French athlete Kevin Mayer recalls his earliest memories of Roger Federer, says he "loved" the Swiss' effortless playing style
French decathlete Kevin Mayer recently gave his thoughts on Roger Federer as part of a special program by L'Equipe ahead of the Swiss maestro's birthday on 8 August. Mayer revealed that Federer's elegance and poise instantly attracted him to the Swiss' game.
Mayer, a two-time silver medalist at the Olympics, began by reminiscing about the time he first saw Federer play at Roland Garros.
“When I was little, I played tennis. One day, I went to Roland-Garros and he was the one I saw play," Mayer told L'Equipe. "He hadn't gone far that year, but I loved his style of play. So handsome, so poised, I felt like 'he never used force in his strikes."
Mayer also revealed he took inspiration from Roger Federer for the way he overcame his anger issues as a youngster. The Swiss maestro was not always the calm figure we've come to know. Federer often had emotional outbursts on the court when he was young and even smashed rackets during matches.
"I had read an article where he said he got really angry when he was young and that he had really worked on it. There, he was the calmest guy you can see on a tennis court," Mayer said.
"I too, when I was young, got really angry, so I took him as an example. I just wanted to reach out to him," Mayer added. "Subsequently, everything I have just said has become even more supported. His gesture was further refined, his backhand became magnificent."
All sports combined, I consider Roger Federer the greatest: Kevin Mayer
During the interaction, Mayer went on to assert that in tennis "nothing is better" than Roger Federer. He even went as far as to suggest that the Swiss might just be the greatest sportsman ever, mainly due to his longevity.
"Technically, for me, there is nothing better in tennis. All sports combined, I place him at the level of the greatest, that's for sure. For his longevity, for what he has done, for the way he communicates," Mayer said.
"At whose level? Superfluous question, because each sport has its difficulties. We're not going to compare a LeBron James to a Roger Federer. I like the Swiss' class. What I love about him is that it's not his expression that makes his personality, it's his game, his calm, I find that beautiful."