Roger Federer has become the most beloved tennis player of the modern era not only for his numerous victories, but also for his spectacular and effective game in every area of the court. The former Swiss champion has held many records during his long career, but most of them have been snatched from him by his eternal rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in recent years.
Both the Spaniard and the Serbian have won more Grand Slam titles than him and Nole has also taken away the all-time record of weeks at the top of the ATP ranking. Yet, the King continues to have an aura and popularity that have no equal around the world.
Roger Federer, Wimbledon 2021© Stream screenshot
Federer retired from professional tennis in 2022, more precisely at the Laver Cup, playing the last match of his doubles career alongside Rafa. A serious knee injury has affected the last few years of the Swiss Maestro, who underwent various surgeries and tried to return competitive in 2021 but without success.
His last singles match was against Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, in which he suffered a bagel in the third set and gained the certainty that he could no longer be competitive at the highest level.
Shapovalov pays tribute to King Roger
Roger is missed by everyone on the professional tour and his style is practically unrepeatable. No one has Federer’s game nowadays, being very difficult to implement in the modern era where every shot is played at maximum speed. The Swiss legend has combined the style of the past with the modern one, achieving many memorable victories and making everyone fall in love with him thanks to his innate elegance on and off the court.
In a conversation during the latest edition of the UTS tour, Canadian ace Denis Shapovalov talked about King Roger’s amazing game: “Federer can literally make you feel like a junior. Because I played him in Miami semifinals. Dude, I beat good players, I beat Rublev, I beat Tiafoe on the way there. I beat some other guys and I felt like a junior on the court. It was insane.”
Denis also added: “He is just messing around. He is like slicing one point, hitting the next. But to me, Federer and Nadal’re so different. I felt like Rafa was so predictable. You knew exactly what he’s going to do but he’s just so good at it that you can’t do anything.”
Federer and Shapovalov have faced each other only once on the professional tour, more precisely at the 2019 Miami Open. The young Canadian was playing one of the best tournaments of his career and was in great confidence, which is why he expected to put the Swiss in trouble.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion played an almost flawless match from start to finish and gave his opponent no chance, prevailing in two sets and reaching the final. The King defeated local idol John Isner in the last act and won the last Masters 1000 of his amazing career.
Federer wrote to Rafa
Recently, the former Swiss champion sent a beautiful message to his friend Rafa Nadal who left tennis at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. The last dance of the Spanish legend was a bit sad because Spain was immediately eliminated, but Roger shocked the whole world with his touching message.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal© Roger Federer/Instagram – Fair Use
“In Miami we were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud… you made the whole tennis world proud” – the King wrote.
He continued: “I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.
Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.”
It’s really beautiful that such an iconic rivalry has turned into a deep friendship over the years. These two legends took tennis to a new dimension and their impact was so great that they influenced subsequent generations as well.