At the start of 2020, we saw Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal play an exhibition match in South Africa. This match recorded the highest number of attendees at a tennis match. Roger’s agent Tony Godsick has revealed how Roger was feeling before the match in an interview with Tennis Channel. Check it out.
How Was Roger Federer Feeling?
The Match In Africa was a historic match which is why Tony Godsick was asked how was Roger Federer feeling before the match. He said,
“Roger was excited, but he was really nervous. He knew he was the host and everything that came along with that. He knew how much South Africa had followed him over the years, he had never played there, he said to me, ‘I can’t do that all of the time. I feel pressure to play the style of tennis people expect.’”
Roger Federer was playing in front of 50,000 people so I think we all can understand his nervousness. Tony Godsick went on to say,
“He wanted to play a great match. He also knew how much it meant to his family, especially his mom. We wanted to make sure everything was perfect that day because it truly was a once-in-a-career opportunity. I think he was genuinely overwhelmed by everything.”
Roger Federer has done many such charity matches to raise money for educational projects in Africa. He started this initiative way back in 2010 where he played Rafael Nadal. It is a project that is close to his heart as his mom is from Africa and I am sure it will continue for a long time.
Right now, Roger Federer’s focus is on the coronavirus pandemic that is affecting everyone around the world. He has already donated money to support vulnerable families in Switzerland and he is probably doing more right now. Once the virus is contained, we can expect Roger to host another entertaining Match For Africa.
Wife Mirka has a big role in Roger Federer’s success, says insider
Matthew Ebden’s wife, Kim, spoke highly of Roger Federer’s wife Mirka. ‘She is like a superwoman, the way she does with two sets of twins and a tennis player husband. She definitely deserves to have a great role in their success.
Hat off! He is probably the greatest player of all time”, admitted Kim. Mirka gets often praised for being a supportive woman, but Federer is definitely amazing from a human point of view as well. The German Alexander Zverev recalled a conversation he had with the Swiss at the 2018 Australian Open following his loss to the South Korean Hyeon Chung.
“That chat was more for then in that time. I was very upset about my third-round loss. Obviously played against Chung, who had an amazing week there. He played ridiculous, how he was moving, how he was playing. I had a tough match, another tough loss at a Grand Slam.
He was more talking about that, that I shouldn’t get too upset. He made his first quarterfinal much later in his career, as well.” Marco Chiudinelli spoke about how his relationship with Federer has started: “We met when we were six.
From the beginning, we were friends. We practiced together. The first time we played a real match was a tournament series in Switzerland. You play up to nine. I won that one. That was the only time I won. We had funny matches. We were very emotional.”
