WATCH: Matteo Berrettini opens up on crying while watching Roger Federer’s emotional farewell
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Matteo Berrettini and Roger Federer
Roger Federer is officially retired from the professional world and is hailed as one of the greatest players of all time with his 20 Grand Slam singles titles to his kitty. He ended his career playing in the doubles match on Day 1 of the 3-day event of Laver Cup. Federer announced his retirement on the 15th of September stating that his body and mind no more allow him to be a part of the competitive sport.
Matteo Berrettini, post his win against Felix Auger Aliassime on Day 2, could not stop talking about his idol Federer and his emotions post the farewell night. He said “I couldn’t sleep, I was really emotional. I told him why we were crying. One of the reasons I couldn’t sleep as he was crying on my shoulder and I was like: ‘Is that real? Roger Federer?‘“
He also recalled the time when he had tried sneaking in to watch his idol while he was young. He added “The reason why I chose to become a tennis player was because of him. He probably doesn’t know but when I was a kid and he was playing in Rome, I was trying to sneak into center court because I didn’t have a ticket. He was my idol. He inspired me so much. Not just me but billions of people.“
“I cannot screw up” Matteo Berrettini talks about getting motivated by Roger Federer’s advice which helped him win
Matteo Berrettini spoke about the advice from Federer that motivated him fully and he could not think of letting him down in any way. He said “I feel like I cannot screw up! It’s actually unbelievable. He did everything for the sport and for me in general. I’m so happy to be here. I have to thank him, but I’ve got chills guys. It’s tough for me. Today, he gave me some tips and it worked out pretty well, so thanks, Roger.“
The Swiss maestro lost his farewell match with Rafael Nadal in the tie-breaker set. As soon as the match ended, Federer broke down into tears, and all his teammates from team Europe got much emotional on realizing the moment had arrived to bid farewell to the Swiss maestro. The whole O2 Arena was in tears and it was such a special night that witnessed one of the most emotional farewells in the history of tennis.
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Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)