The Rajah and I

Shortly after Roger Federer completed the career Slam, Jon Wertheim (one of my favorite sports writers) weighed in on Roger's accomplishments, and many other related topics.

USTA.com: In spending time with both of these guys, how would you characterize the nature of the relationship between Nadal and Federer? For such close rivals, they seem to be very good friends.

Wertheim: Yeah, and I don't think it’s for the cameras, either. They're obviously very different – they play differently, and they're of different tennis generations. Yet I think they have a similar set of classy values and beliefs. They believe in acting a certain way and saying certain things. In some ways, they're bound together by the rivalry, and that limits how close they can really get. But I suspect, if they lived in the same dorm, they'd be friends.

Now that we know what we know about Roger's achievements, the following interview is very interesting to watch. This was conducted in early 2001, just after he had won the first tournament of his life. Note the irony in what he wants to achieve in Grand Slam events and pay close attention to his response when he is asked if any player would be able to dominate tennis in the future.