Federer sempre foi gentleman, desde o início da carreira. Suas entrevistas sempre foram longas e em três línguas – inglês, francês e suíço alemão. Mas, de uns tempos para cá o suíço ficou engraçadinho também.

Primeiro achei que fosse somente em eventos de patrocinadores, em exibições, quando não há pressão, concentração e é hora de aproveitar mesmo. Não é não. Faz um tempo já que nas entrevistas em quadra ele está descontraído e nas coletivas também. Acompanhei praticamente todas dele em Roland Garros e reproduzo aqui partes da de ontem, após a vitória  de número 900 sobre Gilles Simon para mostrar que entre as respostas sérias e longas, ele está toda hora fazendo uma gracinha.

Q.  36 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals.  I was wondering how this achievement, in your opinion, ranks compared to the others that you have had?

ROGER FEDERER:  Well, I was asked on court.  I’m not going to say something totally different to you guys than to all the people, but I guess this is maybe a record I look back on when I’m not playing anymore, and go like, That was incredible that I was able to achieve this.  Because this isn’t just a one‑week thing or one‑year thing.  This is such a long period of time that I had to fight through matches like the one, for instance, here today.

The number is unbelievable.  I probably would have been happy with one at one point in my career, when I was younger and eventually you raise the bar and say, Okay, hopefully I can reach my first semifinals, like in 2003 at Wimbledon.  I went on to win the tournament, and the rest we know.

It’s been an amazing run, and I’m happy I’m still on it.

Q.  You were laughing when Gilles made his speech on center court.  Did he say something particularly funny for those who didn’t hear it and don’t know what he said?

ROGER FEDERER:  What did he say?

Man, I guess he mentioned something like he obviously hopes he can beat me sometime.  He was right, you know.  (Laughter.)

He’s not going to stand there like saying, I hope I’m not going to lose next time.  It’s very uncomfortable.  The other guy is sitting there.  I guess that’s what it was.  Maybe there was something else which now I forgot.  Too many things happened in the last hour.

Q.  You’re looking very fresh.  Actually, doesn’t look like you played five sets.

ROGER FEDERER:  Thank you.  You look great, too.  (Laughter.)

Q. Thanks.

ROGER FEDERER:  For watching a match of five sets.  Did you take a shower?  (Laughter.)

Q. These boring interviews, we have to get you guys to loosen up a bit.

ROGER FEDERER:  I’m happy you did.

Q.  As far as longevity goes ‑ and one would love to see you play forever because you’re such a fantastic player.

ROGER FEDERER:  Well I may not, but hopefully for a long time, yes.

Q.  36 quarters is an incredible accomplishment.  A big number.  Among all those quarterfinals, could you possibly pick out one or two that were particularly important or particularly meaningful in all of those?

ROGER FEDERER:  The quarterfinal match itself then

Q.  Yes.

ROGER FEDERER:  God.  (Laughter.)

How much time do you give me?  Let me think.

I guess two that come to mind ‑‑ I don’t know.  I guess part of the streak.  It was maybe the first one in ‑‑ because I lost first round at the French in ’03 and then made the quarters at Wimbledon ’03, and then beat Sjeng Schalken, I think, on Court 2.

That was the first time for me to make it to a semis.  He was injured.  He couldn’t move very well.  He had a foot problem, I remember.  And I wasn’t happy he had that, but I was happy he wasn’t the Sjeng Schalken I knew he could be on the grass.

That was for me a particularly big one for me to give myself an opportunity to play Roddick in the semis.  I won Halle he won Queen’s, and I won that to go on and win.

So that one stands out for me.  But then ‑‑ I don’t know if that was the quarters, but I think it was ‑‑ against Agassi at the US Open.  I don’t know if the wind match ‑‑ was that a semis?  Anyway, so then I guess it’s just the Wimbledon match.

Otherwise if that was the quarters, that was an important one for me in my life.

Q.  It was a madhouse out there.  The volume of sound, that was incredible.  You were walking around behind the court in between points.  What are you saying to yourself, and can you get lost in your own head at that point and just forget everything?

ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I thought it was very fair.  I said it on the court, too.  But today definitely reminded me what Simon’s first name was.  I heard that throughout the entire match.  But I enjoyed it.

It’s always nice being part of an atmosphere like the one we had tonight, and you always look forward to those kind of matches.  You know, while you’re walking in the back you tell yourself that’s exactly why I work hard for; I’m going to be strong, stronger than him; I’m going to be good here; I’m going to fight and leave everything on the court.

That’s what I guess I was telling myself at times, as well.

(Pergunta do Felipe Andreoli – CQC) Q.  They already asked you about your physical, and we were worried about your back.  I want to know, how is your back, and if it hurts, I could do a massage because we want to see you at the finals.

ROGER FEDERER:  Right, right.  No, my back is good.  I’m happy it’s good so you don’t have to touch me.  (Laughter.)

Good to see you again.

Q.  I wonder what you thought of Tommy Robredo’s exploits in this tournament, winning three matches in concession from two sets to love down, a player over 30 who probably we have all been saying should have retired long ago.  You know what that’s like.  Doing that, how big of an achievement is that?

ROGER FEDERER:  I think it’s amazing, really.  I did see Tommy as well in Sao Paulo, so for me I was happy to see him back on tour.  He was injured for some time.  I have known him, man, since I was 15 maybe, so we go way back.  He was always one of the top juniors, as well.

So on tour we were very friendly.  I don’t quite know how it is to come back from injury, to be honest.  I know how it is to come back from two sets to love, and that is a big deal.

So the combo of him doing that three times consecutively at probably his most favorite tournament in the world, yeah, amazing achievement.  And, yeah, couldn’t be happier for the guy, really.

Q.  And what was the words that you heard in the audience that affected you?  I mean, I heard one that shocked me.  It was, Roger give me your genetic pool.

ROGER FEDERER:  It’s difficult really to pick out those sort of words ‑ it has to be cried out when everything else is tranquil in the stadium ‑ unless you’re sitting right next to the chap who’s saying it.

I mean, I hear basic things, if you like, but sometimes it’s true that you can pick out, I don’t know, maybe it’s a ball boy or, you know, people say, Roger, you know, Go for it, Roger.  You pick up on that.

It’s nice, those little messages of encouragement there just to help you.

Foto de Roger Federer: Cynthia Lum

Diana Gabanyi