Top Tennis Journalist Explains How Roger Federer Managed to Stay ‘Gracious’ Despite Being ‘Great Competitor’

Recently, Swiss author and journalist Simon Graf joined TennisWorthy podcast hosts Patrick McEnroe and Chris Bowers to converse about the legendary career of Roger Federer. They also discussed the legacy that Federer has left behind, that he is a fierce competitor, but at the same time, elegant, on and off the court.

McEnroe said one thing he likes a lot about Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic is how they handled defeats after epic matches. The 59-year-old recalled the 2008 French Open final Federer played against Nadal and lost with a scoreline of 6–1, 6–3, 6–0, which McEnroe said was the “worst loss of his career”. But despite that, he went to his party and was with his guests.

McEnroe asked Bowers how the Swiss maestro was able to “balance that being such a great competitor but at the same time being as gracious too?“

I think it’s just part of the way he approached things. The fact that you know I don’t think he particularly enjoyed doing press conferences, certainly not at the beginning, but he took the view it’s part of the obligations, therefore we’ll embrace it. And actually, especially when he lost, I always felt that his press conferences were part of the catharsis, the coming down of a defeat, because he was able to talk about it. He didn’t particularly want to.

Chris Bowers said (via the International Tennis Hall of Fame YouTube Channel)

Federer was the first man to win 20 Grand Slam titles, with his last Major being the 2018 Australian Open. The last time he reached a Major final was at the 2019 Wimbledon, where he lost to Djokovic.

He often the first couple of answers in his press conferences when he’d lost a match were quite short because he was irritated. And then as he got talking, you know, he became uh eloquent, coherent, and you could tell he was digesting it.

Chris Bowers added

Federer called time on his career at the 2022 Laver Cup after losing the doubles match he played alongside Nadal.

Jannik Sinner refused to compare himself with the Big 3

Jannik Sinner has repeatedly said that he cannot be in the same bracket as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. He is gearing up for the Italian Open, and ahead of it, during his interview with Tennis TV, the four-time Grand Slam champion was asked about the Big 3 comparison.

I know it means a lot, but at the same time, I continue, you know, to say the same things over again. I just cannot compare myself with Rafa, Roger, Novak… What they did in the past has been incredible, and I would never, ever have been in a position, you know, to compare myself with them.

Sinner will be playing Sebastian Ofner in the opening round of the Rome event. Last year, he lost in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

The Italian ace is aiming to become the second man after Djokovic to complete the Career Golden Masters. He is also bidding to become the first man to win six consecutive Masters 1000 titles.

After his defeat at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, Sinner became the eighth man to complete the Sunshine Double. He later became the second man, after Djokovic, to win the first three Masters 1000s of the season before becoming the first man to win the first four Masters 1000s of the season.

In the Madrid Open final, the World No.1 breezed past Alexander Zverev, registering his ninth consecutive win over the German. It was his career’s third title on clay.

Also read: Stefanos Tsitsipas Takes Dig at Goran Ivanisevic with His Grand Slam Guarantee Remark