Roger Federer: The Exclusive Interview

Ahead of his title defense at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, we spoke to defending champion Roger Federer about his incredible career.

By Marianna Cerini

A few years ago, Roger Federer was done. If you believe what you might have read in pretty much every sports site, newspaper and magazine, anyway.

"My guess is all Federer's fans will find themselves here [saying goodbye] in 2012," mourned Pranav Gandhi in GQ India in 2011.

"The real achievement for Federer going forward will be to retain his spot in the top five," suggested Eurosport in 2013.

"Is it the end for Roger Federer?" asked The Telegraph in 2013.

Every article carried a whiff of elegy. Every suggestion that the magic Swiss was nearing the final years of his career held a haunting promise of nostalgia for his play, his tricks, his persona. Only here’s the thing: Federer is still playing. More to the point, he's still pretty awesome at it. In fact, he's ranked higher than he was in 2011 and 2013. He's so damn good at what he does that he is still competing for majors and can make you hold your breath as he executes his astonishingly crisp game. Look no further than his performance in the US Open final against Novak Djokovic last month, when he narrowly fell in four sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Federer's epoch of dominance might be in the past, but he's still doing spectacular things – and largely unprecedented things for a male tennis player his age. At 34, he is playing exceedingly well in what should be the twilight of his career.

"Ten years ago I would have only hoped to be still able to play at 34. Yet here I am," the Swiss says from his house in Zurich a couple of days after his loss to Djokovic in New York. "I am number two in the world. I've scored titles this season already. I didn't win in the States but I played really well.

"Being Roger Federer is a pretty great feeling right now… I am going through a really exciting phase of my career, of my life. I can only be happy."

And why wouldn't he be? With the most Open-era Grand Slam men's singles titles (17) and weeks ranked No. 1 (302, including 237 consecutive weeks), most think of him as one of the greatest tennis players ever. They are right. From 2004 to 2006, Federer won at least 11 singles titles every year, a stretch of mastery that left his observers agape, and led to David Foster Wallace coining the phrase "Federer Moments" – "these are times, as you watch the young Swiss play, when the jaw drops and eyes protrude and sounds are made that bring spouses in from other rooms to see if you're OK."

"Too many," he says when asked about his favorite Federer Moment. "I never thought I was going to be as successful as I have been. How it all turned out to be. I grew up hoping at Wimbledon one day, to be world number one, to go as far as winning tournaments over and over again. I achieved so much more than I thought I would. It has been magical really."

Even during his worst season – the bleak year that was 2013 – hampered by a balky back and a visible lack of confidence, he still went 45-17, lost to Andy Murray in the Australian Open semifinals, and finished the year ranked No. 6, results that most players a decade younger would be overjoyed to achieve.

Now, well past his prime, married and a father of four, he's having a sort of renaissance that few could have anticipated: 2015 has seen him put together a 53-8 record while winning five titles.

While most of his age-group peers – Marat Safin, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo, James Blake, Lleyton Hewitt, David Nalbandian and the like – are either out of tennis or greatly diminished, time is treating Federer with a tenderness that almost defies reason.

Or perhaps he's the one whipping Father Time. While more than one athlete has been known to hang in the game longer than they should, Federer's success at this late stage of his career is solidifying his place among the greatest on sporting Olympus.

"I don't live in the past, I don't dwell on it," he says. "I still have plenty of goals moving forward. I love being on the court, traveling the world with my family, playing tournaments. I think it's wonderful that I can still do that at my age."

Anyone who watched his game at the Shanghai Rolex Masters last October can't but agree. The tournament saw Federer play himself back into contention for the top ranking, halting No. 1 Novak Djokovic's 28-match unbeaten run in China to book a place in the final. Federer, seeded third at the time, defeated his Serbian rival 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 35 minutes to line up a meeting with Frenchman Gilles Simon, which he went on to win 7-6, 7-6, leaping past Rafael Nadal for No. 2 in the rankings for the first time in more than a year.

"The Shanghai Rolex Masters brings really good memories from the past," Federer says. "I have been attending since its launch. It's one of my favorite tournaments – a priority in my schedule. And after last year, it's particularly special for me."

For the first time in quite a long time, the Swiss put on a dominant, almost aggressive play – so much so that, after his loss, Djokovic said in an unusually brief post-match news conference that it was the best Federer has ever played against him.

At the beginning of the 2014 season, it was quite a different story. The Swiss ranked No. 8 – his lowest position in 12 years – and his back problem was seriously hindering his performance.

He came out of the slump by hiring Stefan Edberg, a former world No. 1 and grand slam champion. He also started using a bigger racket. But arguably the greatest change was his physical recovery. Suddenly, the Swiss Maestro was able to enjoy himself again...

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