Roger Federer is one of the most loved tennis players to grace the court. Leave alone fans, even fellow players admired the legend. French player Michael Llodra once asked for his t-shirt after a match and he gladly obliged. The Swiss icon later revealed his opponent wanted the jersey for his kids.
Doubles specialist Llodra and Federer clashed twice in men’s singles matches, with the latter winning on both the occasions. Their first face-off came at the 2010 Canadian Open, then called the Rogers Cup. Llodra, a three-time men’s doubles Grand Slam winner, pushed the first set into a tiebreak but Federer prevailed. The eventual runner-up then easily bagged the second to win 7-6(2), 6-3.
After the match, Federer and Llodra swapped shirts. The former World No.1 handed over his pink Nike tee in exchange for the latter’s white Lacoste. Jersey-swapping is a common custom in soccer but is rare in tennis. In an interview after the fixture (via TennisTV), Federer said Llodra wanted his shirt as a souvenir for his kids. He said the Frenchman joked that Federer had no choice but to give his top. The 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed Llodra is a good friend of his.
“He said he needed a shirt. You know, once when his kids are bigger, he said. I was like ‘The pink shirt you want?’ and he was like ‘Yeah you have no choice, you got to give me your shirt now’. And I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll give you my shirt’ and he gave me his, like in soccer. It was fun, he’s a good friend of mine.”
Llodra went on to the finals of 2010 Canadian Open in men’s doubles. Federer also reached the summit clash and faced Andy Murray. However, both friends met the same fate in their respective clashes, losing the tie and finishing runners-up.
When Roger Federer swapped shirts with Brazilian soccer legend
Roger Federer is an ardent soccer fan, supporting his home club, FC Basel, since childhood. He even played the sport at a good level but gave it up to pursue tennis. He has often drawn comparisons with one of the greatest athletes of all time, Lionel Messi. As he said, the custom of swapping shirts is a common practice in soccer.
Over a decade ago, Federer met soccer legend Pele in Brazil. He was in the three-time FIFA World Cup winner’s hometown of Sao Paulo for an off-season exhibition event in December 2012. Other stars like Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Serena Williams, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also featured in the competition. The Swiss veteran gave Pele a purple Nike tennis shirt with a personal handwritten message while the Brazilian icon handed Federer a retro 1960s Brazil football jersey with a few words of his own.
Federer cultivated a global image during his career, transcending tennis to become popular across fandoms of all sports. Even after retiring in 2022, he continues to be one of the most recognisable faces across all sports.