Federer Previews Showdown With Roddick at MSG and His Future
On Monday evening March 5, the top stars from both the ATP and WTA tours will converge on the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden in New York City for the BNP Paribas Showdown. This year, one men’s singles exhibition will take place between world number three-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland and American Andy Roddick, while on the women’s side, former world number one-ranked Caroline Wozniacki will face Russian Maria Sharapova, currently ranked number two in the world.
New York Tennis Magazine recently had a chance to chat with Federer as he prepares for his March 5th exhibition with Roddick at MSG and shares his thoughts on New York, the upcoming Summer Olympics and his preparations for the 2012 season.
New York Tennis Magazine: What are your thoughts on coming back to MSG?
Roger Federer: I am super excited as you can imagine. Playing Pete Sampras was obviously a great moment for me a few years back in New York City. It was something Pete really wanted to get done after we played some exhibitions in Asia. There was a buzz in town that we were back in the city at a different time of the year really. It’s been a successful event since, and I cannot believe it’s been five years already. I’m really looking forward to it, being in America and the great rivalry I have with Andy Roddick … I’m sure it’s going to be a wonderful night for tennis and for New York.
What are your thoughts on how much you hope a night for some of the biggest names in tennis might be inspiring to some young kids, especially some who do not get a chance to go out to the U.S. Open?
Roger Federer: It’s a great opportunity, you know. I really enjoy playing exhibitions. It sort of throws in something different. It’s not the usual tournament, and the atmosphere is different. There is always a different type crowd as well. And like you said, there are those who otherwise do not get a chance to get out to the U.S. Open. This way, it gives people another chance to come be with tennis, you know. Maybe some come to see the women’s, some come to see Roddick, or some come for me … I think it’s really a nice opportunity and hopefully many kids get to come and watch. Kids and families usually enjoy it. I couldn’t believe the buzz five years ago when I played [Pete] Sampras, when the city created the buzz around us.
What are your plans for the Olympics? Would you know for sure which events you’ll be entering? Will you do some doubles and the talk of you possibly pairing for the mixed with Martina Hingis, but she says she’s not going to play.
Roger Federer: I think it’s going to be much straightforward. I will be playing doubles with Martina and she’s such a great player and friend. She helped me get on the tour and she’s a good friend of my wife as well. She’s inspiring to me. It was natural for me to consider her, even though she’s in retirement, just knowing what a great talent she was. I did speak to her at the end of 2011 and basically she told me I shouldn’t do it, it wouldn’t be a great thing for me, to play in three events.
I think she was also happy coming out of retirement. I told her it could be tricky for her as well, just coming back for the Olympics, and eventually she would have to come back completely. Or if she only played doubles, she would have to only come back for an hour-long match if we lost in the first round. I think we both felt comfortable not playing the mixed eventually, a little sad maybe, because it would’ve been exciting. But the priority is I’m with singles and then with doubles. I’ll play at Wimbledon and then I’ll have three weeks to take a vacation, rest, prepare and practice extremely hard again before the Olympics.
Roger we are here in Madison Square Garden and New York City, so the hot topic here is of course Jeremy Lin and Linsanity with the Knicks. Have you been keeping up with the ongoing drama of Jeremy Lin’s rise in the NBA?
Roger Federer: I have actually, I’ve heard a bit about it. I think it’s quite an incredible story actually. I hope he can come to the exhibition … I think it would be great. I think this is why we all follow sports because of great stories like this, where all of a sudden, someone breaks through that you didn’t know or didn’t expect to. He has been able to help the Knicks to come through in the way he did now is such a great thing. I love the New York Knicks, and obviously having played at Madison Square Garden been an amazing experience for me. I wish the team well and I thought what Lin has done has been great, so I hope to meet him when I come to New York.
Clearly, you love playing at MSG. Do you ever foresee the year-end championships returning to Madison Square Garden?
Roger Federer: I would love for that to happen. I mean we have a great world tour final at the moment in London, Shanghai was extraordinary, and Houston was another place I enjoyed a lot. There are many great places I think the World Tour Finals could go, but obviously, sort of back to the roots as well, where McEnroe, Lendl, and Borg, and all these guys having playing at the Garden would just be amazing. I don’t know if it’s going to happen. I hope the Tour will consider it and New York will have an interest in hosting it because I think it’s an amazing event. The players, fans and the media will love it, so we’ll see how it goes, but for now, London is a very hot place to play and they put on an amazing show the last few years as well, so we’ll see how it goes. After playing Pete and now Andy, you could imagine that I would love to have the World Tour Finals in New York again, hopefully in the near future.
A while back, you referred to the 2012 Olympics as possibly a time when you would consider retirement. I wanted to know where you stand on it now.
Roger Federer: Yes, I did say that three or four years ago that I would definitely play until the London Olympics. It was more getting journalists off my back to be quite honest, and I held my word, I’m still playing. I will be playing at the London Olympics, but hell, I won’t be retiring at the London Olympics! I’ve said it many times that I’ll be playing for many more years to come. My body will tell me when to stop, but I haven’t set a date in any way, shape or form or thought about it in any way. I’ve thought way ahead next year already in many different ways and actually, at this point, I’m hoping to play in Rio still because this is my fourth Olympic Games already. I have no plans to retire at all.
