Roger Federer Nike Chat: I Used To Idolize Michael Jordan, Nowadays I Admire Valentino Rossi

Chatting with fans earlier in the week via a special Nike tennis facebook Q&A session with star Roger Federer who is in Dubai training.

If you missed it, Federer hit on many of the usual topics including his admiration for friend and Italian motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi. Here are some of the highlights:

On music:
“I grew up with with Dance music, then moved to Hard Rock- AC/DC and Lenny Kravitz. I listen to more general pop music too, and at the moment I am listening now to my friend Gavin Rossdale cd from Bush.”

On the balancing tennis/life:
“I think I’ve always been good at being able to having distance from Tennis when I’m on vacation. I think it is one of my strengths- when I leave the ground of a tennis court, and I come home, I can disconnect a bit from tennis.”

On his football allegiance:
“My favorite football team is FC Basel.”

On his idol:
“I used to idolize Michael Jordan. Nowadays I admire Valentino Rossi -I love what he’s done already in his sport.”

On other sports he follows:
“I love cricket. My mom is South African, and my previous Australian coaches thought me the rules. I had the pleasure to meet Sachin Tendulkar in Wimbledon last year too!”

On his Nike outfits:
“I change my outfit about 10-12 times a year. I love being part of the process with Nike of giving input to the designers. I hope you like it!”

On staying healthy:
“My secret to an injury-free career is managing my schedule. I balance the many things in my life very well. Hard work and enough rest is very important too.”

On his 2011 year:
“I had a wonderful end of the season by winning 17 matches in a row. I had a great season- sure I had some tough losses but I found a way to bounce back and now be in a good position for 2012. I am very excited to be in the gym and on the tennis court again- especially after a nice vacation.”

After coming up short most of the season, Federer finished 2011 in a flurry winning his last 17 matches including titles in Basel, Paris and the London ATP World Tour finals. The third ranked Federer returns on December 30 for the Abu Dhabi exhibition.