Sam Querrey and John Isner reflected on their own tennis careers as they highlighted one of Roger Federer’s most understated qualities.
Thinking about Roger Federer’s long career on tour, little else besides a combination of flowing hair and backhands come to mind.
Always considered a player of true class in every sense, Federer picked up 20 major titles and played a central role in establishing one of, if not the greatest era of tennis.
Having retired more or less exactly two years ago at the Laver Cup, Federer bowed out in a thrilling doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal.
With Andy Murray retiring this year and Nadal having barely played, this era has just about been kept alive by Novak Djokovic.
However, with his newly acquired Olympic gold medal, it remains to be seen how long he decides to hang around.
Sam Querrey names Roger Federer’s ‘most intimidating’ quality
With his career over, Federer’s impact on the sport still remains significant today.
Despite being one of the most talked-about players throughout the past 20 years, many are consistently sharing new anecdotes about Federer.
The Nothing Major podcast, co-hosted by John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, and Steve Johnson, is no different.
Querrey revealed: “There’s nothing more intimidating in tennis than a Roger Federer ‘come on’ or celebration – it’s the most intimidating thing in tennis because he does it so infrequently, that when he does it,” before Sock added: “You might as well shake hands!”
Isner went on to recount a specific match against Federer that he managed to win from the jaws od defeat.
“In Chicago I played this unbelievable match against Roger, I actually had match point on my serve,” he said. “I went wide of course on the ad side at 6-5 in the tie-breaker, but he took it on the rise and just went zing. When he won the second set, he was fired up.”
Sock continued: “That was one of his biggest celebrations I feel like i’d seen from in a long time – he went nuts,” before Isner finally recalled: “Looking at him after he won the second set, i was like ‘I’m cooked’.”
Who out of the four American hosts has the best record against Roger Federer?
Sock was technically the man to retire Federer in 2022, as his Laver Cup partnership with Tiafoe brought about the end to the Swiss’ career.
With the four man having taken on Federer 21 times in total, the 43-year-old has only lost two of those contests.
Isner has played the most matches against Federer on ten but trails 8-2 in their head-to-head, with their last meeting coming at the 2019 Laver Cup
Querrey and Sock have both lost four each to the Swiss, while Johnson never got a set off Federer in their three meetings.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
