seemed to be able to hold until the very last second. A lot of his tennis was of the "great hands" nature from Roger, which brings me to a comment wcr made in reference to his post.

Roger didn't seem to want to get down low on his volleys. He's been this way for a while but this time it seemed more like he was snatching at them and hardly ever really committed to a good forceful volley into the open court until late in the match off great serves. I do hope this has nothing to do with the groin niggle he had that forced him to pull out of Halle. Luckily his baseline movement seemed superb apart from on very low backhands which he was brilliant enough to handle with great wrists.

Off the ground, he was faultless.  His forehand was great and he seemed intent on using the backhand slice as much as possible, really knifing them which is what helped him towards the end of the first set until which point there was little between the two. Kukushkin has a great forehand and played with admirable confidence, and I'm surprised to know nothing about him until now. His inside out forehand from near the centre of the baseline, in particular, really gave Roger problems since it didn't allow him to set up at all. However, Federer's serve was so good that it mattered little since it was clear that on the bigger points, Roger was determined not to make errors, hence the excellent tiebreak.

Roger really opened up the shoulders in the third. I do hope Roger reaches the middle of the tournament not having being broken since it seemed to fuel his focus at the French when his serve was so good early in the tournament. It will be doubly important here.

So assuming his serve stays as good as the first round, I look forward to Roger coming in with more purpose and looking to hit a lot of volleys even if they're not perfect technically. Let's hope that he bends his knees lower and really punches those volleys, preferably behind devilish slices like the ones he struck during this match. By the end of this one, he really seemed eager to come forward. What matters is intent.

Wimbledon 2011: Roger v Kukushkin

Every great shot Roger's hit on grass was there today. Running FH DTL winners, same as the first time I saw him play on grass. And just as brilliant. Time feels like it stops still for his topspin BHs, as though Roger has an eternity to stroke the ball DTL for a winner. Maybe he just gets ready that much earlier because the surface demands it.

Roger's serve was fantastic. Early in the first set, he hesitated before coming in behind one serve. Roger stayed back most of the first set to find his game and rythym on a windy day against an inspired opponent who stayed with him for a set and a half. And find it he did.

So his great serve and ground game from Paris came with him to Wimbledon. He'll play his way into better volleys and if he can get through the first 3 rounds in straights - hopefully without losing his serve which looks that good - he'll be relaxed enough to focus on a lot more of what Roger does best on grass. Like destroying the competition.

More Random Thoughts And Some Good News

I'm a good news first kind of guy so I'll start with that. The two writers on this blog are WCR and myself (Rickyroger). We post on www.rogerfederer.com, Federer's official website, with well, let's say, "relative" regularity (let's pretend that makes sense).


WCR and I are pleased to inform readers that we have a third writer now for the blog, also a poster from Roger's official website, TVRADKE. We've always enjoyed his take on things and he's agreed to write for us whenever he can. He's a massive tennis fan, and a big sports fan in general, and follows cricket and soccer as well. We look forward to his contributions and wish him a warm welcome to our blog.


Also, continuing with our previous train of thought on players being less aggressive, one poster here, VRAZCAR, who we also know from the Federer website, put this up from a recent interview with Roger as part of a comment in the last post (Random Thoughts):


REUTERS: Lots of people have said they wished they could have played like you. Is there any player or a particular shot of a player - past or present - that you are envious of.

FEDERER: "I am very happy with what I have. Sure I cannot hit a double handed backhand, I wish I could. But it's fine. I wish I had a serve like Sampras but I'm happy with mine. I wish I had volleys like (Tim) Henman or (Stefan) Edberg or (Pat) Rafter but I'm happy with what I have. I have tried to become the best player I can be over all these years and I think I did really well. I'm surprised how well I actually did.

"I grew up in the era of Sampras, Henman and (Richard) Krajicek and all those guys who kept coming in, I would have loved to have played an even better serve and volley game. Even though I know I can play it well. I don't know if surfaces have slowed down or if my volleys are just not good as the other guys or if the guys return so much better today. I guess it's a combination. I would like to play much more moving forward but it is very difficult in this day and age."

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/18/tennis-wimbledon-federer-idUKL3E7HI08M20110618

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/18062011/2/reuters-q-amp-federer-reclaim-crown-2.html

Wimbledon 2011: Random Thoughts

I'm in northern Europe at the moment and the weather here is dreadful. As I write this note, it's sunny and pouring rain. If the next couple of weeks are anything like the last two weeks, Roger is going to need very good scheduling help. Roger and Team should try and hold the tournament to its center court schedule. There will be pressure from those who suffer from delays on the outer courts to get on center court. This is where Paul Annacone's relationship with the AELTC comes into play.

Sampras Analyses The Top Four's Chances

The Wimbledon draw is out but before discussing that it’s worth checking out what my main man, Pete, had to say about the chances of the top 4 at this year’s tournament.

It’s worth noting that Pete’s comments in general since his retirement about the state of the game have largely mirrored the views of the creators of this blog, apart from his initial, and what many would describe as a “sore” reaction to Roger Federer’s dominance in the game. It was his view early on that Roger dominated in an era that was relatively weaker than his, in that while everyone was fitter, stronger and faster, and generally excellent tennis players, very few were actual champions. One could provide counter arguments such as the fact that even in his era, his period of domination by and large coincided with the decline of the champions of his time. Edberg was on his way out and even beat Sampras in a heartbreaking loss at the 1992 US Open before Sampras began his domination. Courier did not win another major after Sampras won his second, owning four (two Australian, two French) until then. Boris Becker too, struggled to hit the form he maintained through the late 80s and early 90s. Michael Chang never won a major after his first French.

His one competitor, Andre Agassi, was extremely inconsistent in terms of true dominance, and injuries mixed with an internal struggle to try and explain to himself what exactly the game should mean to him put the brakes on what could have been a rivalry as classic as Federer-Nadal.

But a lot of Sampras’ recent comments have struck a chord with us, on how players today are less capable at really going after points and more interested in staying in them (paraphrasing). Tennis today is becoming more and more about being able to run down balls, decreasing pure tennis “skill” levels but increasing levels of endurance to previously impossible proportions. And unfortunately, more and more, the ability to do the latter is being equated with real championship material and excellent tennis, as opposed to being able to take initiative early. A million other factors are responsible for this, such as an apparent decrease in court speeds and the much talked about changes in racquet technology, which only cements it in the minds of up and coming players and coaches that innate skills are not enough and they have to reach an almost insane level of fitness to stay in the top 10. Gone are the days when a break of serve at the end of a set on grass was the mark of a champion.


As a grass court player, Sampras’ approach to an opponent’s return game was vastly different from Federer’s. Sampras would take huge cuts on the return, having complete faith in his own serve, which either worked in that he’d get a single break a set, or it went to a TB where Sampras’s second serve was unparalleled.  Federer, on the other hand, being more of an aggressive baseliner than a serve and volleyer or a chip ‘n charger, grinds out service games waiting for mistakes, getting many break point opportunities until he breaks through. And it worked well for him until he met a certain Spanish southpaw who refused to allow him to convert them since the serve constantly moved away from him either too low or too high in the direction of his backhand, adding increased pressure on Federer’s service games.

It is with this in mind that I hope Federer approaches Wimbledon this year. While nobody expects him to go ballistic on return games, perhaps a little more faith in his own ability and feel on this surface would serve him well, unlike his finals against Nadal in ’07 and ’08, or even against Roddick in ’09, where it took an imperial serving performance to get his 15^th major. This is Roger’s first Wimbledon with Annacone (who coached Pete through the majority of those Wimbledon titles) on his side, and we expect him to, if not literally follow in his footsteps, at least take a leaf out of the Sampras book on returning on grass. Roger’s approach to the clay at Roland Garros, where he hardly hit the same ball twice in a rally, should give Federer fans plenty of encouragement in terms of their hero’s chances. That and a good first serve percentage should see him through to the title, whoever he meets in the final.

With all that said, Pete’s comments on the top four players at SW19:

ON FEDERER

 "When Wimbledon comes around, you have to put Roger as the man to beat on that surface. He played extremely well in the French Open final and lost to one of the greats of all time on clay. I see him oozing with confidence.

"I see different things, especially in the final of the French, that Roger is trying to do -- be a little more aggressive, take the ball earlier, which is obviously tougher to do against Rafa on clay. And I like what I see. He wants to improve, and he still enjoys it. I think Paul has helped him with the mental side, just talking about strategy. Paul knows what it's like, he knows what a great player goes through, and it's really helped Roger in my mind."

ON NADAL

"Whenever Wimbledon comes around and you look at Rafa's game, you might find him a little bit vulnerable. But year in, year out, he comes out with great results. He beats the guys he should, and before you know it, he's in the second week playing great. He saw what he had to do a couple of years back to play well at Wimbledon, and he's improved those areas.

"He's a machine. He feels he has to put in the time ahead of Wimbledon, and I respect that, but there's a part of you that has to give the mind and body a break. It might be a blessing in disguise he went down early [at Queen's], just to regroup and enjoy Paris a little bit. He's just one of those athletes that come once every 25 years. He keeps going and going. I hope that Rafa, as he gets older, is aware of his schedule and body. That's the only thing that can hold him back."

ON DJOKOVIC

"It's incredible what he's been able to do, be so consistent. Mentally he's figured it out, really shown great improvement. I think now he has an aura about him. He's turned into a great player.

"If you look at the history of the game, when I broke through and started to dominate, and Roger, we were about 23. Novak won that early major in 2008; it takes you a few years to figure out how you need to play, who you're playing against and to be really comfortable in your own skin, and I think Novak has turned the corner. With his game and athletic ability, I'm not surprised he's right there. When you break down his game, he doesn't have any holes."

ON COMPARISONS BETWEEN DJOKOVIC AND AGASSI AS RETURNERS

"It's hard to say who has a better return because pretty much the style of play is one-dimensional today. When I was playing, you had a lot of different looks. If he was up against a Goran [Ivanisevic], [Stefan] Edberg or [Boris] Becker consistently, you could really get a sense of how well he returns.

"But he's a great returner and will continue to be. I look at his percentage of breaking, and it's something ridiculous. I think it's the best in the world."

ON MURRAY

"I look at him as one of the favorites, but maybe not quite the same as the other guys. On a given day, if he plays well and gets the crowd support, he could very well have some destiny on his side.

"He's dealing with a lot more than the other guys, in terms of the pressure of the country and the media on every move and on everything he says. It's tough enough playing these guys, then you add all that. It's nothing that any other player has experienced. Maybe Becker, but he didn't have a major in Germany. Even in my generation with Tim [Henman], he talked to the press every day; it's like an ongoing thing in the back of his head. I hope Andy can shut that noise out and play his tennis.

"I do see him get agitated sometimes. Every now and again, you see him yelling at his box. He's an emotional guy, and that's what makes him tough -- he's in every point. But you'd like to see him recover a bit quicker and potentially chill, into something more positive. He's a little temperamental, which is fine. It's just that in this sport, you have to have a short memory. You play a bad point, you move on."

You can find Pete’s comments at the link below:

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon11/columns/story?columnist=ubha_ravi&id=6671956

WSJ: Federer's Best Shot

Nearing 30, dogged by two younger phenoms, he heads to Wimbledon without a win in the last five majors. Is he winding down? Unlikely. How Roger does it.

Roger Federer shouldn't look this good.

He has played 959 professional matches in his career, appeared in 46 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments and spent more than a decade criss-crossing time zones while collecting a record 16 major singles titles and more than $60 million in prize money. Married and the father of twin 22-month-old girls, Mr. Federer brings his family—jet lag, runny noses and all—on the road with him from Melbourne to Paris to London to New York, and many places in between.

Where in the World is Roger Federer?

Between June 2010 and June 2011, Roger Federer flew over 73,000 miles. Click on the map to track his travels from city to city.

View Interactive

Long Toss: Roger Federer

• Interview: Roger Federer spoke to The Wall Street Journal about his health, his future, fatherhood and Wimbledon, his favorite tournament.

All of this for a man who in August will turn 30, the beginning of the twilight years in modern competitive tennis.

Yet as the 125th edition of Wimbledon is set to begin next week, Mr. Federer is fresh, fit, confident and, remarkably, on the upswing after a stellar performance at the French Open, where he ended 24-year-old Novak Djokovic's 43-match winning streak and pushed Rafael Nadal, age 25 and perhaps the best clay court player in history, to four sets in the final.

"I'm in a very good place mentally and physically," he said. "I still feel very young."

As Mr. Djokovic piled up victories this season, beating Messrs. Federer and Nadal a total of seven times, it was tempting to leave Mr. Federer out of the Grand Slam conversation. His last major title came at the 2010 Australian Open and Mr. Nadal dominated the rest of the season, winning at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But in Paris earlier this month against Mr. Djokovic, Mr. Federer either turned back the clock, or showed that in Federer years, the seconds tick away much more slowly than anyone had anticipated.

At Wimbledon, he'll engage in what promises to be a remarkable power struggle. Mr. Nadal hasn't lost at Wimbledon since the 2007 final. Mr. Djokovic badly wants to rebound from his first defeat of the year. Behind them lurks Andy Murray, 24, who won a grass-court event in London this week and is always a threat. As for Mr. Federer, no surface rewards his attacking style as richly as the lawns of Wimbledon, where he has won six titles, one fewer than Pete Sampras. He called Wimbledon the "holy grail" of the sport and his primary goal each year.

View Full Image

European Pressphoto Agency

How Federer Can Beat Nadal: Serve, serve, serve -- 65% or better on the first serve ought to do it. Be sneaky: Nadal likes to be in rhythm, so change the pace of rallies and finish points at the net to keep him off balance.

View Full Image

Reuters

To Beat Djokovic: Get ahead: Djokovic isn't as confident against Federer as Nadal. Wide slice serves, which worked in Paris, could be even better on grass. Mind games: Djokovic has never won a semi at Wimbledon.

Mr. Federer, whose first major title came at Wimbledon in 2003, said his favorite childhood tennis memories were watching Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker contest three straight Wimbledon finals from 1988 to 1990.

"Just practicing at Wimbledon, being a member, putting all the whites on with the ivy on the walls, the purple and green, it's something that really touches me," he said. "It's such a sacred place in tennis."

Everyone knows about Mr. Federer's titles, his graceful technique and his boundless skills: a precise serve, a lightning forehand, deft touch and impeccable footwork. The most remarkable part of the Federer story, though, has been his uncanny ability to fend off physical and emotional fatigue and remain motivated.

Tennis history is littered with great players who succumbed to injuries or burnout. Björn Borg played his last Grand Slam tournament at age 25. John McEnroe didn't win a major title after age 25. In Paris this year, Mr. Nadal celebrated his 25th birthday—and remarked, as he struggled in early rounds, that he felt like he had been "playing for 100 years" on the pro tour. In the Open era, which began in 1968, late-career success has been rare. Only 10 men age 30 or older have won major titles, the last being Andre Agassi at the 2003 Australian Open when he was 32.

On paper, Mr. Federer has had a punishing career. Yet in all his years, he has had few significant setbacks: an ankle injury in 2005, mononucleosis in 2008 and more recently, lower back pain. He has retired from a match exactly once in his life, when he was a 16-year-old playing a junior tournament in Belgium. His immunity from injury is unparalleled.

What's Old, In Tennis Years

The ages of five legends when they won their last Grand Slam tournaments

Pete Sampras, 31
Won U.S. Open in 2002

Rod Laver, age 31
Won U.S. Open in 1969

Björn Borg, 25
Won French Open in 1981

Jimmy Connors, 31
Won U.S. Open in 1983

John McEnroe, 25
Won U.S. Open in 1984

"If I didn't know better, I would say I don't believe it," said Mr. Agassi, who climbed back to the top of the sport in his 30s, but did it after a rejuvenating break from the game. "But I've seen him do it for too long now. You can't bluff your way through it."

Mr. Federer attributes some of his resilience to a love for travel, something that his wife, Mirka, also shares. Many tennis players come to see globetrotting as soul-crushing and do little more than shuttle back and forth between their hotel rooms and the tennis courts. Mr. Federer is more inclined to soak up the local culture: When he went to Shanghai last year, he took Mandarin lessons and spent a day at the World Expo.

"The tour is not supposed to be brutal and annoying," he said.

He said his twin daughters, Charlene and Myla, who will turn two late next month, haven't lessened his desire to win or train. He and the family travel by private jet and his parents and babysitters help with the kids.

Another asset when traveling with family: Unlike many professional athletes, Mr. Federer is not superstitious. "It doesn't need to be the same every day, doesn't need to be the same shower I use, the same restaurant I go to, the same hour I go to sleep," he said. "I've always been very flexible. I don't care if I practice at nine in the morning or 10 p.m."

ATP Tour

Roger Federer

How to Be Like Roger

He hardly ever gets hurt. He's almost never tired or grumpy. What's the secret?

Think long-term, don't overplay:
"I tried to look at the long-term. I didn't want to chase everything possible in the short term."

No sports superstitions:
"I don't care if I practice at 9 in the morning or 10 p.m."

Pay attention to your body:
"He's able to say, it doesn't hurt me today, but it could hurt me tomorrow."

Travel can be fun—enjoy it:
"The tour is not supposed to be brutal and annoying."

Take two- to four-week training periods for:

1) Rest and recovery

2) Strength and endurance (not tennis-related)

3) Tennis exercise like court footwork (but with medicine balls, not rackets and balls)

4) Tennis practice

Mr. Federer has been planning his attack on time—to not just be great, but to do it for longer than anyone else has done it—since he first became No. 1 in 2004. He recalled a conversation he had with his long-time physical trainer, Pierre Paganini, as he closed in on the top of the game.

"I was at a crossroads to decide, 'Am I happy with winning two Slams, one World Tour final, world No. 1? Will that suffice for me, or do I want to achieve more?' " he said. "I remember a very strong conversation with Pierre, we always said, 'If I do hit world No. 1, I won't overplay,' because I tried to look at the long term. I didn't want to just chase everything possible in the short term."

Each year, Messrs. Federer and Paganini block out at least three two- to four-week training periods (usually one each in December, February and July, and sometimes another in the fall). Mr. Paganini said there are four components to each session: rest and recovery, meaning, take time off and start training slowly; strength and endurance exercises not specific to tennis; tennis-centered exercises, such as footwork patterns on a court, but while using medicine balls, not rackets and tennis balls; and tennis practice. Many of these sessions have taken place in the Dubai heat, though Mr. Federer trains there less often since he became a father. He also stretches several times a day.

In the last two years, Mr. Federer has put extra emphasis on his abdominal muscles in response to back pain that lingered long enough, he said, to cost him several training sessions (he cited the injury at Wimbledon last year, when he lost in the quarterfinals).

"After doing it for over one and a half, two years now, it's paying off," he said. "If the back is going to stay this way for the rest of my career, I'll be very happy."

Mr. Paganini, a chiseled 53-year-old, looks like he works out as often as an average person drinks water. He has known Mr. Federer since Mr. Federer was a 14-year-old prize talent in the Swiss Tennis Federation, where Mr. Paganini worked as a trainer in the junior program. He has been Mr. Federer's personal trainer since 2000. He described Mr. Federer as a rare combination of creative and disciplined.

"Usually, when you're an artist, you have not so much structure," Mr. Paganini said. "And when you're a hard worker who is maybe less of an artist, then you're very organized. He is able to do both. Roger is a champ because he's the boss of his talent."

Mr. Paganini says there are two essential elements of Mr. Federer's longevity. First, he still trains with the enthusiasm of a junior. "Sometimes I think, 'Damn it, he's doing these exercises now 2,756 times, but he does it as if it was the first time," Mr. Paganini said.

Grand Slam Lit

Tennis may not be baseball, boxing or golf when it comes to flights of poetry and prose, but great writing has still been served up over the years. Some favorites:

'Levels of the Game'
John McPhee

Mr. McPhee masterfully uses the 1968 U.S. Open semifinal match between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner to explore the intricacies of human character and culture.

* * *

'The Inner Game of Tennis'
W. Timothy Gallwey

The classic that gave tennis players—and many others—belief that they could train their minds, in a Zen-like way, for success.

* * *

'Open'
Andre Agassi

The man who hated tennis and later learned to love it tells all, from the ball machine that shaped his childhood (he called it "the dragon") to drugs to winning every major title in the game.

* * *

'Winning Ugly'
Brad Gilbert

How ugly was Brad Gilbert's game? "You are the worst," John McEnroe once told him during a match. And yes, Mr. Gilbert won. A primer in court strategy.

* * *

'You Cannot Be Serious'
John McEnroe and James Kaplan

One of the most distinctive players in the history of the game looks back on his career and a sometimes-turbulent off-court life.

* * *

'The Tennis Partner'
Abraham Verghese
(Author of 'Cutting for Stone')

A compelling novel that received far-reaching praise, from tennis fans to literary critics to the Journal of American Medicine.

Mr. Federer also has an uncanny feel for his own health. "He's able to say, it doesn't hurt me today, but it could hurt me tomorrow," Mr. Paganini said. "And he doesn't say this just to have less work to do. He knows that the most important thing is health, and the most important thing for health is communication."

Mr. Paganini cited Mr. Federer's withdrawal from the grass court event in Germany last week as an example. Mr. Federer said he was disappointed to have to skip it. "I had all little niggling injuries," he said. "It would have been a huge, massive risk for me to go play there and then go and play Wimbledon."

Mr. Paganini is just one member of Team Federer. One of Mr. Federer's closest friends, Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi, has served as a coach for several years now. Stephane Vivier, a former physiotherapist for the men's tour, has been Mr. Federer's private therapist since the fall of 2009, and handles Mr. Federer's aches and pains. Paul Annacone, the former coach of Pete Sampras, is the most recent addition to the group. He began coaching Mr. Federer last summer and has been instrumental in helping Mr. Federer modify his tactics and begin to volley with more frequency, as he did in his earlier years.

Mr. Annacone knows much about the weight of expectations for a champion in an individual sport like tennis. Victories become coronations, proof of one's greatness; losses are taken as signs of an imminent, and probably gruesome, demise. Though Mr. Sampras won 14 major singles titles, he didn't play with the pressure of Mr. Federer. He wasn't given much chance to win on clay, and on hard courts he had many capable rivals. Since Mr. Federer won his first Wimbledon in 2003, he has been expected to win nearly every match he has played on every surface. His record since January 2004, the year he became No. 1: 541 wins and 72 losses, a winning percentage of 88.3%.

"Pete was very emotionally tired—he wasn't physically tired, he was emotionally tired at the end of his career," Mr. Annacone said. "Roger still has the energy of a 23-year-old. He's relentlessly optimistic."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303714704576385793528219736.html?mod=WSJ_article_TennisHeadlines

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