“He's been dominant for so long” – When Tiger Woods opened up about how Roger Federer inspired him
Tiger Woods and Roger Federer are both considered legends of their sport. Having enjoyed illustrious professional careers for over two decades, the duo earned their spots as GOATs in their respective fields. Despite being from two different sports, the athletes share mutual respect and have openly admitted to the other being their inspiration at times.
The ace golfer and the tennis superstar have a good relationship. Woods and Federer have featured in several endorsements together. Apart from their on-screen camaraderie, the duo have spoken about one another from time to time. In such a special incident, Woods once named Federer as one of his inspirations.
Tiger Woods dubs Roger Federer as an inspiration
Tiger Woods and Roger Federer share a good relationship. Despite reports claiming that the duo haven’t spoken to one another in years, they have surely spoken about each other on multiple occasions. One such incident occurred in 2017 when Woods landed in Dubai for the 2017 Dubai Desert Classic.
Woods had arrived at the event following a rough patch. However, the ace golfer looked as confident as ever entering the event. Interestingly, speaking ahead of the event, Woods spilled a secret and said that he looked up to Federer for inspiration to meet his goals in 2017. Woods said that he was in awe of the Swiss tennis star’s discipline and his ability to dominate the sport for such long periods.
It is pertinent to note that Woods’ comments came at a time when Federer was wreaking havoc in tennis. The tennis star had just won the Australian Open over Rafael Nadal for his first Grand Slam victory since 2012, when Woods decided to comment on him. Commenting on the Swiss star's 18th overall win, the golfer lauded the athlete’s ability to quickly recover from serious injuries.
Speaking about Roger Federer’s career, Tiger Woods said:
"What Rog has done is he's been dominant for so long, and then to, not only that, to compete against Djokovic, to compete against Rafa; and now Andy is playing well… He's had, you know, a litany of guys who have won slams. And no one wins slams at his age. And for him to come back, after having to take that much time off, and for him to get the timing; that's the hardest part.”
Furthermore, Woods went onto appreciate Federer’s ability to adapt to the ever-changing sport.
He added:
"He rehabbed properly and you can tell how fast he's moving. He's shortened up points, changed his strategy around a little bit. I mean, as you get older, you change your game and you do things slightly differently, and he did that."
Furthermore, Tiger Woods went on to state that his goal was to “win it all” like Federer. Woods’ comments were lauded by fans of both the athletes. It was noted down as one of the rare times when one legend recognized another. It is pertinent to note that this wasn’t a sole incident and the tennis star has reciprocated the respect on multiple occasions.
Roger Federer announced his retirement last week. Having gone through a third surgery on his right knee in around 18 months, the tennis star finally decided to hang up his boots. Speaking after announcing his decision to quit the game, Federer said that he is most proud of his career’s "longevity". Federer emulated the success of sporting legends like Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher when it came to long and illustrious careers.