"She was looking at it and marveling as she walked off court, just like any fan" - tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg recalls interaction between Roger Federer and Serena Williams at Hopman Cup 2019
The era-defining careers of Roger Federer and Serena Williams share many similarities, both on and off the court. The one time they shared the court at the 2019 Hopman Cup remains the crescendo of all the mixed doubles clashes.
Roger Federer, paired with Belinda Bencic, beat Williams and Frances Tiafoe 4-2, 4-3 (5-3) to give Switzerland a 2-1 win over the United States in their round-robin match.
A record 14,029 fans were present at the Perth Arena in Australia to watch the legends play against each other for the first time.
After the match, the duo heaped praise on each other, each lauding the other's monstrous serve, and even took a selfie, something that Williams wanted to take for a very long time.
Roger Federer then gifted Serena Williams his racquet and noted tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, who was covering the event, described how Williams treasured the racquet just like any fan would do.
"Roger gave Serena that racquet that night, and she absolutely treasured it. She was looking at it and marveling as she walked off court, just like any fan who had been given a Federer racquet might've done," Rothenberg tweeted.
One more thought on this:
Roger gave Serena that racquet that night, and she absolutely treasured it. She was looking at it and marveling as she walked off court, just like any fan who had been given a Federer racquet might've done.
Roger Federer vs Serena Williams in the Hopman Cup 2019
The mixed doubles match at the Hopman Cup was a "once in a lifetime opportunity" for fans to witness both Roger Federer and Serena Williams take opposite sides of the court.
The clash, dubbed the 'battle of the legends’, saw Switzerland take on the USA.
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The match had everything in it - from fierce volleys to monstrous serves to delicate net play - and the fans were treated to an excellent display of tennis. What made the tie even more interesting was the amicable respect each player had for their opponents.
Switzerland romped home victorious in the tie with Federer scoring the winning point, smashing home a volley during the tie-break to make it 4-2, 4-3 in favor of Switzerland.
After the match, both Roger Federer and Serena Williams shared the mutual respect they had for each other and the crowd joined in with thunderous applause.
“This is maybe what I’ve always wanted, a big time moment like this,” Federer said.
Williams then said she understood why Federer is regarded as the greatest player of all time.
“He has a killer serve, literally you can’t read it. There’s a reason why he’s the greatest because you can’t be that great and not have such an awesome weapon like that serve,” Williams said.
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