http://www.sonntagszeitung.ch/sport/artikel-detailseite/?newsid=268460
By Simon Graf and Ren� Stauffer
Z�rich
A tranquil Advent season is imagined differently. On Tuesday Lynette and
Robert Federer returned home from the Maldives where they spent a few days
with their son and his family, on Wednesday they were guest at a charity
event in Geneve, on Thursday the interview with the SZ is scheduled in
Zurich.
Back home in Bottmingen meanwhile 3 boxes with fanmail from all around the
world are waiting which they response to personally. The Roger-Federer-
calendars, of which 16 000 were printed; have to be sent before Christmas.
Tomorrow on Monday they are on the road again for the Federer foundation of
which they are members of the board of trustees. Then they will travel to
Dubai where their son is preparing for the new year.
You are 61 and 67 years old but the career of your son is keeping you busy
nearly every day. Is it never getting too much for you?
Robert: Sometimes I would like to have more time to play Golf or to have
days where I don't have to do anything. We don't have them at the moment.
Lynette: Let's not forget that you were recently in South Africa for 3
weeks. We are very flexible in our work-sharing and when we go on holidays
some things are left behind.
Robert: But we are well attuned. Normally the fanmail is answered in between
two, three days. My main problem is that I must have enough signed autograph
cards. I need about 15 every day.
How do you feel about it that Roger has become such an important part of
life for so many fans all around the world?
Robert: The biggest compliment for us is how he is received in the stadiums,
even when he plays in France against Monfils or in England against Murray.
That's why I most of the time go into the stadium 5 minutes before him. What
really surprised me was the standing ovation which he got in Basel after the
lost final. I still ask myself why. I have never seen something like that in
this extent.
Lynette: I felt it as a profession of sympathy and appreciation. And maybe
as an incentive that he plays longer. Although he never said he would stop
playing soon the people feel that he gets older and they think that he will
say one day: That was it.
What does your feeling say? Does he still enjoy tennis in such a difficult
year as this one or could he have enough soon?
Robert: No. I recently talked to him and he is convinced that he can come
back again.
Lynette: . . . and that there is still left much in him.
Robert: He doesn't say a word about retiring but: I need to have a bit more
time, then I will be back.
Lynette: He has still a huge motivation and passion and is willing to give
everything. He does everything to get fit and strong again. I really admire
this. Tennis never gets too much for him in any moment.
Robert: Despite the kids.
Could the back problems harm his motivation?
Lynette: That could be. But in the last months he could play without any
problems.
Robert: As fast as they come they disappear again. That's why you can always
hope. He already had back problems 10 years ago when he won Wimbledon for
the first time. It's just a pity that he sometimes can't fully practice
because of this and therefore has a training deficit.
What do you expect from him next year? Are you also as optimistic as him?
Lynette: At the last tournaments he sometimes looked like at his good times.
When he stays injury free I would count on him every time. It is a thing of
confidence and he needs good matches as against Djokovic or Del Potro
lately. I hope for him that he has a good start into the season. He wants to
set an example.
Do you think he is capable of winning more big titles or even getting back
to #1?
Lynette: #1 probably not. But when he plays good again a lot of things are
possible.
Robert: #1 is unrealistic. Nadal and Djokovic are too many points ahead. It
is important first of all that his preparation for the new season works
according to plan.
Do you travel less to tournaments meanwhile?
Robert: We are still there often, especially at the Grand Slams, in Basel
and at the WTF in London.
Lynette: Sometimes he says spontaneously: Come with us, for example to
Halle. We are welcomed every time.
Robert: When we want to see him, Mirka and the girls we have to travel as
they are so seldom in Switzerland.
Will you also be in Australia in January?
Robert: I would like to. But as our daughter moves at the beginning of the
year she needs us. I hope that he plays in 2015 and then I'm going to
Australia for sure.
Do you follow his matches meanwhile a bit more relaxed?
Lynette: I still suffer vicariously with him. But when I notice that things
don't work it isn't a debacle for me. Losses like in Wimbledon or the USO
hurt though.
Robert: I plan to be more calm but then I got extremely nervous when Roger
was close to winning Wimbledon in the 4th set in 2012. That was the worst.
But I already knew before that one day tougher times would come.
Why do you never sit beside each other during the matches?
Robert: My wife doesn't want to. (laughs)
Lynette: That's how it developed within the years. It is more pleasant like
this. I know his comments and depending on the matches one feels tense
anyway already.
Are there negative sides to be parents of a world star?
Lynette: We take it easy. You get recognized quite often but the people don't
bother us. They just want to congratulate you or take a picture.
Robert: I get recognized because of my markedly head, even in New York.
But I don't have a problem with it.
How is the contact with the parents of the other top players as Nadal,
Djokovic, Murray or Wawrinka?
Robert: I like to have contact with them. I have a good relationship to Judy
(Murray), also to the Nadals. When Roger plays against Nadal we are
congratulating each other afterwards. The sister, the father, the uncle, the
whole clan. We don't have any fears of contacts at all. With the parents of
Stan we have a good relationship for a long time already.
Lynette: With Djokovic's coach (Marian Vajda) we also have a good contact.
He is a very friendly guy. You don't avoid each other.
How is it with Djokovic's parents?
Lynette: I haven't seen them often that close. But we don't have problems
with the parents of other players. That was already the case during the
junior days.
Is it familiar on the tour?
Robert: Familiar is exaggerated. The competition is there. But that doesn't
mean that you have tobe at enmity. I think that Roger brought this into
tennis. The contact in the locker room today is much more different as in
the times of players as Connors, McEnroe and Lendl.
Atmospheric disturbances have been in Basel though, the home tournament. How
did you felt it this year when Roger played without a contract?
Robert: The situation was totally different. We just sat in the box and saw
the matches. That was it. We didn't have any contact to the tournament
leadership. We have to wait and see how it will go on.
Lynette: I worked 10 years for the tournament and know many people from back
then. But many didn't knew how to react towards us. I think that's really a
pity. I always liked to go to the Swiss Indoors.
Another controversial topic is Federer's often non-attendance in Davis Cup.
What is your position in this? Do you talk with him about it?
Robert: I don't want to say something about this in the newspaper. It is
Roger's business.
Did he change a lot in the last 10 years? For example regarding his
decisiveness?
Lynette: He really grow up in those 10 years. He became a father, had
success. We always admire how professional he is in everything. May it be a
photo shooting or at the interviews. He put the bar high for the younger
generation in tennis. You can see that Nadal and Djokovic orientate on the
way he started. I wouldn't say that he changed but he developed in his new
surroundings. He feels at ease with his decisions. He always remained true
to himself.
You, Lynette, once said that you would be especially proud about his ease of
mind. Where does he have it from?
Robert: From me (laughter)
Lynette: You have to write this (laughs)
Robert: No, seriously: I'm always amazed what he has to look after. He has
his family, the nannys, his team, he builds, he has to accommodate all his
sponsors, then he is the president of the player's council. I think it's
crazy. I remember when he was for hours on the phone when the increase of
price money at the tournaments was discussed.
Of whom does he have the winning mentality?
Lynette: I always had this ambition to win. I never let him win when he was
a young boy, not even at the football matches which we had after lunch in
the kitchen when he went to primary school. It was a tough battle every day
and nobody gave in.
Robert: Lynette did way more sports during her youth then me. I didn't have
time for it. Just when I was 17, 18 years old I was at the FC Widnau and I
started with tennis when I was 24.
Aren't you afraid that the amount of commitments could be too much for him?
Lynette: No, not really. He always manages to keep a cool head. Even when he
knows that he has to make an important decision he can totally block it out
on the court.
Robert: We have to say that he has a very experienced manager with Tony
Godsick who knows the m�tier and advises him well. But in the end Roger
decides, not Godsick.
Does he ask you before a decision like the separation from his coach Paul
Annacone?
Robert: He wants to know what we think about important decisions.
Lynette: Our opinion is important for him, I think that's nice. But that
doesn't mean that he always decides like we want to.
Does he still surprise you sometimes after all those years?
Lynette: I know him nearly too well for this.
Robert: I'm always surprised about his deep sense of family. That he says:
Come with us to the Maldives! Not the whole 2 weeks but for one week. That
shows us that we are on the right way as a family. For us all, also for our
daughter Diana, who also has twins, it is important that we have a strong
solidarity. Roger attachs great importance to the fact that everything works
in his team. With Seve (L�thi), St�ph (Vivier), Pierre (Paganini), Oaul
Annacone. Ok, Paul Annacone isn't there anymore now but the separation from
him went in a friendly way. A good atmosphere in his team and in the family
is very important for Roger.
Has the relationship to his sister Diana suffered because he is a world
star?
Lynette: Roger already moved out from home when he was 14. They went totally
different ways. She is 2 years older and a completely different character.
She never searched the limelight. That's why she never gave interviews.. She
gets asked to but she will surely never do one in her life. It's great that
they are both parents now, both parents of twins. The little ones love to
meet each other. At the moment Roger, Mirka and Diana have a common topic.
The communication is very active. They can talk for hours about how to do
this or that. Her twins are 14 months younger, which means that Roger can
give her tips and say when she has to set limits.
Do you have trouble to distinguish the twin girls?
Lynette: No, no problems. They are identical twins but I can already
distinguish them from their way to run. They are the same height and similar
build but when you see them from front it's easy.
And from character?
Lynette: They are totally different, two different people.
You talk to them in Swiss-German?
Robert: Yes,that's important for us. The girls always drop back to English.
English?
Robert: Yes, because the nannys talk English. The girls talk a wonderful
British English. One day they will use Swiss-German but surely keep English.
At the latest when they will go to school.