WATCH: "When I hear the name of Roger, I get nightmares" - Andy Roddick, Nick Kyrgios and others pay tribute to Roger Federer on his retirement
Roger Federer has made his final bow in tennis and the farewell messages continue to pour in for one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
Andy Roddick, Federer's main rival before Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, spoke in a video tribute posted on Twitter by the US Open's account.
Kind words on 💯
We asked several of @rogerfederer's contemporaries to share their thoughts on the legend. https://t.co/fylfGhZWcq
The former American World No. 1, who holds a dismal 3-21 head-to-head record against the 20-time Grand Slam champ, shared how he gets nightmares whenever he hears Federer's name.
When I hear the name of Roger, I get nightmares because he gave me nightmares for so long," recalled Roddick, who lost all of his eight Grand Slam battles against Federer, four in the finals.
Roddick proceeded to describe Federer as "all class" and added that he does not worry about the 41-year-old post-retirement, unlike with other players.
"But Roger is all class. He acts the same way when no one is watching. I worry about a lot of people post-retirement; Roger is not one of them," he added.
2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios, meanwhile, likened Federer to basketball legend Michael Jordan, who is also regarded as the greatest player in his sport. The temperamental Aussie added that Federer was the benchmark by which the race for the greatest of all time in tennis started.
"He is the Jordan of tennis. I think, without Roger, there's no GOAT to chase," said Kyrgios.
Kyrgios, who is enjoying Grand Slam success as of late, also shared how Federer is his role model.
"Roger was my role model. I think he's a perfect role model on and off the court. At some stage of every tennis player's life, they tried to model Roger in some way," said Kyrgios.
"He is the reason I thought of tennis as this beautiful, magical thing" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on Roger Federer
Roger Federer, whose strokes portrayed tennis as an art form, paved the way for Stefanos Tsitsipas to see the sport as a "beautiful, magical thing."
In the same tribute video by the US Open, Tsitsipas, who also plays with a one-handed backhand like his idol Federer, added that the Swiss maestro was difficult to replicate.
"He (Roger Federer) is the reason I thought of tennis as this beautiful, magical thing where you can just go for crazy shots and somehow make it. He has a massive amount of talent and it's very difficult to replicate that," said Tsitsipas.
Saying so long while soaking it in.
#LaverCup https://t.co/dnIAIF7c07
Rafael Nadal, Federer's long-time rival who served as his doubles partner in his farewell match in the Laver Cup, noted the 20-time Grand Slam champion's tireless passion for tennis.
"We have a lot of respect for each other. I think we did important things for tennis. Lots of years and winning, he (Roger Federer) still has the passion to keep doing it," said Nadal.
Stan Wawrinka, who won the doubles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with Federer, emphasized how special it was to play with and against the retiring icon.
"Roger is Roger. It's been special to be around him, to be friends with him, to play with him, to play against him. He has been one of the best players ever to play this game. And to watch him play so many times and to play with him, it was always special," said Wawrinka.
Also Checkout:- Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic Head to Head