Roger Federer is widely regarded as the greatest player to ever pick up a tennis racket.
The Swiss performer won 20 major titles – including a record eight at Wimbledon – during a professional career that spanned 22 years.
Federer was so elegant out on the court. It wasn’t just the way that he played tennis that caught the eye but he did everything with a degree of professionalism that has been unrivalled in tennis history.
The headband that Federer so often deployed to keep sweat from his eyes was arguably the most pointless piece of sporting kit ever, considering he won so many matches and titles without breaking into a sweat.
Federer tried to prolong his career as long as he could. However, much like Rafael Nadal, injuries caught up with him and he called time on his playing days after the Laver Cup in 2022.
Roger Federer was once fined for not trying hard enough
Taking a look back at any sporting legend’s career in its early stages is always fascinating. Federer’s features fascinating and intriguing stories in equal measure.
A quality biography by Christopher Carey, titled The Master, details a very intriguing story about Federer as told by Andre Agassi and Brad Gilbert when the Swiss star was trying to make his way on the tour.
At one particular ATP event, Agassi defeated Federer’s Swiss counterpart Ivo Heuberger and afterwards was quizzed about who would win if he played Federer.
Agassi said, as per the book: “If they played now, Heuberger would win. But the kid who will have a career is Federer.”
This particular event was taking place the week after an event in Basle and Federer, it’s claimed was struggling to readjust.
With Agassi withdrawing, it meant he would have to play Armando Brunold, a little-known player ranked 768th in the world.
Peter Lundgren worked with Federer for three years as his coach and he was one of few people in attendance for this particular match – with Federer’s mind clearly elsewhere.
He confirmed that after losing a first-set tie-break, the tournament referee informed Lundgren that he was going to give Federer a warning for a lack of effort.
The superstar wasn’t fazed though and went on to lose in straight sets before being fined $100 – which at that stage if his career was actually more than the first-round loser’s cheque!
Lundgren was incensed and after the incident told Federer that any similar shenanigans would lead to him not working with the player any longer.
What Andre Agassi said about Roger Federer in 2018
Agassi has often regarded Federer as the greatest player to ever play the game.
In 2018 he admitted that he loved watching the legend play the game and said he deserved every accolade that came his way.
He told Tennis 365: “He’s played a long time, certainly longer than me and surpassed me as the oldest number one, and he deserves to hold all those accolades.
“Watching him is watching history. You see it every time with the way he conducts himself – with the fans, with his peers, with the media.
“I think I just have more appreciation than the average fan because he makes it look too easy and I actually think I know what it takes. And it’s truly remarkable.”
These comments are quality based on the reason he was fined at the start of his career.
Perhaps indirectly that was the moment when Federer knew deep down that he had a responsibility to improve his professionalism and start on the path towards being one of the game’s greatest ever.
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