Roger Federer transforms from 'friendly' and 'kind' off the court to 'ferocious fighter' as soon as he steps on it: Victor Hanescu
Former World No. 26 Victor Hanescu recently revealed how Roger Federer is a completely different person on and off the court. According to Hanescu, the 39-year-old goes from being a polite guy to a fierce competitor the moment he walks out for a match.
Hanescu, who retired from the professional circuit in 2016, faced off against Federer six times on the tour - with the latter winning all six of those matches. In a recent interview with Gazeta Sporturilor, Hanescu made some interesting observations about the Swiss great based on their matches and off-court interactions.
"Roger Federer is a very elegant guy off the court," Hanescu stated. "There are a lot of things he does out of politeness. He knows what level he is at and that he has to behave in a certain way. But when he enters the court, he transforms completely and we can see a Roger Federer who is no longer so friendly and kind and becomes a ferocious fighter."
(Quotes have been translated using Google Translate)
"I wanted to see what it was like to play Roger Federer" - Hanescu recalls first meeting with the Swiss
During the interview, Victor Hanescu also recalled his first match against Roger Federer. That meeting took place in 2004, when Romania and Switzerland faced off in a first-round Davis Cup tie in Bucharest.
Federer was coming off his second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, and had just become World No. 1 for the first time in his career. Hanescu claimed he had heard a lot about Federer's superstar potential, and was eager to test his skills against the Swiss.
"I wanted to see what it was like to play with Federer, he had already started to become a phenomenon," Hanescu said.
The Romanian, who lost to Federer in his only Grand Slam singles quarterfinal appearance at the 2005 French Open, revealed that he found nothing extraordinary about the Swiss during the first few minutes of their warm-up. However, a bullet-like Federer forehand towards the end of their hit left a big impression on Hanescu's mind.
The then World No. 1 went on to win the encounter 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-1.
"When I warmed up I started slowly, it was easy to play and I thought, 'Yeah, it doesn't seem so bad!'," Hanescu said. "But towards the end of the warm-up, Roger Federer hit a shot with his forehand that I still have in mind. I was impressed by the speed, it was a sign that showed me that this was waiting for me."