Rohan Bopanna, an Indian tennis star, was recently asked to opine on Roger Federer’s candidacy in the GOAT debate. He also narrated an unheard locker-room story of Roger.
Rohan Bopanna, an Indian tennis icon and the reigning Australian Open mixed doubles champion recently sat down with Dilip Kumar, the host of ‘The Other Side’ podcast in which he talked about his tennis journey and more. The podcast also touched on physical and mental fitness for athletes as they grow older in their careers.
In recent times tennis and other sports have seen more and more players in their late 30s still maintaining to put up great performances without sustaining frequent injuries. Roger Federer, in particular, was one of the finest who played late into his 30s. He is also widely mentioned as one of the GOATs of the sport.
Talking about Roger, the Indian tennis star mentioned how the Swiss legend combined his on-court competitiveness with his off-the-court humble demeanor. According to Bopanna, this was one of the traits that set Federer apart from the rest.
“I think how he changed the sport, not only on the court but off the court as well. He was somebody who communicated with all the players, and understood them. Even though he was such a great champion, no matter where he met some players, he was always amazing,” said Bopanna.
Bopanna, the oldest Grand Slam Champion, then narrated a vivid incident from the past when he and Federer shared the same locker room. He told the interviewer they even played cricket in the locker room with him.
“There were many times where we were at Wimbledon in the locker room, you know, Roger and I used to play cricket. I think there were three times we were at the warm-up area with a similar juncture because we were playing matches which were similar times on different courts, and we happened to be there.”
“Best opponent you’ll ever play against,” AB de Villiers reacts to Roger Federer’s viral video
Recently, Roger Federer posted a video from his training session on his Instagram stories that caught the attention of his fans and popular athletes. One of them is former South African cricket legend, AB de Villiers.
Roger Federer, since his retirement, has been passive towards tennis training. So, when the Swiss shared this training session video last week, fans were ecstatic to see their favorite player back with the racquet on the court.
Reacting to his video on X, De Villiers said there could be no better opponent than a static wall ready to rebound his every shot. Here’s what he said:
“The best opponent you’ll ever play against!”, the retired South African player tweeted.
