'Honestly, I'd rather have tea with Mirka and speak about life.' - ROGER FEDERER, who enjoys spending time with his girlfriend of seven years, Mirka Vavrinec, rather than being in the public eye -- PHOTO: AP

The trio, supernovas of soccer, tennis and golf, stand shoulder to shoulder at the end, with Federer playfully caressing Woods' close shave.

On the set in Rome, where part of the advertisement was filmed months ago, Henry and Federer took the stage with Tiger in between.

Or, rather, Tiger's stand-in - a man in a green bodysuit with eye holes, who could be digitally whisked away and later replaced with Woods.

'I touched an Italian guy in green,' Federer laughed, as he sat in a Montreal hotel suite for an interview last week. 'That was Tiger.'

Illusions are part of every icon's pitch: Build an aura, create an empire.

But the increasingly common vision of Federer in America's living rooms seems less of a camera trick and more of an honest outreach.

'In some ways, yes, what I'm looking for is definitely recognition in the States,' he said.

'I hope they appreciate my achievements and results.

'But I don't want to force it on the public because that is always up to them to decide.'

He is not David Beckham, imposing his global celebrity, his Posh wife and exposed six pecs on America's soccer simpletons for the profit of Brand Beckham.

Instead, Federer has moved judiciously into American culture, with more ads and more victories, becoming an excellent house guest.

For one, he does not break things - as in fan trust.

With his fusion style, at once high-tech and retro, he has won 11 Grand Slam titles in four years without surfacing in the tableau of sports scandals. No doping, dogs or deceit.

He is not an ill-mannered squatter on American landscape, either, revealing no symptoms of anti-social behaviour.

He does not lord his greatness over, say, a head waiter.

Federer smiled at the absurdity of a report praising him for refusing to throw a don't-you-know-who-I-am fit at a crowded restaurant.

He is not the kind of company who will come home drunk with a groupie one night, and land in the tabloids tomorrow. By all accounts, his big escape is downtime with his girlfriend of seven years, Mirka Vavrinec.

'Honestly, I'd rather have tea with Mirka and speak about life,' he said.

He is a chatty Swiss who is curious about others.

Many elite athletes use headphones as a convenient way to hide from the public. They tune out autograph requests or questions or even teammates.

Federer owns about a half-dozen iPods but has little use for them.

'They're a great creation but, if you put them in,' he said, pointing to his ears, 'you can't speak to anyone. You're isolating yourself and I don't like that.'

He is a worldly man, who prefers to leave a tidy legacy behind when he exits.

As a United Nations Children's Fund ambassador, he visited India last Christmas on the second anniversary of the destructive tsunami of December 2004. He rode long distances. He was moved by the faces of determined people, impressed by the meticulous organisation of the villages - and sickened by a car ride turned thrill ride.

'They were driving so fast,' he said, eyes widening.

'And there was one lane going this way and one going that way, and they were overtaking all the time. At one point, I'm not even looking anymore. You look out the side, but you get sick.'

He is not a back-seat driver. So he will not be barging into America, as the hard-court season peaks with the Aug 27 US Open, pushing an agenda. Maybe other than winning another Grand Slam - and winning over the public.

He is on his way, at least commercially.

Tiger is not only his Gillette co-star, but provides the voice-over to Federer's Nike ads.

Not a bad icon to provide Federer's long-awaited introduction to the masses, from the corn belt to both coasts.

Maybe there is a place for a Swiss to fill an American craving for a superstar of authentic quality this summer, one who is neither polarising nor perplexing.

Federer is, at least on stage, not an illusion. What a refreshing change.

To date, he has never broken, thrashed or ruined anything.

He is a host's dream guest.

NEW YORK TIMES