"Best opponent you’ll ever play against" - Roger Federer's latest training session draws awestruck reaction from AB de Villiers
Retired cricketer AB de Villiers reacted to Roger Federer's latest update online, of him sweating it out at a practice session, with a hilarious revelation.
Federer and De Villiers had hugely successful careers in their respective sports. The South African bowed out from the international stage back in 2018 citing fading eyesight as the reason. He did, however, continue playing domestic leagues for a little while longer before announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket in November 2021.
Federer, meanwhile, hung up his racket in 2022 at the Laver Cup. The Swiss played his last professional match on tour at the Wimbledon Championships the very same year, losing in the quarterfinals to Hubert Hurkacz.
Federer's association with the game hasn't been very apparent since his retirement, despite occasional appearances at a few tournaments.
Fans, however, were in for a surprise on Thursday, February 22, when the 42-year-old treated them to a short clip via his Instagram of him practicing his forehands and backhands against a wall. His strokeplay looked on point and his footwork as graceful as ever.
Reacting to his video on X, formerly Twitter, De Villiers hilariously suggested that the wall was the "best opponent" Federer ever played against.
"The best opponent you’ll ever play against!" de Villiers commented via X, formerly Twitter.
Roger Federer showcased his cricket skills in India two decades ago
A man of many talents, Roger Federer once famously exchanged his tennis racket for a cricket bat during a UNICEF goodwill ambassador visit to Chennai in India.
He visited Tamil Nadu after the catastrophic 2004 tsunami. After all formalities, the Swiss maestro joined the locals, mostly consisting of young children, for an enthralling game of cricket at their makeshift shelter camp in the Pudupettai rehabilitation colony, 180 km south of the state capital Chennai.
"It was good fun playing cricket here. I know the sport is huge here. I follow it myself," Federer told Reuters after the game. "In the beginning they threw the ball at me slowly, and then realised that I was not that bad after all. In the end, they did get me out."
Federer's ties to the game of cricket are deeper than most know, considering his mother is South African.