Roger Federer ‘knew he was too good’, according to Mary Carillo during a recent conversation with Andy Roddick.
The Swiss icon first turned professional in 1998 at just 16 years old after winning both the boys’ singles and doubles titles at Wimbledon.
It would take Federer five years to claim his maiden Grand Slam title, defeating Mark Philippoussis at SW19 in 2003, before rising to world No 1 for the first time in early 2004.
Federer would go on to dominate men’s tennis for years before his great rivals, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, rose to his level and pushed him to even greater heights.
The former world No 1 enjoyed one of the greatest careers in sporting history, winning 103 singles titles, including 20 Grand Slam crowns and six ATP Finals trophies. He also spent a record 237 consecutive weeks at the top of the ATP rankings, 310 weeks overall
Renowned for his effortless style and elegant shot-making, Federer became one of the sport’s most popular figures, with many players and commentators describing him as the most aesthetically pleasing player they have ever seen.
Federer continued competing professionally until the 2022 Laver Cup, where he brought the curtain down on his illustrious career after failing to sufficiently recover from knee surgery.
In a recent conversation on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, long-time commentator Mary Carillo and former world No 1 Andy Roddick reflected on Federer’s unique brilliance and the remarkable self-awareness he had about his own game.
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“Trying to describe who he is and what he does on a court, you’re at a loss for words. Not just because of how he does it, but because of the emotions it brings out,” Carillo said.
“I asked him, ‘Do you know how beautiful your tennis is?’ He replied, ‘Yes,’ laughing a little.
“‘Do you try to make it beautiful?’ and he simply answered, ‘Yes.’
“He measured his talent perfectly and what it meant for tennis. No false modesty: if you told him he was too good, he’d say, ‘Yes, I was.’ He wasn’t going to lie.”
Roddick, who faced Federer on 24 occasions during their careers and won three of those encounters, was similarly effusive in his praise of the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
“I’ve never seen an athlete whose playing style reflects his personality so much,” he noted.
“Roger was very approachable, but his tennis was completely unattainable.”
