Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Okay. Now there he is - just two days before Wimbledon.

  • This is so crazy.

  • Should I just interrupt him?

  • I mean, there's so many rules here, not sure.

  • Ok, here we go.

  • Roger!

  • Hey, how you doing, Joe?

  • I'm doing great.

  • Thanks for making the time to slip in, you know, a quick 73 question interview.

  • Of course. Not gonna miss it.

  • This is gonna be great.

  • So, how you feeling about the tournament?

  • Feeling great.

  • So happy that it's Wimbledon time again.

  • I love this place.

  • Good. Can you walk me through how you start your days right now?

  • It's pretty relaxed, actually.

  • It's all about recovery and coming into the tournament with loads of energy.

  • That's my plan.

  • Okay, can you show me what makes a perfect serve?

  • Okay, perfect serve is, I think it's all in the toss really.

  • It's the only shot we actually do control.

  • Everything else we have to react to the opponent.

  • So here we go.

  • Up, jump, hope it lands in.

  • You make it look pretty easy.

  • All right, can you demonstrate an extremely difficult and technical thing I probably won't understand?

  • Maybe overhead on the backhand side.

  • It hardly ever happens, and when it does you lunge back, jump up, can't see the opponent anymore, you try to connect and you hope for the best.

  • Okay, what do you consider to be your signature shot?

  • My slice, maybe my forehand.

  • And, why don't you have a two handed backhand?

  • 'Cause all my heroes had a one-hander, so I had no choice.

  • Do you get attached to your racket?

  • I do. I love my racket and it's an extension of my arm and it does all the magic for me, so, yeah.

  • All right.

  • Now, what's your favorite part about playing at Wimbledon?

  • Its history and tradition.

  • And, how would you describe playing at Centre Court?

  • It's, I think, a dream come true for every tennis player to play there.

  • Can we check it out?

  • Let's go.

  • All right, great, and whoa.

  • I am destroying you at tennis on that scoreboard right there.

  • What is going on?

  • What have you done?

  • And why are you asking questions and then playing at Wimbledon?

  • Does your family have any nicknames for you?

  • Yeah, they call me Rog and in Swiss German, "Roch-ee."

  • Okay, what's the most Swiss thing about you?

  • That I'm a chocoholic. Is that something?

  • - Yes, it is. - Ok.

  • What languages do you speak?

  • I speak Swiss-German, German, English and French.

  • Do you have any favorite expressions in these languages?

  • I like "allez" in French, "come on" in English, and "chum jetze" in Swiss-German, on the tennis court.

  • We have some ball boys and ball girls.

  • Hey. How's everything? All good?

  • Nice to see you all.

  • Hey guys.

  • And they're having strawberries and cream.

  • You want one?

  • Sure.

  • Roger, what's up with the strawberries and cream here?

  • I don't know. It's a Wimbledon thing.

  • Okay.

  • What is it? Do you know?

  • Tradition.

  • Tradition.

  • Now, I heard you started your career as a ball boy. Is that right?

  • Yes, I was like them.

  • I was about twelve-years-old at my home tournament in Basel, I did it for two years, it was great, I loved it.

  • How many hours a day at age twelve were you playing?

  • Two hours every second day, I'd say.

  • Wow, versus how many hours today?

  • Between zero and four. I gotta save my energy sometimes.

  • Who was your tennis idol growing up?

  • Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras.

  • When did you first realize you were really, really good at tennis?

  • Well in the juniors I thought I was good and then, when I beat Pete Sampras here in 2001 I felt like I knew I was good.

  • So wrong to say that. Oh, my God.

  • Now, is it true your mom is a tennis coach?

  • Yeah, a little bit.

  • She didn't really coach me though.

  • Okay, but what's the best piece of advice that she gave you?

  • Never let the ball bounce twice.

  • - Oh okay. - Makes sense.

  • - So simple right? - Yeah.

  • Just run after that ball all the time.

  • - Sure. - Just like a dog.

  • What advice would you give these guys here?

  • Love your tennis but then work hard and what else can I tell you guys?

  • Dream big. You know, sometimes we don't dream big enough that it's possible because we think there is barriers and stuff.

  • You gotta go for it and do it full on.

  • That's wonderful advice.

  • See you later guys. Take care, nice to see you.

  • Roger, grass or clay?

  • Grass, of course.

  • Forehand or backhand?

  • Forehand.

  • Spin or flat?

  • Spin.

  • What TV show are you obsessed with at the moment?

  • None, really.

  • I used to love "Prison Break."

  • That was so cool.

  • Who's your style icon?

  • Tom Ford.

  • What are you wearing when you're feeling your best?

  • I mean, a suit's good, but bathing suit and a t-shirt on a beach somewhere.

  • What's the most memorable thing that you've ever worn?

  • Met Gala, I wore a tuxedo from Gucci with a diamond encrusted sort of a cobra on the back.

  • That was pretty sick.

  • What do you do on your off days?

  • Nothing. I just take it easy, run around with the kids.

  • Hey.

  • Bonjour Roger, bonne chance pour le tournoi.

  • Ciao, ciao.

  • What's the best fashion advice you've ever received?

  • You wear the clothes, not the clothes wear you.

  • And, Anna once told me when I asked her if I should wear the dark suit or the light suit for the evening.

  • She said, "The dark suit of course, Roger."

  • I was like, of course.

  • That's pretty good advice, right?

  • Anna knows best.

  • What's something about yourself that you think a lot of people wouldn't know?

  • I don't know.

  • I feel like I've done so many interviews, I think, I really feel like people know everything by now.

  • Alright, now, you have identical twins.

  • Now, be honest with me, do you ever get them confused?

  • I used to sometimes if I couldn't see their face right away but no, nowadays I'm a pro of course I can tell them apart.

  • What lessons have you learned from your kids?

  • Patience and snuggling again.

  • It's been the best.

  • That's so sweet.

  • And, what do you hope your kids learn from you?

  • Everything. I want to teach them everything I know, and more.

  • I love them so much.

  • That's wonderful.

  • All right.

  • Hello. Nice to see you.

  • Roger, out of all of the places you play in the world, what's the craziest location?

  • I played on the Jungfraujoch, top of Europe in Switzerland in mountain, with Lindsey Vonn.

  • And, I guess Centre Court, Wimbledon, of course.

  • And, here we are in The Clubhouse.

  • We finally made it.

  • I can't believe I'm here right now.

  • And look at the trophies.

  • This is the one.

  • Roger, get right next to that.

  • - Look at that. - So good.

  • So beautiful.

  • So close, so far.

  • And you have eight of these things.

  • Yeah, I do.

  • Where do you keep all of them?

  • I have a big trophy cabinet at home, but we always have space for one more.

  • I tell you that.

  • I can imagine.

  • What Wimbledon tradition do you look forward to the most?

  • I think it's wonderful to have the Centre Court be opened up by the defending champion at one o'clock on Monday.

  • Do you remember the first professional tournament you played?

  • Of course, Gstaad in '98 after I won the junior's here, actually, at Wimbledon the week before.

  • Wow.

  • What's the most surprising moment in your career?

  • Surprising moment, I truly believe becoming world #1 and winning all the titles that I did is crazier than any dream I ever had about my career.

  • I never thought I was going to be this successful.

  • What's your most prize memorabilia?

  • The net of my 2009 Wimbledon final against my good friend, Andy Roddick.

  • There we go.

  • Would you consider tennis your favorite sport to watch?

  • Yes, and football and basketball.