“Bro is Scared”- Roger Federer Invites Backlash Over Comments on Picturing Matchup Against Jannik Sinner

Roger Federer certainly knows a thing or two about how to stay in the news even when he’s no longer a professional tennis player. The Swiss man returned to the Australian Open for the first time since 2020, and caused a stir in the media after a few comments on World No.2 Jannik Sinner.

While being asked about the Italian’s progression and how he would have fancied taking him on, Federer looked at the four-time Grand Slam champion through the eyes of Grigor Dimitrov. Considering the Bulgarian is considered to be a carbon copy of Federer, the Swiss man used that perspective to picture a match with Sinner. Federer said in his Australian Open press conference:

At Wimbledon, when Grigor was playing against Jannik and I was sitting there, that made it easy to think how it could’ve been because Grigor plays very similar to how I played. I think it was one of the first times I thought how would it have been to play Jannik. I didn’t feel that way [watching Jannik x Novak/Shanghai], I was just watching great tennis because they both played very different to how I play. […] I put myself more in Carlos mindset and skin when I watch him. Now with Sinner at one time I thought “Okay, now I understand how I would probably play against Jannik.

Although many people took it positively, some parts of the fanbase interpreted these quotes differently. It should be noted that Dimitrov was the man who was extremely close to beating Sinner at Wimbledon last year.

Dimitrov withdrew after a two-set lead due to a torn pectoral muscle. Some fans claimed that, considering Dimitrov was set to beat the reigning Wimbledon champion, Federer might be thinking that he would have swept the floor with Sinner.

Roger Federer sends Tennis Twitter into a meltdown

After Roger Federer‘s remarks, the tennis Twitter went into a complete meltdown. Some fans even accused the 20-time Grand Slam champion of being disrespectful.

Bro he is scared of sinner so much. As he should

— Ali✨ (@05ali_s05) January 15, 2026

Lol shut up @rogerfederer; Ive seen you live at your peak in London. You can never serve at 240kmph consistently. Dimitrov tore his pectoral trying to keep an elbow injured sinner at bay.
Sinner would eat you alive like he eats Novak. Please stop talking.

— Shamoon Khatri | شمعون کھتری (@ComposerShamoon) January 15, 2026

Sinner would throttle Federer lol

— T (@TAT0400) January 15, 2026

I’m sorry, but when you have that much influence and that many followers, your words matter. We get it, you prefer Alcaraz. Now give it a rest. Jannik will excel anyway, with or without your support.

— Alessandra Stiro (@stir44348) January 16, 2026

This is just weird. Why does he feel the need to compare himself to a current player and talking about "iF I WeRe tO pLAy hIM" like a dumbass. Roger, you don't even play anymore, you're retired. What's the deal here except ego tripping?

— X (@acrpln_x) January 16, 2026

Like always Federer Is direspectful

— FutureQueen (@FuturKingWill) January 15, 2026

He's never accepted the Laver Cup refusal, IMO.

— Valentina  (@VAncilotti) January 15, 2026

dislike this dude

— Wonikoks (@LagosBlood) January 15, 2026

Federer and Sinner never met on tour, as the Swiss man was nearing the end of his career once Sinner broke through. The Italian won the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2019, which was also the last season in which Federer played a full schedule.

Federer’s problems started at the 2020 Australian Open, where he suffered a groin injury. As he had to skip the entire year fighting off two knee surgeries, he was never able to maintain his fitness standards in 2021.

Eventually, Federer succumbed to the effects of his knee surgeries in September 2022, announcing his retirement. A year later, Sinner won his first Masters 1000 title and finished runners-up at the Nitto ATP Finals. From then on, Sinner’s dominance was there for everyone to see.

Jannik Sinner pictures a matchup with Roger Federer

If the Roger Federer comments were generating controversy, Jannik Sinner has already responded to them. The Italian remained humble and called the Swiss one of the most magical players of all time. He told the reporters:

I haven’t seen him here in Melbourne yet, but I definitely would have liked to face him at least once in a competitive match , just to see what he’s like…He certainly plays very similarly to Grigor, but they are still two different players. Grigor played very well in that match, changing the pace a lot, and he definitely saw my weaknesses, especially in the combination of grass and that style of game. During preparation, we worked a lot on that part , to be more ready for the next match like this. But yes, I would have loved to face him, Roger is perhaps the most magical player of all time … but I arrived a little too late!

Both players have a rich vein of history at the Australian Open. The duo has a combined 8 Australian Open titles, with six going to Federer and two to Sinner.

Moreover, both know how to defend an Australian Open title. Federer did that in 2007 and 2018, and Sinner achieved that last year.

Interestingly, Federer and Sinner are the only players to spend the entire season without losing a match in straight sets. Federer achieved that in 2005, and Sinner repeated that feat in 2025.

Also Read: Roger Federer Shares Cryptic Stance About Returning to Tennis as a Coach