Rod Laver congratulating Roger Federer after finals of the 2006 Australian Open
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There's some fascinating YouTube footage of you playing Bjorn Borg in the 1970s when you were in your late 30s.
Yeah, I beat him a couple of times, once on clay. He was a great counterpuncher, had a lot of speed, a lot of footwork. That was a lot of fun. I enjoyed competition. Got the adrenaline going. You get out there and do the best you can. Against Borg, I came to the net... had to volley aggressively and keep him off balance. And you had to cut out errors. That's the thing that everybody has to do: gotta cut out your errors but still hit with power and spin. You can't just play safe.
What are your thoughts on where Federer stands among the all-time greats of the game?
Well, he's one of them already. But I don't know that anyone can wear the title of "best ever." I mean, [Andre] Agassi and [Pete] Sampras played some unbelievable matches. The most you can say is, "I was the best in my era." Roger can say that.
Who else do you enjoy watching these days?
[Novak] Djokovic, I like. He's got a great game. Lleyton Hewitt... he's in there with a chance to prove that he's not over the hill. Maybe [coach] Tony Roche can turn him around. I like a lot of the players. I guess I look with a different set of eyes. I've been out there. What will they do in that situation? It's not to do with their rackets; it's what they do under competitive stress.
What's your take on Andy Roddick's game?
Andy's got talent. I think he tries to blast winners rather than wait for the right ball to blast. He's got that big forehand and that big serve, but for some reason... What I think he should do is serve and volley. Just come in and learn to hit some low volleys and put some pressure on an opponent, because all his opponents do is float that first ball back, and he hasn't taken advantage of that huge first serve that he has.
Who's your dark horse for the Australian Open?
The dark horse would be Djokovic. He hasn't risen to the heights of winning a grand slam event yet, but he's got that experience now. [Maria] Sharapova is interesting on the women's side. She's put on so much height recently, and that changes your game. You wouldn't think by much, but when you hit groundstrokes, you've got to get down to the ball now.
What do you like least about modern tennis?
I think probably just the lack of variety of play. There's not much variety, other than from Federer, who's got plenty. You don't see drop shots, you don't see players being moved around much. We didn't have the powerful rackets, you see. A lot of the artistry has been replaced by blasting away with groundstrokes.
Could the sport do with another John McEnroe, do you think?
Well, personalities are good. The crowds can decide in their own minds whether they like him or hate him. Getting angry... I'm okay with it. Get angry, throw your racket — shows you care. I like John. John's a nice individual. He was a competitor. We talked about artistry. Well, his racket control was superb. He was just a natural. You can't teach people that kind of racket work.