"Nobody can play tennis like him, and nobody probably will ever" - Patrick Mouratoglou praises Roger Federer following his decision to retire
Roger Federer's recent social media post announcing his decision to hang up the racket has sent the tennis world into a tizzy, with fellow players and observers taking to social media to express their shock and sadness at the news.
Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou has become the latest to join the growing list of high-profile names who have paid emotional tributes to the retiring Swiss legend
Describing the 20-time Grand Slam winner as "the best ambassador for tennis" in a short video posted on his social media handles, Mouratoglou said that the Swiss played tennis the way everybody wanted to play the sport. He, however, was quick to add that no one will probably be able to replicate the former World No. 1's distinctive style.
"I think Roger is the best ambassador for tennis," Mouratoglou says. "He plays tennis the way everybody would love to play tennis, and nobody can play tennis like him, and nobody probably will ever play tennis the way did."
Mouratoglou said that while the first thing most people noticed about Federer's game was his fluidity, it was his fighting spirit that helped him become a true champion of the sport.
"When you watch Roger play, the first thing you see, is an incredible talent and fluidity, but we have brought the years since several other guys playing with incredible fluidity and talent. Those guys have never won a Grand Slam. He won 20. Why? Because he's an incredible fighter, he always thought for every single point in every single match and he's a real fighter," he added.
"Roger Federer was a superhero and he became a human" - Patrick Mouratoglou on Swiss legend's 2006 Australian Open win
Patrick Mouratoglou also recalled some of the most memorable Roger Federer matches in the short video, highlighting the Swiss' emotional 2006 Australian Open triumph as a moment when a "superhero" became "human".
The Frenchman also lauded the 41-year-old's fighting spirit in the two Wimbledon finals that he lost to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, dubbing the former "historic".
"The first thing I remember is the trophy ceremony at the Australian Open 2006 when he completely broke down, he cried. He was a superhero and he became a human. He's the first one who really did that?" he recalled.
"The second one is the two epic matches, in Wimbledon, that he lost to one against Novak, with match point, and the one against Rafael Nadal that ended up in the night, these two matches were history," he added.