Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal they have dominated the tennis courts for almost two decades, in what can be described as the ‘golden age of tennis’. The duo have almost won everything there is to win, from a career Grand Slam to Olympic gold medals. While they don’t hide anything when they’re on the court, the duo are well known for their calm demeanor off the court.
sports writer michelle kaufmann and Patrick McEnroe shared anecdotes about his experience meeting Federer and Nadal at Wimbledon. On a recent episode of Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe, Kaufman recalled the moment he noticed a person who looked like Nadal at Wimbledon. Kaufman was covering the Grand Slam for the Miami Herald, and after seeing the person he didn’t believe it was Nadal. She said that a person of Nadal’s stature would not carry his own tennis equipment.
But to his surprise, it was Nadal himself. When asked why the Spaniard was crossing with his suitcases, he learned that the former world number 1 liked to walk around the city together with other people. Kauffman He added that this spoke volumes about Nadal’s humility and down-to-earth personality.
“One day, we are walking towards the ground and we see a guy in front of us with a big tennis bag and he looked like Rafa Nadal. We thought: ‘You know, that guy really does look like Rafa. But he wouldn’t be just walking around town, carrying his own rackets. Because they provide controllers for players. We were very curious and walked very fast and tried to catch up with the man. And it was him. We asked someone on the pitch: ‘Nadal is walking here, alone, through the city with his bags.’ They said that he rejected the driver and that he was one of the only players to do so. Rafa said that he liked to walk around town with people. To me, that said a lot about him. Kaufmann said.
Patrick McEnroe recalls his encounter with Roger Federer
McEnroe also shared a similar experience, which was with Roger Federer. McEnroe recalled how the entire venue was packed for the women’s final, the Swiss master was enjoying his time alone in a cafe. McEnroe was surprised by the fact that Federer was quite relaxed, as he was scheduled to play the men’s singles final the following day. The next day, Federer won the title by defeating Marin Cilic in straight sets.
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“I was there [at Wimbledon] a year for ESPN, and it was the day of the women’s final. I did my qualifier and I wasn’t announcing the final, so when the match started, after a set or so, I was walking back to my apartment. There are a couple of coffee shops, and as I walk past them, I peek in. It’s very quiet, because most people are at the game or watching it on television. Guess who’s sitting there? Not Rafael Nadal, but a guy like him: Roger Federer.”
“He was in the men’s final the next day too! He was sitting there, totally calm alone. I went in and he told me: “Don’t tell anyone. I should be watching the game. I told him, “Don’t tell anyone. I should be watching the game too.” That’s one of the best things about Wimbledon, the players can just relax. But it also says a lot about those two characters,” McEnroe said.
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