Roger Federer had the ability to transcend tennis, also becoming a source of inspiration for champions of other disciplines. The Swiss has had a gigantic impact on tennis, which he has brought to an endless number of fans and sponsors.
The career of the former ATP number 1 ended in September last year, when he played his last doubles with Rafael Nadal in the Laver Cup. The public at the O2 Arena in London paid him a splendid tribute and some images went viral, such as Nadal’s tears and the emotion of the rest of the players.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion did everything possible to be able to take one last turn, but the ailments in his right knee led him to say enough was enough at the age of 41. According to the latest reports, the Swiss should comment on Wimbledon 2023 on the BBC and ESPN microphones.
In the latest edition of the ‘Tennis Podcast’, former ATP number 9 Marc Rosset revealed that Federer was not too prone to sacrifice early in his career.
Rosset: Federer entered the court as if he didn’t care
Former ninth player in the world and one of the closest to Roger Federer, Marc Rosset offered an interesting anecdote about his young compatriot during his appearance on Tennis Podcast.
“I remember the first time I trained with him. He was the new Swiss talent, but he was very lazy. Normally when you train on tour as a youngster you are a bit stressed, you want to play well, you are very nervous.
This guy walked onto the track like he didn’t give a damn. I was like, ‘Wow.’” Recalling a match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi in 2003, Darren Cahill revealed that after losing, Agassi predicted that the Swiss maestro would change the way tennis is played.
“I don’t remember the result, but Andre lost and Federer beat him up,” Cahill said. “I was amazed at the level at which Federer played, he took the racket out of Andre’s hands. It was one of the best displays of tennis.
Then I went into the locker room and patted him on the shoulder. I said, ‘Tough luck, buddy. Roger was too good.” He looked at me and laughed, “What the hell was that? He had never seen tennis played like this.
This guy is going to change the way we play tennis.’ He saw it and felt it before Roger became Roger. He raised tennis to a level we’ve never seen before,” added Cahill. Roger Federer won 103 professional titles, 20 of them Grand Slams, a career that changed the way we view the game and attracted millions of fans around the world. Swiss hopes to fully recover from the knee to provide new exhibitions to his fans.
