I thought Roger would never win a Grand Slam title again.
The then 17-time Grand Slam champion had just turned 32 and had just lost in the second round of Wimbledon and in the last 16 of the US Open.
It could be put down to inexperience and unawareness of a significant back problem.
Nine years ago, it was not controversial to suggest the best days of a tennis player in their thirties. Since then, it has been proven that convention and expectation have been overturned by Roger and Serena.
He told me after winning an eighth Wimbledon title, a month before turning 36, that he gets inspired by athletes who did things for a long time at the top of their game.
I was amazed at what they did when I was young. I was not sure how they would get match ready day in and day out and how they would give it 100%.
His temper and fitness were not uncommon in his teenage years. There were new relationships forged in 2000.
He met the fitness coach at the Swiss national training centre a few years ago. The partnership has stood the test of time.
He married Mirka nine years later. At the 2002 Hopman Cup, they played mixed doubles with each other. Mirka became the "rock" in his life after her career was cut short by a foot injury.
Between Wimbledon 2003 and the Australian Open of 2010, there was a golden spell for the tennis player. In that time, he won 16 of the 27 Grand Slam tournaments he played. His career in the fall had a golden hue.
His run to the Australian Open title was achieved by beating four top 10 players and winning three matches over five sets, despite being 35 and missing the previous six months due to knee surgery.
The man was playing with a knee. The switch to a larger racquet gave him more power and spin and he was able to beat Nadal in the final.
An eighth Wimbledon title followed in the summer, a 20th Grand Slam in Melbourne the following January, and if Djokovic had not been able to save two championship points on Centre Court in the Wimbledon final of 2019.
There are a lot of memories. He became the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam when he won the French Open in 2009.
The French crowd was desperate for him to win the final against Robin Soderling, but they were not happy when Switzerland beat France in the Davis Cup final. A world record tennis crowd of 27,448 crammed in under the retractable roof of Pierre Mauroy in Lille to see Roger win the famous team competition.
Just a few days before the Davis Cup final was the only exception to the interview being enjoyable. Four match points were on the line for Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals, but he was able to hold on to beat his teammate. Wawrinka and Mirka exchanged words in the locker room after Wawrinka was upset with what Mirka had been shouting.
I was the only English speaking journalist in the first news conference of the week. Questions in English were the first thing they asked. An English speaking audience wanted to hear about a topic. It wasn't the topic that he wanted to discuss. But, as always, he replied, even if his usual politeness was not always nice.
There is a debate about the greatest of all time. Even though he has been overtaken by Williams, Nadal and Djokovic, he has played the game with a balletic grace. He had balance and coordination in spades, as well as an iron forehand with a velvet touch, and Muhammad Ali's feet.
It was quite a surprise when he started crying after winning, as he used to cry every time he lost.
That was part of his appeal for a long time. His warm and emotional character was obvious despite the fact that he played tennis.
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