This story was picked up by a few other websites (including this one), and has been the topic of much online debate over the past few days in the comments areas of such websites as TENNIS.com. These discussions have taken on a life of their own, with some concerned about animal cruelty and other seeking to concoct (admittedly quite funny) conspiracy theories like this one:
Tennis.com: posted by Snoo Foo 07/12/2007 @ 11:32 PM
Dude. Dude, that is a freaking insane way to make sure the champs come back to defend at gstaad! If you don't come back we'll kill your pets! Man I had it in my head the Swiss were a... I dunno, less vengeful people. Has someone been watching Nanner's copy of Il Padrino? Or another movie? "Gstaad won't be ignored, Roger!"
However the story is actually an old one, reported back in July 2005 by Sonntags Blick among others. So to set the record straight, GstaadLife.com caught up with Juliette’s original owner, Ruedi Wehren, a prominent dairy farmer here in Gstaad.
It was actually back in 2005 that Juliette was decommissioned. As has been reported in many publications, it was due to her inability to produce sufficient quantities of milk (she was on about 15 liters a day at the time). But what has not been oft reported is that she was 13 years-old. That's old for a dairy cow. Indeed it was her age that was one of the reasons she was given to Federer in the first place, as she was considered a calm and mellow creature who would behave well in the media spotlight of the Roy Emerson Arena in Gstaad. The idea was the brainchild of Hanspeter Reust who saw it as a marketing opportunity to extend the reputation of Gstaad cheese around the world. (There’s some irony in that). Judging by the comments both then and now, it was also a means to perpetuate a few Swiss stereotypes, but that’s another discussion. Back to Juliette. In the winter of 2004, Federer was invited to come up to Gstaad to visit Juliette on the Eggli where she lived, but his schedule prevented him from doing so. She had had a calf, and the Fed was given the opportunity to name her. He chose the name Edelweiss. When Juliette was slaughtered the following year in 2005, it was a completely normal affair. Federer was informed, but actually the cow only sort of belonged to him anyway, and he didn’t even have the full rights to her milk. The good news is that Edelweiss has recently had a calf of her own, and despite their inherited fame, Juliette's daughter and grand-daughter mingle inconspicuously in the pastures above Gstaad like so many other celebrities. Apparently at the time of Juliette’s passing, Roy Emerson, Gstaad’s resident tennis legend, was disappointed, claiming that his own talent came from his cow milking skills. He lamented that he had never had the opportunity to teach Federer his technique. Well, perhaps when he retires at the peak of his greatness, Federer will return to Gstaad to visit Edelweiss and take Emerson up on his offer.
This story was picked up by a few other websites (including this one), and has been the topic of much online debate over the past few days in the comments areas of such websites as TENNIS.com. These discussions have taken on a life of their own, with some concerned about animal cruelty and other seeking to concoct (admittedly quite funny) conspiracy theories like this one:
Tennis.com: posted by Snoo Foo 07/12/2007 @ 11:32 PM
Dude. Dude, that is a freaking insane way to make sure the champs come back to defend at gstaad! If you don't come back we'll kill your pets! Man I had it in my head the Swiss were a... I dunno, less vengeful people. Has someone been watching Nanner's copy of Il Padrino? Or another movie? "Gstaad won't be ignored, Roger!"
However the story is actually an old one, reported back in July 2005 by Sonntags Blick among others. So to set the record straight, GstaadLife.com caught up with Juliette’s original owner, Ruedi Wehren, a prominent dairy farmer here in Gstaad.
It was actually back in 2005 that Juliette was decommissioned. As has been reported in many publications, it was due to her inability to produce sufficient quantities of milk (she was on about 15 liters a day at the time). But what has not been oft reported is that she was 13 years-old. That's old for a dairy cow. Indeed it was her age that was one of the reasons she was given to Federer in the first place, as she was considered a calm and mellow creature who would behave well in the media spotlight of the Roy Emerson Arena in Gstaad. The idea was the brainchild of Hanspeter Reust who saw it as a marketing opportunity to extend the reputation of Gstaad cheese around the world. (There’s some irony in that). Judging by the comments both then and now, it was also a means to perpetuate a few Swiss stereotypes, but that’s another discussion. Back to Juliette. In the winter of 2004, Federer was invited to come up to Gstaad to visit Juliette on the Eggli where she lived, but his schedule prevented him from doing so. She had had a calf, and the Fed was given the opportunity to name her. He chose the name Edelweiss. When Juliette was slaughtered the following year in 2005, it was a completely normal affair. Federer was informed, but actually the cow only sort of belonged to him anyway, and he didn’t even have the full rights to her milk. The good news is that Edelweiss has recently had a calf of her own, and despite their inherited fame, Juliette's daughter and grand-daughter mingle inconspicuously in the pastures above Gstaad like so many other celebrities. Apparently at the time of Juliette’s passing, Roy Emerson, Gstaad’s resident tennis legend, was disappointed, claiming that his own talent came from his cow milking skills. He lamented that he had never had the opportunity to teach Federer his technique. Well, perhaps when he retires at the peak of his greatness, Federer will return to Gstaad to visit Edelweiss and take Emerson up on his offer.
