The 20-time grand slam winner has had two surgeries on his right knee since his last tournament in January 2020In the days leading up to his return to competition at the Qatar Open this week after two knee surgeries and a 13-month layoff, the longest of his life, Roger Federer made his first public appearance at the tournament in the humble surroundings of an Instagram Live Q&A session with a group of local children. He spoke as he often does, pleasant and expansive, but there was one curiosity. Despite the fact he is the most popular tennis player in the world who can organise an army of followers with the click of his fingers, just 150 people were watching. Related:...
After two arthroscopic knee surgeries and a year away from tennis the 39-year-old is showing remarkable grit to continueIn July 2018, during times when rooms could still be safely filled with people, Roger Federer was at Wimbledon for a pre-tournament press conference as he prepared to defend his title. For half an hour he fielded questions in three languages from a packed room, but suddenly things took a left turn. An unfamiliar reporter was handed the microphone and without missing a beat, she opened her question with a simple, direct statement: “You look even more handsome than last year.”As onlookers cackled and Federer responded with a timely injection of humour, that cringe-inducing moment felt as if it was a reflection...
Nadal and Djokovic have plausible claims to be the greatest of the past 50 years but their serene, ruthless rival aces it for meFew rivalries in sport divide fans with quite the fervour and wilful lack of understanding for an opposing point of view as does that involving Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.When those whose recall reaches back beyond the start of the millennium to weigh up the merits of Pete Sampras and Björn Borg as the other contenders in a magnificent top five, the battalions of young social media hawks smile upon them as quaintly romantic, with their love of wooden rackets, tight shorts and bad mullets. As great as those two players were, with 25 majors...
Revered by rivals, adored by fans, the charismatic Swiss is fast rivalling Muhammad Ali as a sporting idolWhen tennis fans voted Roger Federer their favourite player for the 17th year in a row it might have stretched credulity beyond Planet Tennis but it surprised nobody within touching distance of his hem. There have been dogs in country and western songs not as faithful as Federer’s disciples. He makes Alan Partridge jealous.Federer’s house is so full of trophies, his wife, Mirka, and their four kids have to live in the car … No, that’s not true. But he is a walking magnet for accolades. It sometimes feels as if people want to give him an award just to be close to...
For many of the leading tennis players of this generation, maintaining their legacy has become a clear priority but the Murray family and Roger Federer are taking different pathsJamie Murray was in the middle of a meet-and-greet with Glaswegian school children this week when an STV journalist asked him if tennis in his country deserves better. Such questions seem to come up with increasing frequency as he and his brother Andy navigate the final years of their careers with no promising young players waiting in the wings. In Scotland, despite the money their success has generated, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) provides only £1m of grants from their £64.5m revenue. Murray sighed: “If you think about the Scottish players that...