"I take that as a compliment; I get that quite often, on court is the first time" - When Roger Federer spoke on Stan Wawrinka calling him an 'a**hole'
Roger Federer once shared a hilarious response after Stan Wawrinka playfully directed a rude remark towards him at the Indian Wells Masters.
The duo squared off against each other in an all-Swiss final at the 2017 Indian Wells Masters. Federer claimed a commanding 6-4, 7-5 win over his compatriot to secure his fifth title at the tournament and 25th ATP Masters 1000 title overall.
Wawrinka, emotional after his loss, graciously congratulated Federer during the trophy presentation. However, on seeing his compatriot laughing during his speech, he jokingly called him an "a**hole."
"I'd like to congratulate Roger. He's laughing. He's an a**hole, but it's okay.
"I've lost some tough ones but when you played the final of the 2017 Australian Open, I was still your biggest fan. So congrats on your comeback and congrats for today," Wawrinka said.
Federer later explained why he burst into laughter when his countryman was in tears, clarifying that he had intended to cheer Wawrinka up and redirect his attention from the loss.
"Well, I was trying to actually cheer him up. He knows that. I was trying, when he looked at me, not to give him the sad face.
"I was looking at him, going, You'll be fine, and gave him a laugh, say, maybe gets his mind off it. I guess I achieved that (smiling)," he said in his post-match press conference.
The Swiss also hilariously admitted that he was called an "a**hole" quite often, but it was the first time it happened on the court. He joked that it felt good to be called that by his compatriot, adding that he took it as a 'compliment'.
"Joking? No, many, many times before. That's why I take that as a compliment, you know, (smiling). There's not always cameras around, so I get called that sometimes. Quite often, actually. On the court [this] is the first time, but it felt good," he said.
Looking back at Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka's rivalry
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka faced each other in 26 tour-level encounters, with Federer emerging victorious over his fellow Swiss 23 times. After suffering losses in their first two meetings, Wawrinka claimed a 6-4, 7-5 win at the 2009 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Subsequently, Federer triumphed in 11 consecutive matches against his compatriot between 2009 and 2014 before losing 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 n the 2014 Monte-Carlo Masters final.
After losing their next three clashes, Wawrinka emerged victorious in the 2015 French Open quarterfinal, winning 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4). He went on to lose their next seven encounters.