“He was in the men’s final the next day and was totally chill by himself”- Patrick McEnroe shares intriguing story about Roger Federer’s Wimbledon triumph


“He was in the men’s final the next day and was totally chill by himself”- Patrick McEnroe shares intriguing story about Roger Federer’s Wimbledon triumph

Patrick McEnroe and Roger Federer

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have dominated the tennis courts for nearly two decades, in what can be described as the ‘Golden era of tennis’. The duo has nearly won all there is to win, ranging from a career Grand Slam to Olympic Gold medals. While they hold nothing back when they are on the court, the duo are well known for their calm demeanor off the court.

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Sportswriter Michelle Kaufman and Patrick McEnroe shared anecdotes about their experience when they met Federer and Nadal at Wimbledon. In a recent episode of Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe, Kaufman recalled the time she noticed a person resembling Nadal at Wimbledon. Kaufman was covering the Grand Slam for Miami Herald, and after seeing the person she didn’t believe it was Nadal. She said a person of Nadal’s stature wouldn’t be carrying his own tennis gear.

But to her surprise, it was Nadal himself. Upon querying why the Spaniard was strolling across with his bags, she got to know that the former World No.1 liked to walk through the town along with other people. Kauffman added that this spoke volumes about Nadal’s humility and down-to-earth personality.

“One day, we are walking to the ground and we see a guy ahead of us with a big tennis bag and it looked like Rafa Nadal. We thought, ‘You know, that guy really looks like Rafa. But he wouldn’t just be walking through the town, carrying his own racquets. Because they provide drivers for the players. We were so curious and we walked really fast and tried to catch up to the man. And it was him. We asked somebody at the grounds, ‘Nadal is walking here, by himself, through the town carrying his bags.’ They said that he declined the driver and that he was one of the only players to do it. Rafa said that he liked to walk through the town with the people. To me, that just said so much about him,” Kauffman said.

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Patrick McEnroe recalls his meeting with Roger Federer

Roger Federer | Tennis News | FirstSportz
Roger Federer

McEnroe also shared a similar experience, which was with Roger Federer. McEnroe recalled how the entire place was abuzz with the women’s final, the Swiss Maestro was enjoying his time alone at a coffee shop. McEnroe was shocked by the fact that Federer was quite relaxed as he was scheduled to play in the men’s singles final the very next day. The next day Federer won the title defeating Marin Cilic in straight sets.

“I was there [at Wimbledon] one year for ESPN, and it was the day of the women’s final. I did my preview and I wasn’t calling the final, so when the match started, after a set or so, I was walking back to my flat. There are a couple of coffee shops, and as I walk past them, I peak in. It is very quiet, because most people are at the match or watching it on TV. Guess who’s sitting there? Not Rafael Nadal but a guy like him — Roger Federer.”

“He was in the men’s final the next day too! He was just sitting there, totally chill by himself. I walked in and he said, “Don’t tell anybody. I should be watching the match.” I said to him, “Don’t tell anybody. I should be watching the match too.” That’s one of the great things about Wimbledon, the players can just chill. But it also says a lot about both those two characters,” McEnroe said.

Also read: Newbie Francisco Cerundolo, who has ‘zero’ wins gets into the semis of the Miami Open 2022

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