Roger Federer is one of the greatest sportsmen to have ever existed and his legacy lives on even if his racket has been packed away for the final time.
The Swiss superstar was elegant beyond belief out on the court with the sweat band he so often wore arguably being considered the most pointless piece of equipment of all time.
Federer despatched most of his opponents with ease, whilst his rivalries with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic produced some of the best matches that the sport has ever seen.
Of the 20 Grand Slam titles that Federer laid claim to, eight of them came at Wimbledon where he still holds the record for the most singles titles at the All England Club.
Federer wasn’t perfect though and back in 2016 he claimed that there was one shot that he’d been trying to perfect for 25 years.
The shot Roger Federer said he wanted to improve in 2016
A video has emerged of Federer being interviewed after a practice session and when quizzed on the shot he’d like to improve on, he delivered a pretty shocking answer.
Federer became renowned for his trademark one-handed backhand but in 2016 he claimed that he was going to put more work into it ahead of the Australian Open.
Clearly, it worked too as just a few weeks later he won the Melbourne Grand Slam for a fifth time during his career, with his backhand proving to be on point.
Federer was ever the perfectionist and these comments serve to highlight that trait, with many believing he was world-class on the backhand side in 2016.
In the footage, Federer says: “I will try to fix my backhand of course, I have been trying to fix that thing for 25 years so I will keep trying.”
Federer earned praise from professionals for his backhand
You only have to listen to Federer’s peers to understand just how brilliant the player’s backhand was.
The ATP Tour previously asked players which part of someone else’s game they would like to pinch.
Nadal, and Marin Cillic all claimed that they’d like to pinch some tips on Federer and his brilliant one-handed backhand.
It really was poetry in motion when he unleashed it to perfection and further enhances his status as one of the most elegant sportsmen in history.
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