The woman behind the modern-day Borg

The similarities between

Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg

are too irresistible to 解任する.

Like Borg, Federer is the

支配的な 軍隊 of his 世代.

Federer is hoping to 勝利，勝つ

Wimbledon for a fifth year in succession,

like Borg.

And like Borg, Federer is driven,

supported and loved by a woman

whose own tennis 業績／成就s

have been left in the 影をつくる／尾行する of one

of the game's true 巨大（な）s.

Scroll 負かす／撃墜する to read more

Twenty-seven years ago Mariana

Simionescu, who was good enough

to play for Romania in the 連合

Cup, sat in the competitors' box

on Centre 法廷，裁判所 with a poker-直面する

and a stomach 成し遂げるing somersaults

as Borg withstood the furious

tennis of John McEnroe to 勝利，勝つ his

fifth 肩書を与える. To 静める her frazzled

神経s, she chain-smoked.

Years later, she 解任するd the anguish

she had 耐えるd as she watched

Borg play. "I was 完全に numb,"

she said. "It was like I was up in the

sky looking 負かす／撃墜する. It was terrible. I

sat with Bjorn's coach, Lennart

Bergelin. He was white. It was like

you had 選ぶd him out of a 墓／厳粛／彫る／重大な."

On occasions Borg, 恐らく the

Ice Man, would become so infuriated

with his tennis that the only way he

could 解放（する） the 緊張 was to gesture

怒って at his girlfriend. The

message was （疑いを）晴らす: Her presence at

courtside was no longer 要求するd.

Mirka Vavrinec, once 階級d No 76

in the world but now travelling the

world as Federer's soul-mate, will

probably never have to put up with

such behaviour. Her boyfriend,スイスの

like her, is not a man for mood

swings.

"いつかs in an important

moment, I will give Mirka a little

'hello' 調印する. She's always there to 支援する me up," said Federer. "But I'm

not a player who needs to look at his

'group'. I like it that I am on 法廷，裁判所

on my own."

Vavrinec has watched, winced and

celebrated through every one of the

28 matches Federer has played without

敗北・負かす at the All England Club.

For the past five years they have

been 事実上 inseparable.

Their story is an echo of those distant

days when Borg monopolised

Wimbledon. But while Simionescu

許すd her own game to 悪化する

once she fell for Borg, Vavrinec had

no such lifestyle choices to make.

Within two years of 会合 Federer

at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, an

achilles tendon 傷害 軍隊d her to

やめる the game.

"When we met, I wasn't famous and

probably 階級d No 50 at best,"

解任するd Federer. "Mirka was making

her own career but after she was

負傷させるd and couldn't play any more I

asked her if she 手配中の，お尋ね者 to help me.

It was a difficult time for her; very

hard. But this way she had the

chance to travel, to be with me

every day, and I think this

made her happy again.

"We soon realised we

really loved each other

and we liked hanging

out together. She still

loves the sport of tennis,

the 競争の激しい

辛勝する／優位 it 申し込む／申し出s. Maybe,

in a way her own

career goes on with

me. She feels she is

needed for me to be

successful. She loves

what she does."

Her practical 役割 is to

を取り引きする the relentless

需要・要求するs from マスコミ

organisations. On occasions, occasions,

she has a 攻撃する，衝突する on 法廷，裁判所 with

him, just as Simionescu did with

Borg. But, mostly, Vavrinec is always

on 手渡す for Federer.

"We spend every day together," he

said, not blind to the invisible 緊張するs

課すd on his girlfriend. "Watching

is more dif ficult than playing, you

can't do anything except applaud.

"In the past, Mirka was anxious.But

I think she has really understood the

need to 静める 負かす／撃墜する a little, for her

own sake. It is stressful for her at the

matches, 特に the big occasions.

"But I can tell Mirka is more relaxed

these days. She finds her own Zenlike

明言する／公表する at my matches now. She

doesn't get too excited and she

doesn't get too 負かす／撃墜する.She is becoming

a bit like I am on the 法廷，裁判所

and that 作品 better for her.

"I have told her the moment she

doesn't want to do the 圧力（をかける） or do so

much travelling she can tell me 権利

away. But instead of pulling me away from tennis she 押し進めるs me に向かって

it. She likes 存在 伴う／関わるd but in the

end she's my girlfriend and that's

what's most important to me."

During Wimbledon the couple will

株 a house with 銀行業者 Reto

Staubli and his girlfriend. Staubli is a

有能な tennis player and a 決定的な

companion since Federer recently

解雇（する）d his coach, Tony Roche,

because their professional 関係

had grown "stale". At the last

count, Federer had received 40 使用／適用s

for the vacancy.

"Some from people I've never heard

of, some from people no one's heard

of," he said with a chuckle.

Federer's mood is buoyant. He is at

his 可決する・採択するd home and likes the fact

that he can walk from his accommodation

to Wimbledon. "It's 広大な／多数の／重要な to be

here after Paris, which is wild and

crazy," he said.

Paris, it must be said, is also a city

that is 原因（となる）ing Federer 耐えるing

anguish. Two weeks ago the world's most gifted tennis player was 否定するd

an 適切な時期 to 勝利，勝つ the one major

選手権 that eludes him, the

French Open, because Rafael Nadal

証明するd too strong and obdurate for

him on the clay 法廷，裁判所s of Roland

Garros for a second 連続する year.

So me things about Paris just irritate

Federer.

"I went to do some shopping in the

city when, all of a sudden, from

behind a tree I saw someone filming

me," he said. "I went 負かす／撃墜する the street

and there were two other people

running 一連の会議、交渉／完成する with cameras. I called

a cab to escape ― I didn't enjoy it."

At his homes in Switzerland and

Dubai he is left in peace and he finds

the same 儀礼 afforded him in

London. "If you go to an 'in' place in

London during Wimbledon, you can

推定する／予想する photographers outside," he

said. "But there's a simple 解答 ―

避ける those places. I went to Gordon

Ramsay's restaurant on Wednesday

with Mirka and there were no photographers there. And the food

was good, too."

Earlier this year Federer spent two

days with Pete Sampras, who won

Wimbledon seven times in eight

years between 1993 and 2000 and

might have won the 選手権

five years in succession himself had

Federer not beaten him in the fourth

一連の会議、交渉／完成する in 2001.

"It was 利益／興味ing to talk with Pete,"

said Federer, の近くにing each year on the

American's 記録，記録的な／記録する of 14 Grand 激突する

肩書を与えるs.

"I already felt I was doing the 権利

things but he gave me a sense of

安全 when he told me he has a

lot of 賞賛 for the way I 扱う

things on and off the 法廷，裁判所."

The emotional roller-coaster ride

lying in wait over the next fortnight

will certainly 実験（する） that 質. But at

least, with a companion と一緒に

him who understands the 圧力s

that tennis can 発揮する, the 重荷（を負わせる） will

not all be Federer's.