“He would smash racquets in a heartbeat” Ex-Nike director labelled Roger Federer a BRAT bursting the bubble of gentleman behaviour
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Roger Federer
Former World No. 1 Roger Federer is one of the most successful players in the history of the sport and with 103 titles to his name, he is the 2nd most successful man on the Tour trailing Jimmy Connors‘ record of 106 titles. Federer’s fame and popularity has also made him the 3rd richest tennis stars of all time and being the first man ever to reach the 20 Grand Slam title mark, it is no surprise that the Swiss Maestro is always in the debate for who is the GOAT in tennis.
Federer, apart from his immense success on the court, is also known for his behaviour and the way with which he maintains his public image. His on-court mannerisms are given as examples for the upcoming generation of players and he is often called the epitome of a perfect tennis player.
“It was the most embarrassing thing that he has ever done”: Former Nike Director on Roger Federer’s racket smash
Federer has not however been this gentlemanly. The Swiss was a brash young teenager who like many of his age was full of passion and aggression and did not hesitate from getting involved in unnecessary altercations. Talking about Roger, Mike Nakajima, former director of Nike narrated what conspired Federer to change his attitude on the court and become a gentleman instead of a ‘Brat’.
“When I met Roger in 94/95 he was just coming out of juniors he was a really, really talented player but he would smash racquets in a heartbeat. He wasn’t the Roger Federer that we all know. I asked Roger one day when he stopped being a bit of a brat on the tour to become someone that everybody loves. There is not one person that I know that hates the guy. No one has ever said that. I asked him what happened.
“He explained there used to be a pro player named Marat Safin, a Russian player who has won the Australian Open, and US Open and he was one of the guys who Roger was competing in one of his final junior events. It was a match to see who was the best junior in the world and Roger ended up winning in three sets. He came home and watched the highlights and all they showed was Marat and Roger being bad boys on the court.
“Yelling, screaming, smashing, throwing things – that was the highlight – not the great shots that they hit. He said that it was the most embarrassing thing that he has ever done and he vowed never to do that again and he hasn’t,” said Nakajima a few years ago giving further insight about the tennis great.
To Federer‘s credit, identifying his own flaws and taking charge of it so early in his career is just another example of his human nature that was often eclipsed by his tennis skills which often led to people believing he was a demi-god on the court for the sheer brilliance through which he destroyed his opponents.
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