Prologue
Waiting for the king. On a February morning in Valbella. Light snow, shortly after 9.30 clock. We suspect a dark SUV, a middle state coach, but at least a dashing racer, yellow or red, from which he emerges, bodyguard in tow. False alarm. RF is on foot to the hotel Valbella Inn. You already know him from afar. At this transition without haste, looking down, arms dangling loosely. A man in thought and alone. In winter boots, dark sweat pants, a dark blue sweater. No hat, no sunglasses. An unprotected face with the recognition of a Brad Pitt. A man with statesmanship handshake. "Hi, I'm Roger.» The King smiles.
FH: Men seldom make it on the cover of Annabelle. In our 76-year history, only a very few have succeeded. In about 1980 the great Italian director Federico Fellini did, and now you. Not bad, right?
RF: I feel honoured.
FH: We also, only rarely do longer interviews.
RF: I've done them more often in the past, today I am more cautious, especially for reasons of time. I am already busy enough. But I am looking forward to this conversation, partly because it is not to be just about tennis for once.
FH: You are not only a very successful athlete, but also a very famous man. Your face is known all over the world.
RF: That surprises me again and again, especially in places where tennis does not have the same profile it has such as in Europe or the United States. Recently I was in Ethiopia, where I am responsible for an aid project for my Foundation. I was approached on the bus and on the road. On my tour of South America 150 fans waited outside a hotel. That's crazy.
FH: When did you realise you were more than a top athlete, namely a celebrity?
RF: I was not famous overnight, like Boris Becker, who suddenly was a star at 17. I also do not feel like a celebrity. These are people who are famous for having to face in the spotlight everywhere. I see myself first and foremost as a tennis player. My image should not be greater than my success. But if I had to name one moment where the tide turned for me, then that was probably 2003, when I had won Wimbledon. Then people began to recognise me.
FH: Do you feel flattered? Or is it too irritating?
RF: Both. Sometimes you meet people who are so nervous and excited when they see me. Then I try to be calm, convey calmness. To some degree I've gotten used to the different aspects of celebrity, but there are also moments where it is too much. Since I try to avoid publicity.
FH: How?
RF: Sometimes you take the back exit or I do not even try to leave the hotel, or I tell the fans that it was not a good moment for me to sign autographs or pose for photos. They mostly understand. They know that they can find me on the tennis court. There you can talk to me, I like to give autographs and let them take pictures. For then the fans will respect my privacy. If I can have the opportunity for privacy, I enjoy it, in between being the centre of attraction again.
FH: The fans with the Roger Federer tattoo on the upper arm, it's available, right?
RF: Yeah, not only on the upper arm. Degree recently at the Davis Cup in Serbia, showed me someone proud of a RF tattoo on their leg. In Buenos Aires a guy had pulled up his vest to show a huge tattoo of my face on his chest. That is already very, uh - special.
FH: The writer David Foster Wallace called your style "a religious experience". Can it also be a stress factor, this constant elevation of your profile?
RF: Of course. Above all, I know that this only lasts as long as I get to the place and win. Also my gloss will fade one day.
FH: Are you concerned about the idea?
RF: No. Since January I have been working with Stefan Edberg. The six-time Grand Slam winner and former world ranked first was my teenage idol, now he's my coach. He rarely does interviews, makes no more advertising, his life has calmed down massively. For me, this is a pleasant thought. I could imagine doing that also.
FH: Today you came on foot to the interview, casual without sunglasses, we recognised you already a hundred yards distance.
RF: I can only do that in Switzerland. Here the people are discreet and polite. I can move freely and simply ignore the fact that I'm known by 99 percent of all Swiss.
FH: Is that possible?
RF: I try at least to be conscious of it, but not all the time. There was a phase in which I was aware that I was being constantly observed. So I went out with sunglasses and scarf and deep-seated cap to the supermarket. Almost like in the movies! That was too much. The concealment and being on the defensive does not suit me.
FH: By whom was the young Roger Federer fan?
RF: Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Michael Jordan. From Shaquille O'Neal, I had a life-size poster in the room.
FH: Do you know Sophie Hunger? The Swiss musician and singer?
RF: No.
FH: The "time" she confessed, "I am a big fan of Roger Federer ... at times very intense. I feel emotionally connected with him insane. With thoughts of his victories, his defeats, his physical condition and burden me throughout the year. "
Ui (laughs)
Can you understand that it's deeply emotional if you see certain people play tennis? That it is almost existential!
RF: Yes, I do. I'm like that when I see a match of FC Basel or the game Wawrinka against Djokovic in Melbourne for instance. As I fall to my knees, racing around the room, jump up and down, sit down again ... I think it's barely out! Watching is the greater ordeal than to actually stand on the court, racquet in hand and play. Because I feel less vulnerable. That's why so many people have a fear of flying, because they have no control. But there are also nerve-wracking moments when I am glad to be able to sit in front of the television and not having to play.
FH: On July 2, 2001, you did not sit in front of the television, but were on the Centre Court at Wimbledon. After three hours and 41 minutes, you had Pete Sampras, one of your biggest idols beaten. Since conflicting feelings must have arisen. You had dethroned your personal god, your superego, right?
RF: Funny that didn't happen, despite the happiness that I felt natural. I stood for the first time on Centre Court at Wimbledon, defeating the man who was my biggest inspiration over the years! I was so confused that I did not even know how to shake Pete's hand. That was a strange moment.
FH: Have you ever talked to him about it later?
RF: No, even though we are good friends today. With him it was back then for fifth Wimbledon title in a row, which previously only Bjorn Borg had done. He later thanked me, half-jokingly, because he was able to maintain his record a little longer for my victory (laughs).
FH: You have reshuffled the cards.
RF: Taking it then not have to be beat went on for me to blow so. I had to again down through one and a half years. But it was an emotional day, in any case, also because I realised that I was now in a position to beat the best - even my idols.
FH: As a young tennis player you were once asked what you would buy with your first big prize money. In the newspaper article they said it was: a Mercedes. That was a big misunderstanding, right?
RF: I still remember this interview. My mother was quite beside herself after she read it. I asked her what was wrong, and she said: "How did you know your first money was enough to buy a car? I told her that I had not told the journalist that. She called the editor and therefore asked to listen to the tape with the interview again. In fact, I did not say Mercedes, but several CDs. The reporter had misunderstood me.
FH: What kind of music do you listen to?
RF: Today I like everything from musicals to jazz and so on whats on the radio. At that time I came rather from the dance area, and was also a couple of times at the Street Parade. But I also heard AC / DC or Metallica. My former coach, Peter Lundgren, had introduced me to that style. He had long hair and loved hard rock.
FH: To do this, played air guitar on the racquet?
RF: Quite possible. I will do that today. When training you wait constantly on something. Your partner must wrap the handle, is still stretching or ... perhaps to pass the time I play a little racquet air guitar. For a real guitar, it was never enough.
FH: Have you had to stand up in your teens reasons or a need for something?
RF: My rebellious phase was rather based on tennis, for example in the form of a strong character. I always knew what I wanted, sometimes I was besserwisserisch and stubborn. I was looking for perfection, and if I managed something immediately, I reacted impulsively and was irritated. Of course there were times when I had blond and red and long hair, sometimes with or without a beard, but I had discipline. When my parents said, "at midnight you're home," I was at home at midnight. If it was ten minutes later, I called. If you like, I was already a pro.
FH: Did you have a plan B, if it should go wrong with the tennis?
RF: No. But since I'm an open person, I would certainly come up with a alternative.
FH: What would you like? Something creative? A career in finance?
RF: I do not know.
FH: Not the slightest idea?
RF: No. The Americans say: Chase your Dream! This is what I have done. One must also be allowed to dream, to get closer to a target. My dream was always a tennis career.
FH: What sort of student were you?
RF: No top student, but probably average, the reports have always somehow satisfactory. My weakness was the concentration, since I was thinking of tennis all the time. Logical thinking was not my forte. But ultimately, for me everything was always a question of motivation. If something grabbed me I would go for it.
FH: You have established the Roger Federer Foundation ten years ago. By 2018, you want to allow a million children in Africa an education.
RF: I could tell you how I woke up one morning and had this idea ... but of course, the project has developed gradually, after many discussions with colleagues who had built similar humanitarian projects. One could say: Such a Foundation's part of good manners of a star. For me this is a very fulfilling job and I'm extremely motivated because I realise that we are in a position to make a difference and a real change. Therefore, this project is very important to me. And the beauty is that I can deal with it even after my retirement as a tennis pro. I will then be able to apply even more time for it. I look forward to that.
FH: You don't live much longer than a few weeks in the same place. Where do you feel at home?
RF: With my family. This can be anywhere, but Switzerland is my home. We spend a lot of time in our house in Valbella. A nice change from the hustle and bustle of being on the road. But of course, I also love Basel. I come from there, because I know my old ways when I'm travelling by bicycle or by tram, there are my old friends, my family.
FH: Eventually, your kids will remember that her father is no ordinary Dad. Or they suspect that already?
RF: At least they know that playing tennis is a profession. For them, it is normal that I go training every day and play tournaments, they are already going in the stadium. They do not yet understand why we are photographed so often - because they then hide behind me or their mother. Of course, we try to educate our children in as normal an environment as possible. I had once asked the adult daughter of the Dutch striker Marco van Basten what it was like to have such a famous footballer as a Father. She said, "I thought all fathers were famous." That's what I like. Probably, at the moment my daughters think the same.
Epilogue
At the reception of the Hotel Valbella Inn. A woman stopped her husband and whispers, "Look there, Federer." She pulls out her smartphone and runs after the star, who is just leaving the hotel. After a minute, the woman returns triumphantly waving her cell phone, "I got him, I got him." The husband takes a look at the Selfie with radiant wife and smiling Federer, shakes his head and mutters: ". Poor fellow, Federer, always these fans»
