The one match that people remember

あの名勝負について聞かせてください

very clearly, even before you became as great as you’ve become,

子供の頃から憧れていたピートと

was when you beat Sampras at Wimbledon – outstanding match, tell us about it.

ウィンブルドンで同じコートに立つことになり とても緊張しました

Well, you have to imagine Pete was my hero growing up,

コートに入る時には体が震え 手が冷たかったです

so when I played Pete at Wimbledon that year,

ただピートと試合をすることだけを 考えていました

we walked on court together

でもスタートが良ければ 勝利のチャンスもあり得ると思いました

and I remember I was so nervous.

試合中も希望を捨てず 第5セットで7対5での勝利

I was shivering

ウィンブルドンのセンターコートに 立ったのはその時が初めてでした

walking on court, I was, I had cold hands,

フェデラー勝利！チャンピオン敗退！

there was this belief that I was just hitting tennis balls with Pete.

人生の大きな転機でした

But I knew that if potentially

ピートと試合ができたことは 今でも誇りに思っています

I found you know, a good start into the match,

大きな夢が叶った瞬間だったのです

who knows, I have a chance to win.

2年後に 初のメジャー大会優勝を果たしましたね

I believed in that I guessed,

偶然にも 念願のウィンブルドンで

all along and I ended up winning 7-5 in the fifth set,

当時は精神的に非常に弱かったので 状況は厳しかったです　

and it was my first Wimbledon centre court appearance.

コートに入る前から すでに負けていた時もありました

He’s done it! The Champion is out!

ウィンブルドンに向けて調子が上がり 試合の組み合わせも幸運だったのに

It was a big moment in my life

確か3か4試合目に 突然腰痛に襲われたのです

and I’m very proud of that I had the chance to actually play against Pete.

何とか試合は乗り切りましたが その時は準決勝でした

was a big dream come true for me.

ロディックを相手に信じられないような試合をして 決勝の対戦相手はフィリポーシス

Two years later

ゲームセット、フェデラー勝利

you end up winning your first major

腰の故障を抱えながら戦い

and

結果的に私にとって完璧な筋書きとなり 未来への扉が開かれました

it happens to be the holy grail of Tennis – Wimbledon.

ウィンブルドンの初優勝で 初めて苦労が報われたと感じました

The circumstances were tough

たくさんの素晴らしい経験をしたけれど この初優勝はまさに格別でした

just because I knew that my mental strength was very weak back then.

私にとってウィンブルドンは完璧な大会で 心から情熱を捧げています

I, you know, sometimes lost matches before I even walked on court.

壁のツタ 完璧に手入れされた芝生 全てが自分にとって意義深いのです

And then when Wimbledon

素晴らしい体験をさせてくれる ウィンブルドンに感謝を捧げます

got underway actually I started to feel really good,

ウィンブルドンとロレックスには 精密さと完璧さという共通項があります

I had a good draw,

ロレックスとウィンブルドンそしてテニス全般との 繋がりがもたらす影響とは？

and then all of a sudden I think in my third or fourth round

ロレックスのような一流ブランドが

match my back completely locked up on me.

長期にわたり主要な大会を サポートすることは非常に有意義です

I kind of came through that match, I don’t know how,

どちらも洗練と卓越性を 体現する存在であり

and I was in the semis.

一流の大会とブランドの好ましいパートナーシップは 選手にも好影響を与えると思います

I played the most incredible match

against Roddick and then against, in the finals, against Phillipoussis.

Game, set and match – Federer

It was just this perfect scenario for me at the end after

having to fight through injury, that opened the gate

unlocking my potential.

Only when I won my first Wimbledon did I feel that things were really coming together.

I have many more which

love and I could talk hours about but the first one was very, very special.

For me, obviously Wimbledon is just perfection,

you know, everything that the tournament does is you know,

I love it, you know.

Whether it’s the ivy on the wall, whether it’s the perfect cut grass

I don’t know, it all just makes sense to me.

That’s what I really appreciate about Wimbledon the most.

You just talked about precision and perfection,

which is what Rolex embodies,

and that of course married to Wimbledon.

How good is that both for Wimbledon and for tennis in general?

Well I think it’s wonderful that a brand like Rolex

has stayed the partner of the most important tournament

in the world for such a long period of time

I mean, they embody both all the grace and the excellence

And It’s subtle, it’s a nice partnership and

and I think the players can profit from what a classy event and a brand Rolex is.

Another Rolex Rendezvous