“[Djokovic and Federer] have developed a kind of respect over the years, but why do you think he still plays at 40?” Srdjan Djokovic said about Federer in a recent interview. 

“Imagine that, a 40-year-old man still plays tennis, when he can go home and do some more interesting things. But since both Nadal and Novak are breathing down his neck, he simply cannot accept the fact that they will be better than him. Go man, raise children, do something else, go ski, do something. Tennis is not my whole life, it is just my son’s current hobby. He is only a tennis player at the moment,” added the Serb’s father. 

‘15 years ago, he attacked my son while he was still young, aged 18 or 19,’ he said.

‘[Federer] knew that someone was coming who would be better than him.’

‘I said then he was a great champion, the best at that time, but as much as he is a great champion, he is not as good a man.’

The comments by his father have taken Novak Djokovic off guard, as he didn’t see these coming. When asked about the statements during a recent media encounter, Djokovic was unaware of these allegations. 

Novak Djokovic, though, did mention that he has trouble agreeing with his father at times.

“I love him, he is a great support of mine,” Novak Djokovic replied when asked his thoughts on his father’s recent comments.

“I can’t control what he says, everyone has a right to speak his mind, but I don’t always agree with everything he says.”

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_i5EmdcxbQ

However, Coco hit the news recently with something other than just her backstroke or rally, and she even pulled Federer in with her. 

Gauff was hosting a live session on TikTok when a user turned the sexism meter at full blast and said, “Bro what do you not understand she plays GIRLS tennis, he plays BOYS tennis, the skill gap is unmeasurable. A pro girl wouldn’t even win boys states,” a user wrote.

But, Gauff was in no mood to take this sudden attack and came up with a strong response of her own. “First things first: even though I am a girl, I don’t play ‘girls’ tennis. I play women’s tennis, I play with grown women. So that’s one thing,” Gauff said.

“As an athlete, I have no problem in people saying they are better than me because their skill level is better than me,” Gauff added. “But if you think you are better than me for the sole reason that you think you’re a boy and I’m a girl… That doesn’t make any sense.” 

While Gauff had made her point clear, she didn’t stop here and went on to include 20 times Grand Slam champion Roger Federer to make her point even clearer than it was. 

“For example – Roger Federer. If Roger Federer says he can beat me, he 100% can say that because of skill level and his actual game is way better than mine,” she said. “But if you say that you can beat me solely because of the fact that I’m a girl, that’s stupid.”

Gauff made rounds by being the first ever 15 year old to make an appearance at Wimbledon 2019. She then went on to defeat idol, Venus Williams, in the first round. 

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIObgwv69Xw

The tennis legend, who is aged 38 currently, underwent a follow up arthroscopic surgery recently, after he went through a similar procedure back in February of this year. Roger Federer, who still hasn’t retired from the world of competitive tennis, saw his last major Grand Slam win in 2018’s Australian Open. 

Federer said he “experienced a setback during (his) initial rehabilitation.” “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level,” Federer mentioned in a statement on Twitter. “I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but Il look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season.”

This announcement by Roger Federer has renewed speculation among fans and followers that Roger Federer could soon be hanging his shoes and calling it quits to his international career. We wait for the day to come when Federer retires, as it sure will be a rollercoaster to see him hang his boots after a stellar career. 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt0bgX75yko

Tsitsipas put these charges while playing against the Bryan Brothers in the double final. Umpire Wesley Koolhof was overseeing the match, when Tsitsipas accused him and others of granting special privileges for opponents such as the Bryan brothers and Roger.

He later elaborated on twitter, when followers asked him about his on-court behavior. He used the social media handle to mention that while he admired Federer and other stars like Djokovic and Nadal, he couldn’t help but point out the preferential treatment that they received. 

“I think players that have been doing really well over the years, players that are generally much respected in the tennis world have privileges when it comes to certain rules and umpire decisions,” wrote the world number 10.

“I felt this couple of times when playing these guys and I think it’s a bit unfair. Roger Federer is always going to be my favorite player no matter what. I don’t want to drag him into this. It’s not his fault or intention, it’s the umpires that are trying to protect them more than they are supposed to. Nothing more than that.”

Federer strongly disagreed with these charges and mentioned that umpires do interact different with some of the top players, but there is no foul play like preferential treatment involved here. 

“It’s a tough one but what I do feel sometimes is that on the outside courts, more than just preferential treatment to the top guys, they are tougher on the rules,” Federer said to AFP.

“You do something – bang, warning. It’s like there is no messing about. But with the umpires with the top guys on the main courts, I think the umpires know the top guys, they know their problems, they know how they behave and how they will react, so they know what acting stupid or silly means and what normal is. So because we know each other very well, I think it’s easier for an umpire to handle a top player who they know over an up-and-coming guy like Tsitsipas or a young guy and that sometimes gets lost in translation and maybe bad mistakes can happen. But I don’t see preferential treatment, there shouldn’t be,” Federer said.

Viewers on the internet have reacted strongly to these claims by Tsitsipas and believe that he needs to be more careful with how he speaks about some of the seniors. One of the commenters on YouTube mentioned that Tsitsipas is an exciting young talent, and he should make sure that he respects the pros of the game. The world number 10 has indeed had a good last year, and there are high hopes associated with his meteoric growth in the sport. The future is indeed bright for him. 

This year saw a lot of competitive battles in Tennis, with many exhilarating matches between the best of today and the best of yesteryear. The competition was thrilling and kept users at the edge of their seats. 

However, all of these stars got a chance to show their humorous side outside of the court by voting for who is nicest and the best looking of the lot. Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov was in favor with all the stars in this regard, as many seem to have picked him out for the laurel. 

In a recent video shared by Tennis TV, stars from across the globe were asked about the best looking player on Tour. Earlier, when these stars were asked about the nicest ATP player, Grigor Dimitrov came out as the surprise winner. However, this time around the Bulgarian was praised by all colleagues and opponents. The funny video saw all of the tennis stars compliment Dimitrov and mention how he is the best in business when it comes to looks. 

While currently all tennis stars are on a vacation to get some well deserved rest, they were part of a video by ATP, talking about the best looking player on Tour. There were no doubts whatsoever for John Isner, Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal, all of whom mentioned that Grigor is everyone’s love. Grigor, who is currently dating the beautiful model Nicole Scherzinger, comes from Bulgaria and has attractive facial features. 

Alexander Zverev, who was the ATP winner in London, mentioned that ‘everyone loves Grigor,’ because of how cool and good looking he is.  

Tennis ace Roger Federer was also asked this same question, and he thought about it before picking Jeremy Chardy. Milos Raonic, who was the Wimbledon finalist in 2016, chose Feliciano Lopez as the best looking.

Grigor enjoyed a brilliant 2017, but lost momentum during this year. After a great 2017 that saw him reach a career high ranking of 3^rd, Gregor has now gone all the way down to 19^th. Grigor has prioritized a comeback now and can be seen in Monte Carlo, hitting the courts and the gym concurrently. He is expected to start the 2019 season with a tour of Brisbane soon. 

Federer is currently sitting at 99 career titles and was very nearly about to make it to 100,but a fiery Novak Djokovic came in his way during the semi-final of the Paris Masters.

In the 47th meeting between the greats, a stubborn Djokovic didn’t budge and stood between Federer and the finals. Novak eventually did edge over him after a three hour encounter and won by 7-6(6) 5-7 7-6(3).

However, despite the Serb’s prolific winning streak of 22 matches, the event that happened in the third-set created a controversy within the match.

At 4-4 in the third set, Djokovic got an opportunity for a second break point, but he couldn’t work past a brilliant shot by Federer. Djokovic immediately pointed out that Federer had touched the ball twice with his racket and the shot shouldn’t count. When the umpire decided against his plea, Novak got visibly disappointed and flung his racket to the ground. He then paused the game to go and change his damaged racket, during which he got a loud roar of boos from the audience.

Novak is quite animated on the field and does try to cheer the crowd up, but he really should have known better while playing against the crowd’s darling, Federer. The crowd wasn’t happy with the actions and even gave Djokovic a piece of their mind when he eventually won. Instead of cheering for the Serb, the arena again erupted with loud booing once the game finished in favor of Djokovic.

Federer downplayed the controversy later and accredited Novak for his great run and the spirited performance. Djokovic has since apologized and mentioned that he flung his racket out of frustration over the missed break points.

The ITF has also cleared doubts regarding Federer’s shot to deny the break point by mentioning that it was completely legal. The ball did touch the racket twice, but it happened in one movement. Had Federer done two specific and separate movements to play the ball twice, then it would have been considered illegal.

This is the second match in a row that Djokovic has flung and damaged his racket in frustration.

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TehQctrglaA

According to Todd Woodbridge, the former Australian tennis star, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the perfect role models for all sportsmen to follow. Woodbridge suggests that the two stars are still topping the ATP rankings, in spite of being in the latter years of their illustrious careers. While it is true that Federer has moved past his peak days, what made the former Australian tennis star make such a claim about Nadal—aged 31—is shocking for all. Sure, Nadal is not at his peak anymore, but it would be foolish to suggest that he is at the end of his career as well.

Woodbridge’s statement would have been completely justified, had it been about tennis, as a sport only. However, when you consider how Woodbridge has claimed that both, Federer and Nadal, transcend all sports, you cannot help view the statement as a cheap publicity stunt. On top of that, Todd Woodbridge also decided to go all Shakespeare with his statement by saying that you need to lay your soul bare in the pursuit of being as good as you possibly can. He, then, went on to comment on how Federer lays his sole bare with his emotions and how Nadal does with same with his physicality.

However, to act as if these two are the only sporting superstars who lay their soul bare would be nothing short of a joke, especially when you consider the other sporting giants—such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—who have been known by people, all around the world, to inspire greatness, awe and magic. On top of that, regardless of which sport you talk about, it is a fact that no sportsman will ever match the legacy left by the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali. It is good to live in today—as Woodbridge does—but then you have got to remember not to make such erroneous claim or else you will making a fool out of yourself—which Woodbridge did.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW_8_U3JxeE

Serena Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, regardless of the mention of gender. It is impossible for a fan of tennis to not have heard the name of Serena Williams!

After all, Serena Williams has been the champion of Wimbledon seven times throughout her illustrious career. However, what Serena Williams needs to learn and understand is that her status might be able to win her favor among the fans but that will certainly not be the case when it comes to the tennis authorities.

Serena Williams has recently raised concerns on the manner in which the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) treated her. According to her, the department is nothing short of a nuisance, forcing players to take out-of-competition tests. However, what caused Serena to truly become enraged was the fact that the anti-doping official arrived slightly earlier at her house than the time that had been decided. While it might not appear to be as big of an issue on paper, it appears as if the official should really send an apology Serena’s way, considering the hoo-ha she has created about the event ever since.

The Swiss superstar, Roger Federer, surprisingly appears to agree with Serena on the matter. According to him, Federer has already been tested five times this year while some of his American counterparts have not been tested at all. On top of that, Federer is of the opinion that Serena’s frustration is justified.

Regardless of what opinion you might hold, the fact of the matter is that the anti-doping officials target above average performers on purpose, to ensure that their dominance is well-deserved. When you consider Federer and his reign at the top, it is only natural for him to be tested more often. Perks of hogging the entire spotlight, I guess!

We all know how Roger Federer recently decided to bow out of the clay court season, hoping to make up at the Wimbledon, right? The step would have been understandable if Federer had an injury scare, but when you consider how Federer is only ditching the clay court for the sake of “self-preservation”, it has got to raise a few eye-brows, especially when you consider his age. What Roger Federer needs to realize is that he is not getting any younger, meaning that he needs to win as many titles as possible, before his illustrious career comes to a close.

Federer, in this regard, needs to learn a trick or two from Rafael Nadal. Nadal recently participated in the Monte Carlo Masters, which is a tournament that he has already won ten times. Nadal has, freshly, recovered from an injury, yet he is determined to win the Monte Carlo Masters for the eleventh time. It would have been much easier for Nadal to sit this one out and target the Wimbledon, similar to Federer, but he refrained from doing it, regardless of how lacking in glamor his possible win at the Monte Carlo Masters might be.

It is true that Rafael Nadal has had to deal with a fair share of injuries, throughout his career, but the fact remains that Nadal is nothing short of an example when it comes to self-motivation, determination and heart. Federer, especially at the twilight of his career, needs to borrow a little heart from his adversary if he is to make his last years on the tennis count memorable for not only himself but his entire fan base, around the world, as well. The world wants MORE of Roger Federer!

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97AIaeE1WAQ

Who doesn’t remember all of the hoo-ha in the tennis world, back in 2014, after Roger Federer lost consecutive matches? Federer, who was 32 back then, was closely scrutinized for his performance, as pundits called him a “has been” superstar. Afterwards, however, Federer did what Federer does bes;: go on a spree of world domination to shut all of the “self-proclaimed” pundits up. However, after Federer recently lost two matches in a row, after an unbelievable start to 2018, questions are being raised once again.

Federer’s recent loss to Thanasi Kokkinakis, an Australian who is ranked 175^th in the world, has raised an eyebrow or two on where his illustrious career might be heading. On top of that, this was second defeat in a row for Federer, causing him to lose his position at the top of the world, which he had worked so hard to accomplish at the age of 36. However, the question arises; will Federer be able to come back from this hole that he finds himself in?

To say that he will be able to manage it, just as he did in 2014, would be nothing short of a fool’s dream, especially when you consider how 2014 was four years ago. Federer had much more strength, resilience and time to come back from any predicament he might have found himself in, as opposed to now when he is at the twilight of his career. Federer returns to the court next for the Wimbledon—after missing the whole of the clay court season, including the French Open. If he is unable to leave a mark on that competition, at least, and fail just like he did in Miami, the curtains might drop on his career sooner than his fans might expect!