Roger Federers locker room behaviour in tennis heyday outlined

Roger Federer: The fans are the centre of everything

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Roger Federer’s “unbelievable” locker room behaviour has been revealed by fellow former tennis pro Nicolas Lapentti. Amid emotional scenes in September, Federer played his final match before retirement, teaming up with old rival Rafa Nadal in the doubles to take on the American duo of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.

There was to be no fitting finale as the iconic duo were edged out in a tie break decider, but the scenes that followed in The O2 Arena will linger long in the memory. With Federer and his partner in tears, the all-time great then delivered a farewell speech on the microphone.

The popularity and stature of the 41-year-old was signified by the fact some fans paid as much as £15,000 to watch his final ever professional match. He has hinted at playing exhibition matches in the future, but only if he receives medical clearance as he continues to be plagued by knee problems.

But it seems it wasn’t just on the court where he impressed fans and fellow players. Ecuadorean Lapentti, an Australian Open semi finalist who reached a career high of No 6 in the world, has now lifted the lid on his off-court characteristics.

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“Roger was awesome in all aspects,” Lapentti said, as quoted by tennisworldusa. “He was great on the court, he was great off the court, he was unbelievable in the locker room, he used to hang out and be funny and do jokes. He loved soccer so we talked about soccer.”

Indeed, Federer’s love of football is well known, with the legend having supported Swiss club FC Basel ever since he was his a youngster. In 2015, he also requested a meeting with then Manchester United star Juan Mata, who was attending SW19 as a fan.

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Lapentti also lauded Federer’s on-court achievements, implying there will never be his like again: “He was all class. Of course, what he did to the tennis world was so amazing. I think no one will ever match what he did.”

If he does ever return to court, it could well be at some alternative venues. Nadal himself has expressed a desire to one day play his old rival in exhibition matches, but in countries where the two have not gone head-to-head before.

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