Roger Federer of Switzerland smiles during a news conference at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Toronto August 9, 2010. REUTERS/ Mike CasseseMIKE CASSESE/Reuters
Seated in a leather chair, dressed in all white with his mop of brown hair and dark eyes on full display, Roger Federer is explaining how a number - even when you're routinely number one - doesn't mean much.
"I didn't even know I'd dropped to three ... It doesn't change my life if it's a two, three, [or]four really. Doesn't change much the way the draw is set up," he said during a Monday press conference prior to his appearance at the Roger's Cup in Toronto. "As long as you're not number 50 in the world, there's no reason to be concerned."
Perhaps. The last time the Swiss tennis star was ranked third heading into a tournament - as he is at the Rogers Cup this week - was seven years ago. He won.
It was in Houston, at the Tennis Master's Cup, in November, 2003. The win gave the 22-year-old Federer a year-end world No. 2 ranking, and capped off a season that included his first Grand Slam title. His play that day - which his opponent, Andre Agassi, called inspirational - was an exciting introduction to a 22-year-old ace who would soon become a long-standing tennis king.
But Federer's world is different now. Instead of being among an exciting crop of young players pushing out the likes of Agassi, Federer is the one who has lost his throne. Some pundits are calling Rafael Nadal - who, at 24 years old, leads the men's tennis ATP World Tour rankings by a long shot - the new Federer.
It's a reality Federer is still getting used to. After his shocking defeat in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in June, Federer blamed a long list of aches and pains, mainly a sore knee, a stiff back - and what some characterized as wounded pride. Asked on Monday about his reaction to the upset, he described his disappointment.
"Obviously with all that success, you know, I got spoiled," he said. "That's something I have to deal with, and I'm looking forward to hopefully changing that."
After six weeks of vacation, his first opportunity comes on Tuesday evening, when he faces Juan Ignacio Chela in second round action. Federer has beaten the 30-year-old Argentinean player, ranked 50th in the world, handily twice in the past.
The Roger's Cup is also a trial run for Paul Annacone, the American coach who Federer has enlisted on a trial basis. Federer - who has worked with various coaches as well as gone without coaches for extended stretches - said he's looking to Annacone, who once coached Pete Sampras, help him pick the right shots, and improve his overall game.
"I know I can handle a lot by myself, but obviously at this stage now I do need help from all sorts of sides," he said.
"I think it's interesting for players. They need to know for themselves what's most important for them. Sometimes it an be just a friend travelling with them, making them feel good. Then maybe having a coach of a physio - I think the player needs to know for himself what that really is."
For Federer, who turned 29 on Sunday, one of those things has become his wife, Mirka, and their one-year-old twin daughters, who are also in Toronto.
"I love spending a lot of time with them," he said.
The girls are a constant reminder of something else, too. Something that comes not just with becoming a father, but with experience.
"It's nice, you know, knowing that there's definitely something else, as well, than just tennis," he said.
"I always knew that, because I had a very stable and great relationship with Mirka and we love spending time together. I knew tennis was just a part of, you know, sort of a short period of my life."