Former German tennis legend praises Roger Federer; calls him ‘phenomenal’

Roger Federer

Tommy Haas, former German tennis player and the current Director of Indian Wells was full of praise for his former rival and friend Roger Federer. Haas turned pro in 1996 and won 15 career titles, including a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia.

Tommy Haas had early success against Federer, defeating him in their first-ever meeting in the semi-finals of the 2000 Summer Olympics and again won in their epic 5 setter R16 game at 2002 Australian Open leading the tie 2-1. Haas then later had to wait for 15 years and 14 games to beat Federer again which he did in their last meeting however Federer had 13-4 record against the German.

Talking to Marca Haas said, “The reality is that he is someone very special. When you see him play at his age and at that level all you can say is wow. In fact, he should have 21 ‘Grand Slams’ because in the Wimbledon final, with 40-15 and serve, (the title) was his.”
“Unfortunately, this was not the case, but the way he moves and continues to compete making the right schedule is incredible. That he is hungry after all he has gained is phenomenal,” he added.

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Haas hopes Roger Federer to stay ‘healthy’ and wants him to keep winning ‘more titles’

“That he is hungry after all he has won is just amazing. He has even had time to create the Laver Cup where you see players who encourage each other when they are rivals on the Tou,” Hass further said.

Federer’s management company, TEAM8, former Davis Cup player Jorge Paulo Lemann, and Tennis Australia have co-founded the Laver Cup.

Haas further said, “Hopefully he stays healthy and wants to keep winning. His presence, together with that of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic helps to promote tennis. It is true that we need a couple of young people to come out and stand up to them.”

The 2021 edition of the Laver Cup is scheduled from 24 September to 26 September 2021 in Boston at the TD Garden, with Bjorn Borg set to coach the Team Europe and John McEnroe as a coach for Team World.

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