Veteran Indian tennis player and men's doubles World No.1 Rohan Bopanna has recently reminisced of his chance encounters with Swiss tennis legend in a Wimbledon locker-room on Tuesday.
Bopanna grabbed spotlight on Sunday after clinching his maiden Grand Slam title with his men's doubles partner with Matthew Ebden at 2024 Australian Open, defeating Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassor in the title clash.
Additionally, the 43-year-old added another feather to his cap by becoming the oldest player to become No.1 in Men's Doubles. Also, for the first time, Rohan Bopanna achieved World No.1 ranking in 22-year professional career.
Speaking on 'The Other Side with Dilip' podcast with Dilip Kumar, Rohan Bopanna heaped praise on Roger Federer's off-court personality, stating that he always communicate with players and communicate them. He added that despite achieving a lot of success, the Swiss tennis great was amazing with people around him. Bopanna also recalled having a chance to play with cricket with Federer during warm-up in a Wimbledon locker room.
"I think how he changed the sport, not only on the court but off the court as well. He was somebody who communicated with all the players, and understood them. Even though he was such a great champion, no matter where he met some players, he was always amazing." Bopanna said.
"There were many times where we were at Wimbledon in the locker room, you know, Roger and me used to play cricket. I think there were three times we were at the warm-up area with a similar juncture because we were playing matches which were similar times on different courts, and we happened to be there." He added.
Roger Federer retired from his professional tennis career in September 2022. The former World No.1 last appearance was in the Rod Laver Cup, where he paired with his rival and friend Rafael Nadal for doubles match. Federer was the first male player to win 20 Grand Slam titles and has won over 100 professional titles in his illustrious career.
