Roger Federer made me go nuts everytime I played him says Gael Monfils dissecting the Swiss maestro’s game

Monfils also compares his game with the tennis great and how Federer helped him improve.

Roger Federer made me go nuts everytime I played him says Gael Monfils dissecting the Swiss maestro’s game

L) Roger Federer; (R) Gael Monfils (Credit: Open Source)

20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer called curtains on his illustrious career last year. On 15 September 2022, he announced his impending retirement from professional tennis on the ATP Tour, noting that the Laver Cup would be his final ATP event. His final match resulted in a 6–4, 6(2)-7, 9–11 loss in doubles partnering long-time rival and friend Rafael Nadal against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.

The Swiss legend is often considered as the GOAT of tennis, especially for his elegant style of play by many critics. In an interview with Patrick Mouratoglou, before the start of UTS Frankfurt, French pro Gael Monfils talked about the greatness of the Swiss legend.

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Monfils said that according to him, his peak level wasn’t close to Federer’s level. The Frenchman further said, “Each time I played Roger I went nuts because I just couldn’t return. He served, I returned. And I was lost after the first shot. I had to slide everywhere. And then game over. So my return, definitely not good enough.” Monfils explained that Federer helped him improve his game, but still his own game never reached the top level.

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“My point is these guys helped me to improve and be better. A lot of my wins are consequences of my losses against them. At one moment I decided I would touch every ball on the return. At my prime all my returns were in the court,” he added.

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Roger Federer talks about his post-retirement life

roger federer
Roger Federer (Credit : Open Source)

Federer recently spoke to the American publication Wall Street Journal about his post-retirement life. Joking about his kids’ duty, Federer said that he’s basically a professional driver now. “I take the kids to tennis, back and forth, drop off at school, pick up. Yesterday morning we even picked up a friend on the way to school. The logistics with the four is nuts,” he explained.

The former World No.1 also frequents the headquarters of ‘On’, the Swiss sportswear giant where he owns a minority stake and serves as a creative partner. The company famously sponsors the 4-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek and 20-year-old American sensation Ben Shelton.

Federer struggled in the latter part of his career owing to a knee injury. Further talking about the injury, Federer said, “I’ve had quite a bit of knee issues, so I’m constantly rehabbing. I haven’t been able to do much cardio—mostly weights, core exercises, and exercises for my quad-strengthening. I have a physio I’ve been with for seven years, and we see each other four times a week.”

The 42-year-old further said that he doesn’t play much tennis these days, except with the kids. The process of booking a court and finding a hitting partner is not an easy one, he says. Talking about how his kids enjoy tennis, Federer said, “All four kids love it. The girls didn’t love it in the beginning but as they get better, they’re enjoying it and playing points now. They were up at [John] McEnroe Academy in East Hampton, and the boys were in Mallorca at the [Rafael Nadal] camp for a couple of days.”

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