Roger Federer made his name as a junior in 1998, winning Wimbledon at 16 and ending the season on the youth throne. In those years, Martina Hingis was the Swiss athlete to watch, achieving incredible things at such a young age and making Switzerland one of the leading nations in tennis.
Still a teenager, Federer joined Martina on the big stage after reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2001, surprising seven-time champion Pete Sampras in five sets at the All England Club. Roger reached the top 10 a year later after winning the Masters 1000 first crown in Hamburg, hoping for another h * t streak in the Majors.
Instead, Federer lost ground in Paris and London and couldn’t find his A game at the end of the season, despite having a strong year-end position. Federer got off to a great start in 2003, scoring the most wins ahead of Indian Wells and playing at a high level on clay after conquering Munich and reaching the final in Rome.
Asked about the National Athlete of the Year award after one of his victories in Rome, Federer admitted that it was not easy to win it in Switzerland and that it was not one of its main objectives. In addition, he mentioned Martina Hingis, who had decided to retire from tennis, leaving Roger as the best Swiss tennis star during those years.
“I don’t know, every year there are guys who achieve something great, like Simon Ammann last year. And then there are the skiers who win races or World Cups. I am perhaps the most popular Swiss athlete, but in terms of results I need to be in the big tournaments or in the Davis Cup to be the sports athlete of the year. ”
Mischa Zverev praises Roger Federer
Mischa Zverev, currently No. 277 in the world, joked that he would like to see Roger Federer play forever and described Switzerland’s return as “emotional and sensational”.
“It’s touching, sensational, I feel like I’ve seen so many of Roger’s matches, but every time he comes out and I just took a photo of his interview, I just wish he plays forever, ”Zverev said.
“It’s a show you never want to miss. It was really nice to see him there. It was very fast and he could create so much, it’s like you said – I was in heaven too! ” Zverev added. “He used so many different shots, he knows how to get a point in 10 different ways and he used them all.”
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