“Needed the likes of Sampras and Schumacher to show me how it is at top,” Roger Federer gushes over the impact that few great sportsmen had on him
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Roger Federer - FirstSportz
Time stood still when the legendary Roger Federer retired from tennis, much to the disappointment of his fans and viewers. The Swiss Maestro called it quits on a glorious career of over two decades, over a persistent knee injury. His last match – a doubles event with tennis great Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup – ended with one of the most emotional adieus bids to any player across any sport.
While it feels weird to not see him on tour anymore, Federer has fully embraced retirement as he travels the world for his other professional commitments. Recently, he joined Trevor Noah on The Tonight’s Show and spoke at length about his journey.
In the interview, Roger Federer poignantly recalled his humble beginnings, and how it was sportspersons like Marc Rosset and Martina Hingis who paved the way for him, and the likes of Pete Sampras, Michael Schumacher, and Tiger Woods who showed him “how it is at the top.”
Noah was interested in knowing if Roger had any inkling from the beginning that he would become one of the greatest players of all time. The ever-humble Federer replied, “No, no, I did not know it was going to turn out this good. I mean, in Switzerland, we don’t dream this big, you know? We hope to be good, but not great.” He explained how tennis was more of an up-and-coming sport back then “And in sports, it’s probably skiing, and there’s a bit football, bit of ice hockey and all that stuff. And then tennis was coming up.”
Federer then went on to acknowledge those who were pivotal in his success. He further added, “And, thankfully, we had an Olympic champion Marc Rosset in ’92. He won the Olympics in tennis. And then we had Martina Hingis, who also won the US Open and Wimbledon. And they paved the way for me a little bit to show me that it was possible.”
Federer revealed that he looked up to Michael Schumacher and Tiger Woods’ longevity “I had Michael Schumacher that I would look up to, who was at the top for so long. Tiger Woods – same thing, and always thought it’s impossible to do that, to stay at the top for so long and have that drive.”
He also reminisced about the comparisons drawn between himself and Pete Sampras and spoke of his influence “people were saying I could be the next Pete Sampras, and I was talented and all that stuff. But you feel like they always say that at some point and I never thought I was going to have this great of a career …. it was incredible and I needed the likes of Pete Sampras to show me how it is at the top.”
Roger Federer’s insights on his career and his worries about professional tennis
In the same interview, Roger further talked about his own longevity and said “people ask me ‘how did you do it?’ and I’m like, well, it’s normal. You just go out there. You do it again, and you try to win, and again. And it’s fun, and so you keep doing it.” He further added “And then you also have a duty, in my mind to represent the sport well and enjoy it while it lasts. I really felt like I squeezed out that lemon till the last drop and tried my very best to the end.”
Now a veteran, Roger said that he worries that the game is getting too serious and professional and that he hopes that players have as much fun as he did. “But I feel like I had a lot of fun on the tour. It was not just about tennis. It was also going to nice dinners with friends. And I’m happy that I didn’t take tennis almost that serious or that professional, still had that bit of an amateur twist to it. A bit worried that every sport is going into such a professional direction, which I hope we don’t lose the fun in it. It’s important.”
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Aradhana Nayak
(189 Articles Published)