Sunday, December 24, 2006

Federer and Woods

Tiger Woods is the most dominant golfer of his era. Roger Federer can say the same thing about men's tennis. The two champions have formed an unlikely friendship, traveling to watch each other play and comparing notes over dinner. What kind of things do the two talk about? Woods told Time magazine, which profiled the pair in their "People Who Mattered 2006" feature.
"It's more the mind-set: what it takes to do what we do, how do you manage all that, the balancing act. We pick each other's brain." They exchange tips on training and preparing for big events. Woods was wowed by Federer's media load; he does press conferences in three languages. Tiger also got some help with his backhand. "He plays much more tennis than I play golf," says Federer, "but that is going to change when I retire." He'll know who to call for a game. "It's been a really neat relationship," says Woods. "Roger and I are going to be friends for a very long time."