5 times Roger Federer was targeted by tennis legends ft. Rafael Nadal and Boris Becker
Roger Federer is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. The Swiss maestro revitalized tennis in the early 2000s, dominating the men's division with grace and style. Due to his domination, his popularity skyrocketed even during the early days of his career.
Known for his graceful demeanor and calm nature, Federer has gotten into a few disagreements throughout his career. Despite his incredible success, he was targeted by his peers on a few occasions. Here is a list of five tennis stars, who have commented on the tennis legend.
#1. Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer enjoyed one of the greatest sporting rivalries. The two tennis greats have a great relationship now, but the duo also had a disagreement in 2012 after Roger Federer claimed that players should not speak about their hectic tennis schedule.
Nadal hit back at Federer suggesting that the Swiss star wanted to stay in the good books of the ATP and look like a 'gentleman'. He added that Federer was leaving other players 'to burn themselves' and protecting his image.
“No, I totally disagree. For him it’s good to say nothing. Everything positive. It’s all well and good for me, I look like a gentleman, and the rest can burn themselves. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions," Nadal said.
#2. Marcelo Rios
Former World No. 1, Marcelo Rios, claimed that he does not find Roger Federer's style of play entertaining and preferred Nick Kyrgios over the Swiss star.
The Chilean star believed that Federer's style of play was not 'entertaining' and he did not enjoy the gentlemanly style of play of the 20-time Grand Slam champion. He further added that he found Kyrgios' 'messiness' on the court more entertaining.
"Federer for me is not a player that you see and you say ‘how entertaining’. I like the way he plays because he’s a guy with incredible ease, very intelligent on the court, very good. But he is not a Kyrgios, a Fognini that you see him and you are waiting for him to make a fuss, to leave a mess. That’s more entertaining,” Marcelo Rios said, as quoted by CLAY.
#3. John McEnroe
American tennis star John McEnroe was critical of Roger Federer's SABR style of play. Federer introduced the SABR move in 2018 where he rushed to the net after returning the serve to catch his opponent off guard. This 'Sneak Attack By Federer' became famous as 'SABR', however, McEnroe was not a fan of the move.
Speaking about SABR, the former World No. 1 claimed that he would have targetted Federer's head if the Swiss ever attempted the SABR against him. McEnroe further said that he would have swung his racquet hard at the ball aiming for Federer's body.
"What I would have done is try to hit a very low passing shot that forced that volley up and I would have swung as hard as I possibly could right at their head," McEnroe said.
#4. Boris Becker
Boris Becker and Roger Federer have had a few disagreements throughout Federer's career. Becker, who coached Novak Djokovic in the past, targetted Federer's SABR move and called it 'disrespectful'.
Becker claimed that Federer rushing to the net while returning the serve is disrespectful towards the opponent and the the move would not have worked with the previous generation. He further added that former players like McEnroe and himself would have tried to hit a body shot toward the Swiss star if he ever attempted the SABR against them.
“It’s almost disrespecting the other guy’s serve. Everybody talks about that’s his new strategy – he comes in. It’s within the rules. If he would have played a [John] McEnroe, [Jimmy] Connors, [Ivan] Lendl or even me, we would have said: ‘Roger, in all honesty I like you very much [but] I’ll go straight at you.’ In my generation guys would not have accepted as it is now," Becker said.
After successfully using the SABR to his advantage in 2018, Federer dialed down its use later on in his career.
#5. Arnaud Di Pasquale
Former French star Arnaud Di Pasquale criticized Roger Federer while backing Alexander Zverev. Federer claimed that Zverev should be more aggressive during his matches to win a Grand Slam title and believed that the German waits for the opponent to make a mistake.
Di Pasquale jumped to Zverev's defense and claimed Federer was being too harsh on the German. He further added that Zverev is still making progress and his World No. 2 ranking is proof of that.
"I think we’re being pretty hard on him. He’s world number 2, so basically, doing better means being number 1. We’re being too hard on him. He’s still there and I think he’s making progress. I think he’s moving forward even if we see him falling back into his old ways," Di Pasquale said.