Roger Federer fans were definitely delighted with the news that their favorite will be back on the court in a couple of weeks in Geneva. The Swiss phenomenon chose to play the event at home, skipping the Masters 1000 in Madrid and Rome, before flying to Paris for Roland Garros.
The former world No. 1 has not even played a Grand Slam tournament since the 2020 Australian Open, when he surrendered to future winner Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. The 39-year-old Swiss authored a brief stint in Doha a couple of months ago, where he reached the quarter-finals by conceding a comeback to Georgian Basilashvili (after blowing a match point in the deciding set).
Roger’s big seasonal goals are getting closer and closer, with Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics at the top of his wish list. The dream of the 20-time Grand Slam champion is to further enrich his astonishing showcase, perhaps winning that singles gold medal that has always eluded him thus far.
Speaking on the latest issue of ‘The Double Bagel Tennis Podcast’, his former coach Paul Annacone revealed how Federer and Sampras used to handle criticism.
Annacone: The important thing is not to have a brusque approach
“I’ve never had a problem with either Roger Federer or Pete Sampras,” began the American coach, who now follows promising young star and star Taylor Fritz.
“If there was something that was not going well, we would discuss it calmly until we found a solution. The important thing is not to have a brusque approach, otherwise the conversation risks having repercussions from a personal point of view.
I have always liked talking to them. We discussed the different situations with pragmatism, although perhaps we were not on the same wavelength, “he added. Annacone worked with Federer from 2010 to 2013, helping him win Wimbledon again in 2012 (not forgetting silver at the London Olympics that same year). .
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