"Roger Federer is a class act as it almost seemed like he gave Serena some space for his retirement" - Jan-Michael Gambill
Former American tennis player Jan-Michael Gambill called Roger Federer a 'class act' for not overshadowing the retirement of Serena Williams.
The Swiss maestro retired from professional tennis at the recently concluded Laver Cup, while Williams hung up her racket at the 2022 US Open.
Speaking on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Gambill stated that his retirement from the sport seemed a little abrupt.
"It seemed a little abrupt. Roger is such a class act as it almost seemed like he gave Serena some space for his retirement. He didn't do it close to her, gave that little bit room to breath. We lose Serena now, we lose Roger," said the American.
The 45-year-old also said that he preferred the way Ashleigh Barty and Pete Sampras retired as they departed the sport after winning Grand Slams, unlike Federer and Williams.
"This was Roger's moment. As far as retirements go, I still think Pete and Ash Barty did it the best; win a slam and 'Hey, I'm outta here'. But this was emotional for a lot of people and for all the fans of Roger, for there are so many, myself included, it was wonderful" he added.
"I think the 2019 Wimbledon final" - Roger Federer's mother on the toughest moment
Lynette Federer, the mother of Roger Federer, revealed that the 2019 Wimbledon final loss to Novak Djokovic was the toughest moment of the Swiss's career. The eight-time Wimbledon champion had two match points against Djokovic at 8-7 40-15 on his serve but failed to capitalize on both.
While speaking to Tages Anzeiger, she revealed that there were other similar moments in his career - the 2010 and 2011 US Open finals - where he lost the match after having match points.
“I think the 2019 Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, wasting two match points on his serve, was the hardest moment of his career. Also the two semifinals lost to Novak at the 2010 and 2011 US Open, where he again had match points in his favor,” said Lynette Federer.
That year, in 2019, Djokovic went on to win his fifth title at SW-19 with a 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3) triumph in the final, which is the longest Wimbledon title clash of all time. This was the last Grand Slam final for the Swiss before eventual retirement at the Laver Cup recently in London.