Roger Federer is like a Zidane or a Maradona, he & Rafael Nadal are Siamese twins: Marc Rosset
Former World No. 9 Marc Rosset recently spoke at length about countryman Roger Federer, comparing the 39-year-old's technical instincts to those of Zinedine Zidane and Diego Maradona. Rosset also spoke in glowing terms about Federer's relationship with Rafael Nadal, likening the two to a set of Siamese twins.
In an interaction with Swiss magazine Illustre, Marc Rosset first laid bare his reverence for Roger Federer's tennis skills. When asked to pick one of Federer's skills that he would like to possess, Rosset went with the 20-time Major champion's ability to read the game better than anyone else.
Comparing Roger Federer's vision to that of Zidane and Maradona's, Rosset pointed out that the Swiss star's exceptional motor coordination makes you feel he is stuck in a time warp when on court.
"His vision," Rosset said. "Like a Zidane or a Maradona in football, they see everything faster. With Roger, we are in 'Matrix'. Top players have better eye-hand-brain coordination. It always seems like they have time."
Marc Rosset also claimed Roger Federer is not as diplomatic as some believe him to be. In this regard, Rosset cited the Swiss legend's willingness to go beyond the details during his press conferences.
The former French Open semifinalist further believes that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are extraordinarily similar in their behavioral traits. Rosset claimed he wouldn't be surprised if the duo one day extended their friendship to off-court activities as well.
"Some say he is diplomatic, but listen to his press conferences, he says it all," Rosset said. "For me, Nadal and Federer are Siamese twins, for their simplicity and their humility, in their values and the conception of their sport. If one day they both go fishing, I wouldn't be surprised."
Marc Rosset went on to claim that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic deserve a lot of credit for increasing tennis' popularity and financial firepower. The 50-year-old also likened the rivalry between the three greats to some of the legendary rivalries from other sports.
"With Nadal and Djokovic, Federer enhanced tennis, blew up the prize money," Rosset added. "Their rivalry is phenomenal, equal to Prost-Senna or Jordan-Bird."
Marc Rosset also spoke about Federer's wife Mirka, who he believes has played a big role in the Swiss' success with her concerted all-round efforts.
"For me, he owes her 50% of his success," Rosset said. "She took a lot of things into her own hands, including communication."
I just wouldn't want Roger Federer to end his career with an injury, that would be hard: Marc Rosset
During the interview, Marc Rosset was also quizzed about Roger Federer's retirement. In response, Rosset used the examples of Boris Becker and Andre Agassi to stress that a lot of unnecessary attention is given to Federer's retirement.
Rosset also expressed hope for Federer to remain active on tour for as long as he enjoys playing tennis. But the former pro admitted that he would find it hard to digest if Federer's career were to be cut short by injury.
"Do you remember Becker's or Agassi's last game? Apart from absolute tennis fans or crazy people like me, everyone forgot about it," Rosset said. "So if it pleases Roger to be 20th in the world and to have fun by registering for a tournament in Turkey or elsewhere, but so much the better! I just wouldn't want him to stop with an injury, that would be hard."