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Seoul's 7 best french bakeries
Seoul's 7 best French bakeries
The best chocolate croissants in Korea, from the bakers of Paul & Paulina.Much Korean bread, the kind epitomized by the ubiquitous Paris Baguette, comes by way of Japan: soft and chewy, filled with red bean and topped with hot dogs.
In recent years, however, Korean bakers trained in France and Germany have opened a succession of small bakeries. In doing so, they've stated the European case for bread.
Seoulites get to reap the benefits: massive loaves of bread with crisp crusts and airy interiors, buttery croissants, sourdough, baguettes and lines of pastries are now plentiful in the city.
You can satisfy your craving for fresh bread at any of the places below.
1. Paul & Paulina
The chefs at Paul & Paulina have nothing to hide.
Behind a modest display counter, men and women wearing immaculate white uniforms go about their business: they weigh out flour, beat eggs in large stainless steel bowls and roll out dough on the pristine countertops. The silence and precision recall a laboratory more than a bustling kitchen.
What emerges from the kitchen, though, is simply magical.
The pain au chocolat looks like a chocolate snail; buttery layers of dough roll in around a dark chocolate center. The dough is so flaky that it shatters when you bite into it.
The peasant bread has a crackling crust and excellent crumb structure: perfect pockets of air give the bread lightness.
The long line that snakes outside of Paul & Paulina’s actually works in your favor. While there is the agonizing wait, the constant turnover ensures that the breads and pastries that you buy will be fresh out of the oven.
Paul & Paulina’s also now offers customers the option of calling an hour or two to reserve items.
Pain au chocolat, ₩3,500; Loaf of peasant bread ₩7,000 (half loaf ₩3,500)
Monday-Saturday, noon-7 p.m., closed on Sundays and first Monday of each month
344-6 Seogyo-dong Mapo-gu (마포구 서교동 344-6);+82 02 333 0185
2. Le Alaska
Do you ever wonder where the well-heeled citizens of Apgujeong go to get their pastries? Do you wonder if they even eat pastries?
They do, and to get them they come in droves to Le Alaska, a bakery situated on the apt “Rodeo Street” (yes, named after Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills).
Though kitchen produces savory loaves dotted with a variety of seeds, nuts and herbs, the pastries are the real specialty.
The wide selection begins with the “Praline,” a muffin-shaped puff pastry filled with chopped, roasted hazelnuts and chocolate.
There's also the “Tornado,” a flat, crispy elephant ear of caramelized cinnamon sugar that is the perfect accompaniment to coffee.
In addition to the breads and pastries, Le Alaska’s Apgujeong location offers a variety of sandwiches and drinks. The sandwiches include a steak sandwich on their house-baked ciabatta and a ham and Gruyere cheese croissant.
Praline pastry ₩3,000; Tornado pastry ₩2,800; Steak ciabatta ₩8,500
Daily, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
653-9 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu (강남구 신사동 653-9);+82 02 516 5871
3. Publique
“Bread is a very intimate and everyday thing in France,” says Jang. “That’s why the café is called ‘Publique,’ because it is a café for the public or the people.”
Jang’s favorite bread is a humble pain de seigle, a French rye bread. Publique offers a variety of breads, ranging from toasted sesame bread to ciabatta to cheese bread baked with Emmental cheese.
Publique has an array of fruit tarts such as apple, pear and apricot, but the chocolate tart, with a milk chocolate base and a dark chocolate layer on top, is the most memorable.
Publique also makes scrumptious little Cannelés bordelais, éclairs and meringues.
Customers can take a seat at one of the al fresco tables or sit inside with a cup of organic Colombian drip coffee.
Seigle de Publique half loaf ₩12,000; tarts ₩3,800; coffee ₩2,000
Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., closed on Sundays
311-1 Sangsu-dong, Mapo-gu (마포구 상수동 311-1); +82 02 333 6919; blog.naver.com/publiquepain
4. Pain de Papa
That’s exactly what Lee Ho-Young, the owner and head baker of this small bakery on a side street off of the famed Garosu shopping road, wants to say with his bread.
Lee makes delicious and nutritious organic breads and pastries along with homemade spreads from figs, peaches, red onions and strawberries.
Pain de Papa also bakes bread made entirely from wild yeast, meaning Lee uses the natural yeast present in raisins to leaven the bread. Leavening the bread using dried fruits can take up to five times longer than traditional methods, but the result is a moist, springy bread with a hint of sourdough flavor.
Pain de Papa makes a variety croissants and brioches.
The most inventive pastry, however, is their take on rusk, a twice-baked bread. Lee bakes spheres of dough with chunks of sweet potato and dried fruits, and then fires them up in the oven a second time with butter to give the exterior a delicious crunch.
The finished product is dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Think of it as a kind of a healthy doughnut.
Rusk, ₩1,700; natural yeast raisin bread ₩6,000; homemade jam ₩6,000 to ₩10,000
Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., closed on Sundays
548-5 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu (강남구 산사동 548-5);+ 82 02 543 5232
5. Retro Oven
For those of us living in other parts of Seoul, coming out to find this neighborhood bakery near the district offices of Gangnam is well worth the trek.
The bakery offers a familiar spread of croissants, pain au chocolat, plain and herb ciabatta.
But the most surprising item is the Laugen croissant, or laugencroissant as it is known in southern Germany.
The Laugen croissant is the result of a perfect union between a pretzel and a croissant. it has all of the butteriness of a croissant with the slight pungency of a pretzel and distinguishing salt on top.
Retro Oven also offers loaves of “Retro Oven” bread, a soft, simple sandwich bread made with wheat and some rye that is ideal toasted with a spread of butter and jam for breakfast or as the base of a turkey club.
Laugen croissant ₩2,800; whole loaf of Retro Oven ₩10,000
Tuesday-Saturday, 12:30-7 p.m., closed on Sundays and Mondays
254-22 Nonhyun-dong, Gangnam-gu (강남구 논현동 254-22) tel. + 82 02 544 9045
6. Maybell
Jung Woong, owner of Maybell, used to be an everyday office worker, or “salaryman” as Koreans like to say, before he decided to quit his job and become a baker.
Maybell came to its location in Itaewon four years ago after a previous four-year stint in the northwest satellite city of Ilsan.
The hearty and crusty loaves did not fit the palates of the Koreans living there, so Jung Woong decided to relocate to Itaewon where he hoped there would be a greater appreciation for his sourdough rye, rosemary rye and baguettes.
The sourdough takes a week to make and comes in sizeable 600 gram loaves.
Maybell opens at noon and closes at 6 p.m. -- or until supplies last.
The latter is an important detail to keep in mind, because the bakery often runs out of bread by four or five in the afternoon.
Baguettes ₩3,000; sourdough loaf ₩5,000 Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m., closed on Sundays
737-2 Hannam 2-dong, Yongsan-gu (용산구 한남2동 737-2);+82 02 792 5561
7. Brown Bread
In its display window, Brown Bread posts its baking schedule: pain de campagne (country bread) at 11 a.m., bretzels at noon, rye baguettes at 2:40 p.m., another round of pain de campagne at 3 p.m., and so o
The baking intervals and schedule allow customers to get the freshest loaves.
Its brezel, a soft pretzel that undergoes an extended fermentation, is probably its best item. Brezels come in different shapes and sizes -- from long like baguettes, to small and round. All are topped with salt crystals.
At ₩1,000, the soft and chewy mini-bretzels make an excellent snack.
Bretzel ₩2,500, Mini-bretzel ₩1,000
Monday-Saturday, noon-7 p.m., closed on Sundays
27-46 Daehyun-dong, Seodaemun-gu (서대문구 대현동 27-46);+82 070 8658 1236
Read more: Seoul's 7 best French bakeries | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/eat/seouls-7-best-french-bakeries-883832#ixzz1aS3YgMTY
Hongdae's Unique Cafes
Unique Cafes in Hongdae
When most people think of Hongdae, they might conjure up images of clubs, Friday night, live music, and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. But Hongdae has more to offer than a fun place to hang out on the weekends. Hongdae, home to Hongik University, the most famous of the art universities in Korea, also has a flair for the artsy, quirky, and offbeat. Home to flea markets with handmade crafts and accessories on weekend mornings, boutiques with unique vintage and contemporary finds, spontaneous performances from drum circles and B-boy crews, and some of the best graffiti you’ll see in the city, it also holds perhaps the highest number of and most unique cafes per square mile in the city. Kitschy, cuddly, and eclectic -- you’ll find places to suit all styles. So check out a few of Hongdae’s different cafes to get your java fix while you revel in the atmosphere.
Charlie Brown café
The Charlie Brown café is a franchise coffee shop chain that may not provide the coziest of coffee shop interiors, but instead specializes in bright, modern design -- sprinkled intermittently, of course, with images, stuffed dolls, and relics of your favorite cartoon beagle and his gang of friends. Namesake comic kid, Charlie Brown may actually take a backseat to his canine companion in this café, but lovers of the famous comic strip will have plenty to look at in this cute-as-a-button coffee shop. Drink prices and offerings are similar to those of your standard coffee shop chains, though they might rethink the play-on wording of their Americano, “Brown coffee” -- something about it just sounds altogether unappetizing. The café also offers food and dessert choices, many that have impressions or chocolate dustings with characters’ images, if you’re not the type to feel guilty for eventually eating your Schroeder’s head. While not the most ambient of coffee shops, the atmosphere is quiet enough to study or have meetings without having to sift through the other background noise you get at some of the more famous, popular chains.
Charlie Brown café can be reached from Hongik University Station (Line 2, Exit 5), Hapjeong Station (Line 2 or 5, Exit 3), or Sangsu Station (Line 6), Exit 1. It’s close to the playground near Hongik University’s main gate.
Hello Kitty café
Hello Kitty, the cartoon cat that makes even grown women go ga-ga for her cute bow and simple style, has been turned into a lifestyle café. Pink from top to bottom, you can’t miss the café in its alley off fashion street in Hongdae. Hello Kitty memorabilia is mixed with bows, chandeliers, and plush armchairs and benches to provide the most intense saturation of pink and pretty that you’ve likely ever laid eyes on. The motif doesn’t let up an inch, windows in cut-out shapes of the famous kitty give views between one room to the next, mirrors in the bathroom also feature the Hello Kitty silhouette. Even lamps, chairs, and toilets in the café are unable to escape the pink and bow treatment. Lattes come with the famous feline face stenciled in cinnamon or chocolate and desserts just as pretty as the cat herself are available for those with a sweet tooth. Hello Kitty neck pillows also abound in order for guests to get their maximum pretty pamper treatment on.
To get to the Hello Kitty café, you can go to Hongik University Station (Line 2, Exit 5), Hapjeong Station (Line 2 or 5, Exit 3), or Sangsu Station (Line 6), Exit 1. It’s on an uphill alley off of Hongdae’s main drag of shops and boutiques.
Bau Haus café – Hongdae
Korea hasn’t traditionally been a domestic pet-raising society, but times they are a-changing. Nowadays, more and more Korean families are raising pets in their homes and for those who can’t but still want their fix of puppy loving, Bau Haus offers the perfect solution. Bau Haus, German for bow house (think bow-wow), has been providing a space for dogs and the people who love them since 2000. They eventually moved to their current larger location in 2004, and on any given day now have between 20-30 dogs running around free rein in the cafe. The numbers differ from day to day because customers are also able to bring their puppies to join in on the fun and dogs staying in the café’s dog hotel service are also likely to enter the fray. You won’t find just the teacup poodles and malteses that are most commonly seen in Korea, the café houses a huge Siberian Husky, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and plenty of other large breeds alongside their more diminutive brethren. It’s possible you may have to wait for a table, especially if you go on the weekend. Once seated, you can order your standard coffee and tea fare, as well as out-of-the-ordinary milkshakes. The prices for the drinks are slightly more expensive than you might find at other coffee shops, but there is no admission fee to enjoy hours playing with your new cuddly best friends.
To get to the Bau Haus café, you can go to Hongik University Station (Line 2, Exit 5), Hapjeong Station (Line 2 or 5, Exit 3), or Sangsu Station (Line 6), Exit 1. It is located in one of the side streets off of Parking Lot Street.
Gio Cat café – Hongdae
If you think there’s a personality difference between those who claim themselves to be dog lovers or cat lovers; you can see the difference clearly by comparing a visit to Gio Cat café to one at Bau Haus. While Bau Haus has an energetic and sometimes even chaotic energy, Gio Cat café is calm, quiet, and cool. While patrons at Bau Haus romp around with their canine companions, patrons at Gio Cat are content to stroke the glossy manes of the Siamese, Russian Blue, and 20-plus other cats that purr beneath their hands. Gio Cat also has stricter rules for its customers, in order to ensure control of the kittens’ environment. Only a certain number of guests are allowed in at a time, so like Bau Haus, you may find yourself on a waitlist, especially on a weekend. Guests should take off their shoes before entering and there is a set of rules that is displayed in several places around the café, reminding guests not to feed the cats, pull their tails, wake up a sleeping cat, use flash photography, or forcefully pet their bellies. While the feline friends at Gio Cat may not clamor for your attention the way the dogs at Bau Haus do, with a little patience they’ll eventually come to you and curl up in your lap for a catnap.
Gio Cat café can be reached from Hongik University Station (Line 2, Exit 5), Hapjeong Station (Line 2 or 5, Exit 3), or Sangsu Station (Line 6), Exit 2. It’s close to the playground near Hongik University’s main gate.
Dr. Fish café / Heimdall
The infamous Dr. Fish café is a popular one among expats and Koreans alike, if not only for its delight-your-friends-with-this-story factor. The premise of the cafes, there are a few sprinkled around the city, is that customers can put their feet in shallow pools located in the cafes and get “nature’s pedicure.” In the pools there are swarms of small fish, typically separated into two different varieties -- Turkish and Chinese -- that nibble the dead skin off of your feet, all while you sip on a refreshing drink and chat with your friends. Although the time that you spend soaking your feet is up to you, most people see a difference in the soft¬ness of their heels after only fifteen to thirty minutes. To ensure hygienic conditions, customers are asked to first wash their feet thoroughly in special foot sinks.
To get to the Dr. Fish café, you can go to Sangsu Station (Line 6, Exit 2) and walk towards the front gates of Hongik University. At the three-way intersection, take a left and then a right at the By the Way convenience store. Dr. Fish café (Heimdall in Korean) is located on the 7th floor of the building with the Fish and Grill restaurant on the ground level.
Café HoHomyoll
Finally, Café HoHomyoll might not have any specific themes or gimmicks like the aforementioned coffee shops, but it’s worth seeking out for the cozy, inviting atmosphere alone. Even though it has a full vintage VW van stuffed in the café, it may still be easy to pass this pleasant coffee shop by as you make your way from Sangsu Station towards the streets full of clubs and bars. The coffee shop, opened by owner Ye-Rang Yoon two years ago, has an unpretentious yet delightfully sophisticated mix of vintage and modern style and unique knick knacks, many VW-inspired, look to have been thoughtfully and individually placed throughout the interior of the café to produce just the right amount of quirk without making the customer feel claustrophobic. If the novelty of having your mocha prepared in the gutted inside of a VW van isn’t enough, the extensive menu of Paninis, waffles, and quiche doesn’t hurt either. Prices for drinks and food are comparable to other cafes and the ambience is quiet enough that patrons often stay for a lazy afternoon to read, study, or catch up with old friends.
To get to Café HoHomyoll, go to Sangsu Station, Exit 2 and walk about 50 m. The shop will be on your right and the porch area has a red wagon with two ET dolls on display.
For more information about living working in Seoul, please visit the Seoul Global Center’s unofficial blog, www.seoulcityblog.com
Seoul's Best Ramen
Top 10 Japanese Ramen Restaurants in Seoul
T
ramen
10) RAW in Gangnam: This Japanese restaurant in Seoul is near Kyobo Tower. The Japanese Ramen bowls are HUGE! This place is known for their rolls but their ramen is not half bad. They put corn in it and being from the states…I love corn! Also in Gangnam you are not going to find a better ramen place. There were some smaller ramen houses in Gangnam but they all ran out of business. Since Raw sells other kinds of Japanese food, they will be hanging around for a long time. Phone number 3482-4554.
9) LE A in Yeoksam: 814-6 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Very good Japanese Ramen house. They have a lot of side dishes and the seafood sampler is great if you are not into ramen that day. The ramen itself is nothing special however because of all the other goodies you can get, it is worth checking out. Phone number 02-561-4997
8. TUM SAE RAMEN in Myeongdong: This Japanese Restaurant is near the Cinus Movie Theater. The place looks terrible! It is coverd in notes. It looks like you are in a serial killer’s basement. Notes and notes everywhere. But you don’t go there for that stuff…you go there for the Japanese Ramen. If you like spice, this ramen is awesome. After I ate it I felt like this would 100% be in the top 10, however after I went home and had a massive poop explosion…. it got knocked down 3 spots. Very spicy so you have been warned.
7) AJIMOTO in Sinchon: Near Ehwa Women’s University. 56-27 Daehyeon-dong, Seodaemun-gu. This Japanese restaurant in Seoul is the place to go for the college kids. I go there personally for the ladies! This place gets packed! The lines get very very long during lunch time. Standing in line is the best way to meet the college chicks. The taste??? Who cares!!! Are you going there for the food or the girls?? The girls make the Japanese noodles taste extra juicy…Phone number 02-313-0817
6) KOKO-RO RAMEN in Sinsadong: Near Hyundai Department Store. This Japanese Restaurant might have the most flavor of them all. It is as if they put a pig in a pot and boiled it for months…Some might say that they went a little overboard with the pork flavor. To be honest it tasted great but after I ate it…I didn’t want to eat another one…for a while. However if you love pork then move this up a few spots. Phone number 02-335-3422
5) YUTARO in Bundang: 260-4 Seohyeon-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si. Gyeonggi-do. They are famous for their ONE type of ramen called Donkotsu Ramen. This is the ramen to get and it got them to #5 on the list. The ramen tastes great and the soup flavor is not too strong. The veggies are fresh and a great compliment to the hot broth. One problem…do you really want to travel all the way to Seohyeon for this?? I say no. Don’t get me wrong, it tastes great but not worth the 45 min plus travel time.
4) FURUSATO in Myeongdong: 33-5 Myeongdong 2 (i)-ga Jung-gu. Have you ever noticed that all the Japanese people flock to Myeongdong…so you would think they would have great Japanese Ramen shops…and they DO! This Japanese Ramen restaurant is awesome. Everything is imported straight from Japan. The noodles, beef, veggies, and etc….The taste is a bit different and the reason is that it is as close to real Japanese Ramen you are ever going to get. However this place is a bit pricy, 9000 won for ramen is NOT cheap. I would recommend you sit on the counter because the chefs are really friendly and you get to SEE your ramen getting made. Phone number 02-771-0147
3) HAKATABUNKKO in Hongdae: Near Sangsu Station. 93-28 Sangsu-dong, Mapo-gu. The look of the Japanese Ramen is not great. It is cloudy and almost looks like aged milk… However the taste is fantastic. I feel it is better than FURUSATO because of how much garlic they put inside it. I LOVE GARLIC! You will have a hard time beating this ramen, however the second time I went it, it was not as good. So consistantcy might be a problem. Phone number 02-338-8545
2) NAGAMI RAMEN in Hongdae: 335-8 Seongyo-dong, Mapo-gu. This ramen is so good that it won this big Ramen Contest. I forgot the name of it but you can see the awards on the wall. So even before I ate it…the build up got me excited. Guess what! It lived up to the hype. Great Ramen! Simple yet tasty. Also at night this place becomes a bar so it gets loud and fun! Everyone goes to Hongdae to party…this Ramen is the best pre-party meal and the best part is that you can pre-drink right there! One of the top Japanese Ramen Restaurants in Seoul. Phone number 02-324-8545
1) 81 BANYA RAMEN in Itaewon: Near Cheil Building. This was a very hard decision. NAGAMI is great and so is this. However this is the best Japanese Ramen Restaurant in Seoul. The Japanese Ramen at 81 is just like the ramen you will find in Japan. So you don’t have to fly to Japan for their Ramen because this place got it down perfect. This place is fun, hip, and very friendly. If you order the Kitchen Sink Bowl and eat it in 20 minutes….you get something…I forgot what. The reason this is #1 is because unlike all the rest, this place goes back to the roots of Japanese Ramen. Phone number 02-792-2233
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Quotes from late Apple founder Steve Jobs
(Reuters) - Here are some key quotes from Steve Jobs, the legendary co-founder and former chief executive of Apple Inc, who died on Wednesday after a years-long battle with cancer.
COMMENCEMENT SPEECH AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, 2005
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."
ALLTHINGSD CONFERENCE, 2010
"There's nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an iPad over in the UK and tells me the story about how it's the coolest product they've ever brought home in their lives. That's what keeps me going. It's what kept me five years ago, it's what kept me going 10 years ago when the doors were almost closed. And it's what will keep me going five years from now whatever happens."
INTERVIEW WITH PLAYBOY MAGAZINE, 1985
"I don't think I've ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldn't be ours anymore. When we finally presented it at the shareholders' meeting, everyone in the auditorium stood up and gave it a 5-minute ovation. What was incredible to me was that I could see the Mac team in the first few rows. It was as though none of us could believe that we'd actually finished it. Everyone started crying."
APPLE PRODUCT LAUNCH, JUNE 2011
"One more thing ..."
INTERVIEW WITH BUSINESS WEEK, 2004
"Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. It's ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea."
"And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We're always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it's only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important."
INTERVIEW WITH FORTUNE MAGAZINE, 2000
"In most people's vocabularies, design means veneer. It's interior decorating. It's the fabric of the curtains and the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service."
"My position coming back to Apple was that our industry was in a coma. It reminded me of Detroit in the '70s, when American cars were boats on wheels."
COMMENT TO NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER WHO ASKED ABOUT JOBS'
HEALTH, 2008
"You think I'm an arrogant who thinks he's above the law, and I think you're a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong."
INTERVIEW WITH WIRED, 1996
"These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups, get medical information, the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. I'm not downplaying that. But it's a disservice to constantly put things in this radical new light -- that it's going to change everything. Things don't have to change the world to be important."
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Roger Federer: The Road Ahead
ROGER FEDERER: THE ROAD AHEAD
DEUCE Magazine
by Robert Davis
|24.08.2011
© Getty ImagesRoger Federer, now 30, is convinced he can win his 17th major title.At 30 years of age, Roger Federer's love for the sport has not dimmed. The great champion is convinced he can lift more major trophies.
At the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Roger Federer and Peter Lundgren are going at it in the hotel room. What is happening?
“It is about 12:30 and he is going on at 1 p.m.,” remembers Lundgren. “I am telling him that we need to go and warm up for the match againstPatrick Rafter and he says, ‘No I don’t want warm up.’ And I said 'why not?' And he says, ‘Because I don’t want to.’ And I am like, 'we need to warm up before the match, right?’ And he says, ‘Yes, but I want to warm up with you.’ And then he jumps on top of me and we start wrestling. After three or four minutes he jumps off me and says, ‘See, now I am ready.'”
"...he had so many tools in the box, so many ways to win"
That was 10 years ago, and todayRoger Federer is wrestling something a little different - a legacy that is steeped with such high expectations that nothing short of winning every match he plays will satisfy the critics.
That Federer likes a challenge is a good thing, because there is plenty of that to go around these days. As Novak Djokovic tightens his grip on the top spot in tennis, those that know Federer best believe that the Swiss thrives on challenges.
“One of the great things about Roger is his big-picture perspective,” claims Federer’s coach Paul Annacone. “People may not realise just how competitive that the great ones tend to be. Roger’s competitive fire is still at the highest possible level. His steadfast ability to compete over such a long period of time is pretty impressive. Pete (Sampras) was like that.”
Federer’s career could be set to a Shakespearean drama. His rise to prominence on the world’s stage did not come all at once, but rather in acts.
Actually, it was not too long. Two years to be exact.
“Winning Wimbledon changed everything,” says Lundgren.
From 2004 until 2007, Roger Federer started climbing high into thin air. Here are his numbers; 74-6, 81-4, 92-5, and 76-9. Three hundred and twenty three wins out of 347 matches. An incredible 93 per cent win to loss percentage.
“When he had this streak of making every single final, or 20 consecutive Grand Slam championship semi-finals it was shocking,” says formerWimbledon finalist MaliVai Washington. “No one in the history of tennis has done that. Agassi, Sampras, they had great runs and great years, but to reach the semi-finals of 20 consecutive majors is one of those records that will probably never be broken.” (Federer reached 23 successive major semi-finals).
"When you are a player at the top there is so much tension and expectation"
Despite what it may seem at times, Federer is only human after all.
“You know, I think it is always the same for those guys at the very top,” says Annacone. “The expectations are so high, basically, they are pretty unrealistic. I mean to stay in ‘forever’. That is sort of how the media works. It makes for provocative conversation and debate as careers change and other players come on the horizon. That is sort of nature of the beast kind of thing. I think Pete (Sampras) knew how to handle it, he just got tired of it. Everybody gets tired of speculative, negatively connotated questions. This is only human nature. However, Roger’s level of enthusiasm for playing tennis is not that of a normal 30 year old. He loves playing the game. I think his emotional freshness is way different.”
“When you are a player at the top there is so much tension and expectation,” says Washington. “You want to perform well for your family, friends, fans and sponsors and there is just a lot going on around you at every tournament. And each player has to figure out how to perform with that. Roger and Pete have done that as about as well as anyone I have ever seen.”
Federer does not grunt and he rarely groans. His sportsmanship and class are what people will remember most. Then there are the little things he does that mean so much to other people around the world.
In the champions' locker room at Wimbledon in June 2010, Federer has just finished a post-match press conference following his semi-final round loss to Tomas Berdych. Obviously, he is gutted. Upon entering the locker room he is handed an express mail letter. The letter reads:
“Dear Mr. Federer,
On behalf of the Tennis Federation of Cambodia, we would like to express our most heartfelt appreciation for the autographed shirt that you sent to us in support of Our Killing Fields To Tennis Courts program. Due to the genocide of the Khmer Rouge thirty-five years ago, life as we knew it in Cambodia stopped. Tennis was no exception. Our determination to be part of other tennis nations and have our kids enjoying the sport is our main objective. Just knowing that you thought of us gives our kids inspiration for the future.
With Great Respect and Appreciation,
Rithivet Tep, Secretary General, Tennis Federation of Cambodia."
"I am sure there is no other sportsman in the world who is doing as much as him"
Whether he wins or loses, Roger Federer is in demand. And all you need to do is sit through a few of his press conferences to observe how politely he answers each and every question.
“It is difficult to give you a number of requests per tournament, there are so many, but it is safe to say that Federer spends at least 30 minutes with the press after each match he plays, often close to one hour,” reports Nicola Arzani, ATP Senior Vice President, PR & Marketing. “I am sure there is no other sportsman in the world who is doing as much as him. Obviously the three languages keep him longer.”
“In so many ways, Roger Federer has honoured the game,” claims coach Chuck Kriese. “And in return the game has honoured him.”
Roger knows that wherever he goes and whatever he does everyone is watching. Even the players and coaches on the ATP World Tour keep tabs on each of his matches. And the locker room talk is not about his 16 Grand Slams so much as what shot he hit in practice or which match was special.
If Federer were a painter his Mona Lisa would be the match he played in the Tennis Masters Cup final at Shanghai in 2007 versus David Ferrer. It was a near perfect match.
“I remember the match very well. It was one of the best matches I have ever played,” Federer tells DEUCE. “It was at the end of the season, and to crown it when I had already had a wonderful season was really nice. I was able to hit backhands down the line whenever I wanted and move almost like I was gliding around the court. It was one of the great matches.
“I hope I played some part in inspiring this generation or the one coming up now,” continues Federer. “Pete kind of started hitting huge second serves, and people did not think it was possible to hit 110 or 120 miles per hour second serves. And then Goran [Ivanisevic], [Richard] Krajicek, [Marc] Rosset and [Mark] Philippoussis started doing it. I hope that I was able to create something else as well. What, I don’t know. That is up to others to judge.”
Just last year at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris-Bercy, Federer went to the canvas once more, granting all those present a brief glimpse of greatness in his match versus Jurgen Melzer. In less than 19 minutes, Federer was up five games to love.
“Sometimes when he gets going he is on another level of tennis,” saysJoakim Nystrom, Melzer’s coach. “But that first set at Bercy, he was in another stratosphere.”
Federer tells DEUCE, “You are always trying to prove to yourself that you can be the best tennis player you can be. I learned a lot since I started the game more seriously at the age of 14. The last 15 years have been an eye opener in every way of life. It has been fun being a part of the dream that I created of becoming a tennis player.”
"Roger is very, very clear and robust in his approach to tennis"
The parity in men’s tennis has never been stronger, still, only a handful of tennis players have won Grand Slams in the past eight years. What does Federer think about that?
“I have my doubts sometimes what guys outside the Top 50 do with their schedules,” says Federer. “I feel like sometimes it is important to prepare their schedule in such a way that they peak at the right tournaments. If you look around at the top players they know when they want to peak. And it does not always have to be a Grand Slam, it can be something personal like their hometown tournament. I sometimes miss that in the lower-ranked players. I don’t think that they take enough weeks off. Because they feel that next week is the breakthrough week. Something is going happen.
"I know it is tricky for some because you've got to play when you get in, and I know that, but I am a big believer that you need to take breaks for recuperation, going on vacation, going away and putting the racquet in the closet and just lying on the beach trying to get inspired for when you come back and practise extremely hard when you come back. Then you can really play. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the tour is from January to November, so you can either always play or you can take rest and you can still play again. I think that, in the big scheme of things, that might be a bit of a twisted situation for many coaches and players at that level.”
“What I find most amazing is that at this stage of his career he loves the game so much,” says Annacone. “And to me that is paramount and when you enjoy the game so much it makes it easier to play. Roger is very, very clear and robust in his approach to tennis. He is very fresh and energetic.”
“If you asked Roger if he feels like he can win majors he would say 'yes',” suggests Washington. “He was in the final of Roland Garros this year. Yes, he has gotten older, but I think he is every bit as good as he was a couple of years ago.”
Sow does Federer handle disappointments?
“I think one of the great things for guys like Roger, or great athletes who maintain a high level for a long period of time, is that they generally maintain a healthy perspective and Pete was great like this,” says Annacone. “They are very secure in who they are as players and people and I don’t want to say that it makes it easier to accept, but it does make it easier to comprehend.”
“My attitude has changed a lot towards the matches as the years have gone by,” says Federer. “The love for the game has always been there. I would not change it for the world and I would do it all over again; I am very happy where I am at right now. I do take losses a bit easier, but that does not mean I did not try my best. What is nice about tennis is that you can play qualifying and can have the opportunity of winning the tournament even though it is tough, you do have a chance to win a tournament. The dream always looms.”
For the fans of Federer, the fact that he continues to be a threat at the majors is also a dream. And one that could very well come true soon.