Sports Interview
By Jatin Rao
Feb 2, 2014
[I wrote this fictitious interview for my 6th grade school project]
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is considered by some to be the greatest player of all time. He holds the record for the most Grand Slam singles titles in Men’s tennis with 17 Grand Slams.
Federer started his ATP career in 1998. He has had three streaks at being the worlds’ No. 1. The longest streak lasted for 237 straight weeks, from 2004 to 2008, after which he passed over the No. 1 rank to Rafael Nadal. He has the second most number of ATP 1000 Masters crowns at 21 and a record for the most singles titles on any type of tournament with 77. He also has the most prize earnings in tennis history.
But he has not made it to a Grand Slam final since the 2012 Wimbledon Championship. In 2013, he won only one tournament, at Halle. Wanting to come back to being the champion he once was, he has made several changes.
Towards the end of 2013, he fired his old coach, Paul Annacone, and hired Hall of Fame player Stefan Edberg as his new coach. He changed his racket size to 98 square inches, from 88 square inches, by working closely with Wilson, his equipment company whose brand he has carried throughout his career. Finally, he has even begun to change his style of play by now focusing on a serve & volley approach, Edberg’s brand of tennis.
I am here to interview him about his recent changes that he made to his game.
Me: So Roger, I am so glad that I have the chance to interview you here. Why did you fire Paul Annacone and hire Edberg instead even though you had won 17 Grand Slams with Annacone as your coach?
RF: Well, this is quite tough. I think I had to fire him because I only won 1 tournament in 2013. And that too was an ATP 250 tournament. I think he wasn’t training me as well to play the big tournaments like ATP 1000 Masters, Grand Slams and Davis Cup matches as he was during the early years of my career.
Me: Has there been any impact on your game since you hired Stefan as your new coach?
RF: I think I am playing great with him. My game really has changed with my stats lately. I am hitting harder strokes, serving well and I am moving around the court faster when returning a serve. Also, the serve & volley style of play is an effective and unique tool in the game of tennis against all the big baseline hitters. I am starting to think that firing Annacone was the right thing to do.
Me: Why did you change your racket size from 88 square inches to 98 square inches?
RF: Changing the racket itself was a good idea because the old, smaller racket that I had was probably a factor in my slump. The racket change took a lot of testing. Now I think that it has helped me because I am starting to hit the ball at the center of the racket, thus giving the shot more power. This is also the racket size that players like Nadal, Djokovic and Murray use.
Me: Then even with a racket change, why did you hit fewer aces in your recent Australian Open match against Nadal than the previous match against Murray?
RF: Well, I was actually serving as good as I was in the last match but because Nadal can reach my serves quicker than the other players, I wasn’t able to serve that many aces against him. I am trying my best to find an Achilles’ Heel in him. Even though I have played Nadal 33 times, I am still unable to figure out why he beats me more often.
Me: Do you have high hopes in the future with Edberg?
RF: Yes, I do. He has changed the style of my play which is working quite effectively. I am building my confidence with him and aim to win a Masters tournament, perhaps even a Slam. Even though some people might laugh about it, I think it is possible.
Me: Are you training harder now than before?
RF: Yes, I am training harder. Mainly because I have to keep up playing the best tennis I can play and for that, I have a great coach to tell me that I have to work and train harder. I think that has been a huge factor in my game.
Me: Do you think that you will again experience a winning streak of making it to many consecutive semi-finals in Grand Slams?
RF: Maybe not. I think I may keep a streak like that for a few Grand Slams but because I am growing older, I think that better, younger players who are in line to be All-Stars like Wawrinka, Dimitrov and Del Potro will take advantage of my age and beat me in the early rounds of a Grand Slam. But for now, I am playing well so I might keep this up for a while.
Me: Do you think that you will ever beat one of the big three again before you retire?
RF: I don’t think so. Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray etc. are all young. Thus they have more time to train and play at their peak, and I am not so much in form so it’s not likely that I will have the capability to beat them again. But I still have to train as hard as I can to keep my chances up.
Me: How has the game changed now compared to when you started to play pro tennis?
RF: The generation definitely has changed. The players are using bigger and harder rackets than before, their brand suppliers are improving technology to find out how a player is playing so that he can improve on his weak points. Most players now serve big and follow it up with incredible ground games. The training levels of athletes has gone up significantly. So it has been a bit harder for me to play these players as the years go by.
Me: Which players are most likely to go to the top after Nadal or Djokovic in your view?
RF: Maybe Wawrinka, Del Potro and Murray. Murray already has 2 Grand Slams, he has 9 ATP World Tour Titles and he is in great shape and form. Wawrinka is currently playing the best tennis of his life. He is currently unbeaten in 2014 and thus he has the potential to be a star. Del Potro is young and is about to get to his peak of play. I think that he will be playing a lot of good tennis in the future.
