"Pete Sampras was done, but Roger Federer is an entirely different animal"- When ex-coach Paul Annacone spoke about how traveling energized the Swiss
Roger Federer's former coach Paul Annacone once spoke about the Swiss' love for traveling and how he differed from Pete Sampras in that aspect.
Federer is among the greatest tennis players in history and enjoyed a career that saw him win 20 Grand Slam singles titles, among other titles.
Journalist Christopher Clarey wrote a book on Federer, titled "The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer," in which he talked about Annacone's comments on how the 20-time Grand Slam champion was willing to learn Mandarin ahead of the Shanghai Masters.
Annacone claimed that Federer was excited to learn the language and enjoyed doing so, adding that he embraced various aspects of traveling like others didn't.
"Roger says, 'She's going to come over every day for like a half-an-hour, and we're going to try to pick up on a few words here and there, so we learn some Mandarin.' I was like 'Dude, I can barely speak English', and Roger was like 'No no, it'll be fun,'" Annacone said.
"And he loved it. He learned some phrases so that he could say thank you to the fans in Mandarin, but he was also in hysterics listening to us trying to pronounce things. Roger just embraces the different aspects of traveling in a way that many others do not," he added.
Annacone, who also coached Pete Sampras, claimed that while traveling the world drained the 14-time Major champion's energy, it was a source of vitality for Federer.
"Pete was done, but Roger is an entirely different animal. Traveling the world drained Pete's energy. Roger gets energy from it," the 60-year-old said.
Federer had a good record at the Shanghai Masters, winning it twice in 2014 and 2017.
Roger Federer won a Grand Slam with Paul Annacone as his coach
Roger Federer and Paul Annacone started working together in July 2010. His only Grand Slam under the American's coaching was Wimbledon 2012, which he won by beating Andy Murray in the final. He also triumphed in five Masters 1000 events while winning the ATP Finals in 2010 and 2011.
All in all, Federer won 15 singles titles under Paul Annacone and also clinched the silver medal in the singles event at the 2012 London Olympics.
The two parted ways in October 2013 following a string of early exits in tournaments for the Swiss.