Roger Federer: "... that would have been unthinkable without Björn Borg"
In abig conversation with ZEIT,Roger Federertalks refreshingly a lot about all the things that shaped his career in addition to athletic performance.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jul 10, 2020, 05:57 pm
Roger Federer is considered the best tennis player ever. The Swiss man leads some of the most important record lists in white sports, especially none of his 20 Grand Slam titles. And: Roger Federer is still active, even if his appearances on the tour are becoming rarer, the injury breaks more frequent, the end is getting closer. Also because the knee is causing more and more problems recently and the Swiss have to end the 2020 season prematurely due to two knee interventions.
How the regeneration process is going, the German ZEIT asked the Swiss: "Everything is OK. I am in rehab. I want to come back healthy. We will see how long it will take," replied the latter. This was recently confirmed by long-term coach Severin Lüthi, who also rated the "second" recovery as quite successful. So Federer would soon start training with a light fitness block.
"Oh God, no, does that have to be?"
Talking to ZEIT is not so much about the here and now, rather the 20-time Grand Slam champion takes the time to reminisce and talk about things off the pitch. For example, about the fact that this year he was ranked number one in the Forbes` list as the best-earned athlete in the world. "My manager told me that Forbes called: 'Apparently you're number one.' Then I think: Oh God, no, does that have to be?" Federer explains that it is uncomfortable for him to be in the newspaper, even though it is of course something special for sport to be able to keep up with the very big ones, such as football, golf or Formula 1.
A fact that goes along with these sums only really became apparent to Federer in the course of his career: "We are also in entertainment. Today I see that much more clearly than before: It's not just about me. People come from far away, they give time, they give money to see you play. It is extremely important that they get their money's worth ", the Swiss man feels that he can now also watch his sport from a certain distance.
Björn Borg and his influence on sport
A development of sport, in the beginning of which, according to Federer, Björn Borg in particular was very heavily involved: I only understood later what Björn Borg meant for sport, "explains the Swiss." He was one of the first to receive sponsorship . He was one of the first to stand for pop culture in tennis, I believe that for a time he was the second most famous person in the world after the Pope. "That Federer, today, made such investments - such as the design of his own shoe - can make him find himself on the Forbes list, this "would have been unthinkable without Björn Borg."
And at the end of the conversation, the Swiss takes a last look back at his career, at the most beautiful moment: "My first Wimbledon win. That was the moment I dreamed of as a small child," is the 38-year-old convinced. "It was the most beautiful and important moment in my life."