Roger Federer fumed at special treatment claims: Heard this s*** too often!

Roger Federer 'not the player he was' says Rupert Bell

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Roger Federer plays his round of 16 match against Lorenzo Sonego at Wimbledon today as he goes in search of his ninth title at the Championships. The 39-year-old beat British number two Cameron Norrie in a competitive third round clash. Sonego, seeded 23rd, had never won a main-draw match at Wimbledon until this year, and will need his very best to beat one of the game’s greats.

Federer’s reputation in the sport has earned him plaudits, but it has also led to accusations of special treatment in one instance.

The row came during the 2019 US Open, after Federer had beaten Britain’s Daniel Evans.

Evans had played the day before, and it was implied to Federer in a post-match question that he requested to play in the daytime for a competitive advantage.

Federer furiously denied the accusation, saying: “I don’t remember that I asked for something. Yeah. It’s maybe nice to be out of the sun, as well, I don’t know, I thought. But I definitely didn’t do it intentionally.

“I don’t even know if my team asked for (the) day (session). I know there were questions to have a preference.

“But that doesn’t mean, like, ‘Roger asks, Roger gets.’ Just remember that, because I have heard this s*** too often now.

“I’m sick and tired of it, that apparently I call the shots. The tournament and the TV stations do. We can give our opinion. That’s what we do. But I’m still going to walk out, even if they schedule me at four in the morning.”

Evans admitted that Federer was “too good” for him, but also mentioned he felt his timetable was unfair.

He added: “You think I have any say about that? There’s probably about four people in this tournament who have a say in when they play, maybe three.

“Obviously the tournament would rather Roger going through that match than me, so it’s understandable.”

Federer added that he could understand Evans’ frustration but argued that he has also been unlucky with schedules in the past.

He said: “But I have been there, too. I know what you’re talking about. Yeah, you could definitely argue that the scheduling was not in his favour.

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“But it’s anyway not fair for me to play my match under the roof, get it done, sit back, relax the next day while he’s battling out a four-hour or a three-hour match, whatever it is, against Pouille. The problem already starts there.

“But that’s tennis. It’s entertainment, and the show must go on. I’ve lost maybe matches this way. I’ve won some this time. Luck was on my side. There you have it. So, yeah, I understand if Danny is, like, a little bit frustrated.”

Spaniard Rafael Nadal won the US Open in 2019, while Federer only reached the quarter-finals before being knocked out.

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