- [Interviewer] 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?
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] Okay, what do you consider
to be your signature shot?
- My slice, maybe my forehand.
- [Interviewer] And, why do you have a two handed backhand?
- 'Cause all my heroes had a one-hander,
so I had no choice.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] All right.
Now, what's your favorite part about playing at Wimbledon?
- Its history and tradition.
- [Interviewer] And, how would you describe
playing at Centre Court?
- It's, I think, a dream come true
for every tennis player to play there.
- [Interviewer] Can we check it out?
- Let's go.
- [Interviewer] 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?
[laughs]
- [Interviewer] Does your family
have any nicknames for you?
- Yeah, they call me Rog
and in Swiss German, "Roch-ee."
- [Interviewer] Hey, what's the most Swiss thing about you?
- That I'm a chocoholic. Is that something?
- [Interviewer] Yes, it is.
What languages do you speak?
- I speak Swiss-German, German, English and French.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] We have some ball boys and ball girls.
- Hey. How's everything? All good?
Nice to see you all.
- [Interviewer] Hey guys.
- And they're having strawberries and cream.
- You want one?
- Sure.
- [Interviewer] Roger, what's up with
the strawberries and cream here?
- I dunno. It's a Wimbledon thing.
- [Interviewer] Okay.
- What is it? Do you know?
- [Children] Tradition.
- Tradition.
- [Interviewer] 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 in my home tournament in Basel,
I did it for two years, it was great, I loved it.
- [Interviewer] How many hours a day at age twelve
were you playing?
- Two hours every second day, I'd say.
- [Interviewer] Wow, versus how many hours today?
- Between zero and four. I gotta save my energy sometimes.
- [Interviewer] Who was your tennis idol growing up?
- Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] Now, is it true your mom is a tennis coach?
- Yeah, a little bit.
She didn't really coach me though.
- [Interviewer] Okay, but what's the best piece of advice
that she gave you?
- Never let the ball bounce twice.
- [Interviewer] Oh okay. - Makes sense.
So simple right? - [Interviewer] Yeah.
- Just run after that ball all the time.
- [Interviewer] Sure. - Like a dog.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] That's wonderful advice.
- See you later guys. Take care, nice to see you.
- [Interviewer] Roger, grass or clay?
- Grass, of course.
- [Interviewer] Forehand or backhand?
- Forehand.
- [Interviewer] Spin or flat?
- Spin.
- [Interviewer] What TV show are you obsessed
with at the moment?
- None, really.
I used to love "Prison Break."
That was so cool.
- [Interviewer] Who's your style icon?
- Tom Ford.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] What's the most memorable
that you've ever worn?
- Met Gala, I wore a tuxedo from Gucci
with at diamond encrusted sort of a cobra on the back.
That was pretty sick.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] That's pretty good advice, right?
- Anna knows best.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] What lessons have you learned
from your kids?
- Patience and snuggling again.
It's been the best.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] That's wonderful.
- All right.
Hello. Nice to see you.
- [Interviewer] 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 and Switzerland, in my open with
Lindsey Vonn.
And, I guess Centre Court, Wimbledon, of course.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] Roger, get right next to that.
Look at that. - So good.
So beautiful.
So close, so far.
- [Interviewer] And you have eight of these things.
- Yeah, I do.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] 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.
- [Interviewer] What's your most prize memorabilia?
- The net of my 2009 Wimbledon final
against my good friend, Andy Roddick.
- [Interviewer] There we go.
Would you consider tennis your favorite sport to watch?
- Yes, and football and basketball.
I love basketball. It's cool.
- [Interviewer] And growing up
you also played soccer, right?
- I did.
- [Interviewer] What made you choose tennis over soccer?
- I didn't want to blame the goalie, in all honesty.
I wanted to blame myself,
maybe that is what made me pick tennis.
Thankfully I did.
- [Interviewer] What's the biggest challenge
as an athlete that you didn't appreciate
when you started?
- I was incredibly homesick in the beginning.
Jet lag and all the interviews.
Couldn't trust journalists in the beginning
and then, little by little, I actually started
enjoying interviews.
That's why I'm talking to you right now.
- [Interviewer] I'm so lucky to be here.
And, Roger, how do you want to be remembered?
- As a good guy for tennis,
philanthropic, and I don't know, a good tennis player,
maybe. I don't know.
- [Interviewer] Now, I've been told that you
enjoy ice cream before a match.
Is that right?
- What? Pre-match ice cream?
I'll have loads afterwards, but not before.
- [Interviewer] And here's a wall of champions!
- [Interviewer] Wow, that's a lot of Federer right there.
- Yeah.
- It almost takes up half of the space.
But in 2019, you're gonna wanna make it
what, nine times on this board, right?
- Yes, eight's great,
it's actually my favorite number,
but nine has a better sound to it.
- [Interviewer] Now, can you point to the win
that was the most memorable?
- 2003.
- [Interviewer] Why?
- It was my first one.
- [Interviewer] There you go.
- It's like I thought that was it.
I achieved my dream, winning Wimbledon.
It was epic.
- [Interviewer] And, I heard that they engrave these
pretty quickly when you win?
- Yes, apparently, even the trophy.
So, you hold it up in the air,
and it's already got your trophy engraved
and you walk out of this court, that you win
just back here, look to your right, and bang,
winner 2019 and the name.
- [Interviewer] Can you actually tell me something
really quick about Mr. Rafael Nadal?
- What would you like to know?
He's an intense guy on the court.
He's super honest and open off the court,
and he's got a heart of gold.
He's also gonna help me with my foundation
again next year.
We're gonna try to break the record
for most attendance in Cape Town
in South Africa for my foundation.
I'm so looking forward to it.
so thank you Rafa.
- [Interviewer] Amazing.
Now, I sense Centre Court is right behind these doors
over here, right? - It is.
Wanna have a look?
- [Interviewer] Let's take a look.
- All right, let's go.
- [Interviewer] All right.
Hopefully, it's everything that I hoped and dreamed.
Here we go. - After you.
- [Interviewer] This is so cool.
Roger, do you have any pre-match rituals
or superstitions?
- I am not superstitious at all actually, funny enough.
- [Interviewer] What kind of music would you
probably be listening to before a match?
- I don't usually,
but maybe something relaxing, funny enough.
- [Interviewer] And the grand moment.
This is incredible.
Wow, look at this.
- So nice.
- [Interviewer] What do you say to yourself
before you walk on this grass?
- C'mon Rog, you got this. Go for it. Enjoy it.
Let's go.
- [Interviewer] Do you think I could walk
out on the grass with you?
- I mean, for me it's okay,
but maybe you gotta ask Neil.
- Uh, no.
- [Interviewer] What's your favorite memory
of playing here?
- Winning my first Wimbledon,
or maybe beating Pete Sampras here in 2001.
- [Interviewer] Okay, Roger you're here.
It's match point.
What is that experience like?
- You hear a pin drop
when you're about to serve.
Nobody's talking, it's amazing.
You hear a cough, maybe
and then the crowd erupts when you win the point.
- [Interviewer] Who was the first person
you look out for in the crowd?
- I wanna feel the vibe,
see how into it the crowd is,
how much they're into it,
and then I check my team,
if they're all seated already maybe,
and umpire and opponent, you know.
- [Interviewer] And you have stiff competition.
Who's the player that you dread playing the most?
- Raf Nadal.
- [Interviewer] Who's your favorite player
to play against?
- Raf Nadal.
[laughs]
- [Interviewer] And who do you want a re-match with?
- Maybe Del Potro, U.S. Open Final in 2009.
- [Interviewer] You have a strategy called fire and ice.
What does this mean?
- So, I think you gotta have fire in the belly
wanting to win every point.
You give it your absolute best.
And, ice in the veins, for me
is basically you're so focused
in the most important moments,
you are so calm and composed,
that's what it is.
- [Interviewer] Prepping for a first round match
versus prepping for a final match, what changes?
- Well, there should be none,
but sometimes you get a bit nervous, you do.
- [Interviewer] So, how nervous do you get before matches?
- I think it's the amount of butterflies you feel
in the belly that makes a difference.
- [Interviewer] Mental exhaustion or physical,
what's harder to overcome?
- I'd say mental.
Just as hard to sometimes be picked up.
It's not always easy to stay positive.
- [Interviewer] Serving volley or power baseline?
- A bit of both.
- [Interviewer] Footwork or strokes,
which is harder to nail?
- Footwork is easier to perfect.
I feel like strokes are maybe more talent involved.
- [Interviewer] And last question, Roger,
question number 73:
how does surviving Bear Grylls
compare to surviving Wimbledon?
- A bit different.
Bear Grylls' show I did freeze, and I peed over the fire.
I didn't do that here at Wimbledon
and Bear Grylls was actually sitting over there
in the Royal Box with the Royals attending the finals
and my team was sitting over there with my lovely wife.
A wonderful moment.
- [Interviewer] All right.
Well, that concludes the interview
and I'm gonna leave with a message
from a special guest. Here she is now:
- [Anna] Hello, Roger, this is Anna.
- Good luck at Wimbledon,
and now back to those practice courts.
- Thank you, Anna.
How did she do that?
Is she here?
- [Interviewer] No idea. Thanks, Roger.
- Okay.