“I will say to my children, I played against him” – the best Roger Federer tributes
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Roger Federer finished his playing career in September 2022 as one of the most lauded athletes in history.
As he returns to Wimbledon’s Centre Court today for a celebration of his achievements, we recall some notable Federer tributes during an incredible career for the Swiss great.
“If you want to be a tennis player, then mould yourself on Roger Federer. I won three Wimbledon titles and I wish I could play like him” – John McEnroe.
“I’d like to be in his shoes for one day to know what it feels like to play that way” – Mats Wilander.
“The best way to beat him would be to hit him over the head with a racket” – Rod Laver.
“In the modern game, you’re a clay-court specialist, a grass-court specialist or a hard-court specialist… or you’re Roger Federer” – Jimmy Connors.
“He’s a real person. He’s not an enigma. Off the court he’s not trying to be somebody. If you met him at McDonald’s and you didn’t know who he was, you would have no idea that he’s one of the best athletes in the world” – Andy Roddick.
“Roger can produce tennis shots that should be declared illegal” – Tracy Austin.
“The body of work is phenomenal and now he has got that French Open and I think he can just go on and sip Margaritas for the rest of his life” – Martina Navratilova.
“In my opinion he’s the best player ever. When you play tennis, playing Federer is kind of a dream because you can see he does everything you would love to do on the court” – Fabrice Santoro.
“If he’s playing very good, I have to play unbelievable. If not, it’s impossible. When he’s 100 per cent, he’s playing in another league. It’s impossible to stop him” – Rafael Nadal.
“I don’t think you can always, or you can ever, get your game to perfection. Only if you are Federer” – Novak Djokovic.
“I can cry like Roger, it’s just a shame I can’t play like him” – Andy Murray.
“Maybe I could win more championships and prize money if Federer was not in the same age with me, but you have to know that there is something money cannot buy – that’s playing against Federer” – Ivan Ljubicic.
“As a person, he showed us that you don’t have to be really somewhere else, you can be a decent man achieving a lot of things and still be a person which everybody admires” – Sergiy Stakhovsky.
“He’s definitely the legend of the tennis. I think right now he’s the greatest tennis player we ever had and, for me, it’s always challenging to play against him. It’s always great because, no matter what, I will say to my children, I played against him” – Gael Monfils.
“He hits shots that other guys don’t hit. You want to go over and give him a high five sometimes, but you can’t do that. You want to beat him but he’s fun to watch, too” – Sam Querrey.
