French Open 2013: Ernests Gulbis launches tirade against 'boring' big four of men's tennis "It is Federer who started this fashion," he said. He has a superb image of the perfect Swiss gentleman. I respect Federer but I don't like it that young players try to imitate him. When I hear them answer like Roger, I am terrified by phrases like, "I had a little bit more success at certain moments and that is how I won." If I win, the guy on the other side of the net, I have sent him home. I do not want to hear in an interview a guy who I will not name, but who I know well that he thinks all his opponents are a---holes, putting on an act. I would like interviews to be more like in boxing. When they face each other down at the weigh-in they bring what the fans want: war, blood, emotion. It was a terrific tirade from Gulbis, who can afford to be a maverick since his father is an oligarch and he has been rumoured to travel to tournaments in a private Learjet. Always an independent thinker, he has pinpointed a genuine issue for the game. The image of the sporting saint works perfectly for Federer. His tennis is so serene and graceful that trash talking would seem unnatural. Yet the sport has developed a stifling culture of politeness and it does not sit so comfortably with everyone. Novak Djokovic, for instance, is a sparky character who has toned down his real personality to avoid creating distractions. On one issue, though, Gulbis overshot his mark. Asked whether he would be interested in serving on the ATP's player council, he replied: "It would need that the top players agree to change things. But they are rather happy that the smaller players are treated like s--- and don't have enough money to pay for good coaches. This seems ungrateful given that Gulbis has just earned £30,000 here - a 25 per cent increase on last year's figure that was pushed through by the efforts of Federer and the rest of the big four. He may not need the extra money, but plenty of his rivals do.