Watch: When Roger Federer 'taught' physics to a tennis umpire on the court
Roger Federer, the man who has been ruling the hearts of tennis fans the world over, has announced his retirement from the game after a glorious 24-year long career.
Federer often appeared to defy the laws of physics while manufacturing near-impossible shots from a variety of angles. And he also passed on his incredible knowledge about the science behind the game from time to time.
A good example of that is the 2012 Madrid Open, where the Swiss great was up against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in the final.
Class: Physics
Teacher: Professor Federer
@rogerfederer #RForever https://t.co/m2F5HJERaO
Federer, who lost the first set, was leading 3-0 in the second when he played a drop shot that seemed to be out of his opponent's reach. But Berdych got the crowd to their feet after managing to cover the court and send in what appeared to be an incredible return.
A weak backhand from Federer was then neatly dispatched for a winner by the Czech. But a subsequent comment from the 20-time Grand Slam champion suggested that the ball had bounced twice before Berdych had hit it.
"Did you see how the ball bounced towards me?" Federer asked the Swedish umpire Mohamed Lahyani.
"To me, it looked like it came (from) under the racquet," reasoned the umpire, making his stand clear.
"The ball came bouncing at me in a top spin way," the former World No. 1 continued unfazed. "The only way (that can happen) is if you push (the ball) down into the court first. I agree it was close but the result was obvious, that he didn't hit it the right way."
Replays showed that Federer was indeed right, which was a testament to his great understanding of every aspect of the game.
The ball dipped and spun away after having either double-bounced or deflected onto the ground from the racquet and then from the racquet to the opposite court, leading to Federer losing the point.
2012 Madrid Open champion Roger Federer be like... #MMOpen #BlueClay https://t.co/IAsaEkJsGA
Despite knowing that he was correct, the former World No. 1 abstained from abusing either the umpire or his opponent. He went on to win the match 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 on the blue clay surface in Madrid.
Roger Federer to reunite with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray for first time since 2019 Australian Open
The Laver Cup will unite the Big-4 of the tennis world for the first time since the 2019 Australian Open.
In Melbourne that year, Andy Murray lost his first-round match to Roberta Bautista Agut while Federer went down to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round. Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, beat Rafael Nadal to capture his seventh Australian Open title.
[¿LO SABÍAS? 🧐]
La #LaverCup será el primer torneo con el Big Four presente desde el Australian Open 2019. https://t.co/zsFHilJPzm
The four tennis greats have not been part of the same tournament since then. But at this year's Laver Cup, the Big-4 will come together for one last time as Team Europe before Federer hangs up his racquet for good.
Also check out:- Roger Federer Net Worth