Both Serena Williams and Roger Federer are very well known for the mutual respect they share with each other. Serena recently spoke about Federer in her new ESPN documentary, ‘In the Arena’. The former World No.1 only had great things to say about the Swiss maestro. She described how the 20-time Grand Slam champion inspired her while she was playing.
Serena revealed what made him successful and said:
“My career has been strangely parallel to Roger’s. He always knew how to handle every situation, and he always knew how to win.”
She further added that she would think about how to replicate his game on her own.
“I would study his game and think, ‘How can I hit the ball that early? How can I move like that and have that footwork?”
She also called the 8-time Wimbledon champion the ‘best’ and said that she always had some ‘connection’ with him.
“I wanted to study him because he was the best. I really felt this strange, unconscious connection with Federer that I couldn’t explain. I always thought that if Roger could do it, I could do it too, ” the 23-time Grand Slam winner added.
However, these words of praise were not just one-way aa the 20-time Grand Slam champion also had great things to say about one of the best women’s tennis players of all time. Federer hailed Serena for building a career that spanned over 3 decades.
“She entered the tour with a huge bang and a ‘here I am – I’m going to be dominant, I’m going to be great. I think for her then to navigate such a long career is something I truly admire about her,” said Federer in the documentary which is currently airing on ESPN.
Earlier, both stars had also made to ESPN’s list of the 100 greatest athletes of the 21st century. The two made it to the top 10 as well, where Serena was placed second next to Michael Phelps – the 23-time Olympic gold medalist. Federer, on the other hand, took the 6th spot, higher than his rivals and contemporaries Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who were placed 11th and 12th respectively.
