"Nobody can ever fit into Roger Federer's big tracks he left; Will try my best to be humble like he was" - Swiss Olympic champion Marco Odermatt
Roger Federer continues to inspire not just the next generation of tennis players, but athletes in general, particularly those hailing from his home nation of Switzerland. Marco Odermatt, a Swiss Olympic gold medallist in Alpine Skiing, recently spoke about the tennis great's legacy that transcends tennis, and why his conduct on and off the tennis court is an ideal example for many.
Odermatt holds Federer in high regard, particularly for his contributions to Swiss sport, calling him a huge inspiration ever since his childhood days. The 25-year-old is already an Olympic champion (won gold in Beijing last year) and a world champion in his sport.
Speaking to Olympics.com, Odermatt expressed his admiration for the 20-time Grand Slam champion, declaring that neither he nor any other Swiss athlete can fill the shoes of the recently-retired Federer.
"Nobody can ever fit into his big tracks he left, but I will try my best," Odermatt said.
He reminisced about the times he met Federer, with one of those meetings being at the Laver Cup. Odermatt stressed that while he has already learned a lot from the Swiss legend, there is a lot more left to learn from him, and highlighted his humility.
"It's really nice to again be in contact with him," Odermatt expressed, adding, "I got to meet him twice this year, a little bit on the shooting days as well as (during) the Laver Cup for a minute or two. He's just a nice guy and I already learned a lot and I still can learn a lot from him. I will try my best to be humble like he was. And yeah, he's still a big inspiration."
🥇 Marco Odermatt shares why he keeps being inspired by his childhood idol Roger Federer."I will try my best to be as humble as he was."
⛷️ Olympic alpine champion 🇨🇭🥇 Marco Odermatt shares why he keeps being inspired by his childhood idol Roger Federer.
Click in the video to read the exclusive interview.
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Marco Odermatt hails Roger Federer for handling the challenges of being a top athlete quite "easily"
Marco Odermatt further stressed that Roger Federer handled the demands and challenges of being a top athlete with great ease for so many years, something he is awestruck by. The Alpine ski racer feels that the eight-time Wimbledon champion is a great example of how to conduct oneself within and outside their respective sport, particularly at the highest level.
"Now, since I'm on a high level as well, I think it's just how he handled everything with all the guys who want something from him. And it's definitely not easy. I still don't feel like I'm doing it as easily as he did it for many, many years," Odermatt expressed.
The youngster also shed light on the popularity of skiing as a sport compared to tennis. While Odermatt feels skiing still has a long way to go to reach the heights of tennis in terms of global reach, he believes skiing and tennis are almost equally popular in Switzerland, with the country's focus on winter sports.
"Skiing, on the worldwide scene, its never on the same stage (as tennis), but in Switzerland, I guess the interest is nearly the same as tennis, maybe even more," Odermatt said on the same.