Roger Federer has experienced a real ordeal in the last two seasons.
Roger Federer has experienced a real ordeal in the last two seasons, thanks to a serious right knee injury. The Swiss phenomenon played just 13 official matches in 2021, collecting nine wins and four losses. The round of 16 at Roland Garros and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon were his best results last year, far too meager tally for a legend of his caliber.
A few weeks after the 2021 Championships, the King announced that he had to operate for the third time in 18 months. Even knowing he was facing a long rehabilitation, the 41-year-old from Basel did not lose heart and never thought about retiring.
The expectation of the fans is about to come to an end. The former world number 1 will return to the Laver Cup, which will take place at the O2 Arena in London from 23 to 25 September. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will close his very short season at the ATP in Basel, back on the calendar after the last two editions had been canceled due to the pandemic.
Speaking at Eurosport, Barbara Schett analyzed the incredible longevity of Federer and Nadal.
Barbara Schett on King Roger
Speaking to Eurosport, Schett said, “We all know that the way Rafael Nadal plays is very physical and the way he moves, the way he chases the ball like no one else.
And I think his willpower and his way of overcoming injuries and his pain threshold is so high that I never, I never thought his career would be so long. But, yes, i mean: he proved me wrong once again and i think a lot of people did too.
If you look at Roger Federer’s style of play compared to Rafa Nadal’s style of play, we always thought Roger was going to have a much longer career than Rafa Nadal, but that is not the case. And that’s the beautiful thing of tennis, you can’t foresee anything,” she added.
Apart from being a tennis legend, Nadal is also an amateur golfer. When not on the tennis court, the 36-year-old is often spotted participating in amateur golf tournaments. “If there is one sports man that I admire outside the game of tennis, it is Tiger Woods,” Nadal started.
“When he is at his best, I see in him what I would like to be myself”. Going ahead in the memoir, Nadal further said, “It’s not his swing, so much, or even the way he strikes the ball. It’s his clearheadedness, his determination, his attitude.
I love it”. Detailing it further, he added, “I like that winning look he has when he plays, and I like most of all his attitude, his way of facing up to the moments of crisis when a game is won or lost.”
