‘Pavarotti singing Bob Dylan songs’ – Mats Wilander lauds retiring tennis legend Roger Federer

Eurosport expert Mats Wilander has hailed tennis legend Roger Federer, saying watching the Swiss superstar was as if Pavarotti sung Bob Dylan songs.

For Wilander, himself a seven-time Grand Slam winner and a former number one, Federer changed the way tennis was perceived and in particular his athleticism forced the entire sport to evolve.

“My feeling about Roger not playing again or not being able to see him live again, in proper competitive matches, is very sad,” said Wilander in a chat for Eurosport about Federer’s announcement.

“I was hoping that he might have another three or four events in him. But at the same time, I think when we see the level that the game has gone to in the last couple of years, maybe he realises and we should realise that it’s nearly impossible to get back to that level as 40, 41 year old.

“So I guess yes, and of course, sad. But at the same time, I think I want to celebrate the fact that Roger Federer took our game to the very top of all sports, of professional athleticism, because Roger Federer was not only the greatest tennis player at a time of all time, he also was elected one of the greatest athletes in the world for a year or two.

“And that never happened with the likes of Bjorn Borg, or Pete Sampras, or Rod Laver. We never even talked about that, but with Roger Federer, I think what he did is not only dominate our game, but he played it in a way that we didn’t really realise that you can play tennis this way. And then he performed our sport with his racquet in a certain way.

“And because he did that, we now took a look at his footwork. And we realised that this guy, his athleticism, because it looks so smooth. his athleticism is up there with the absolute greatest athletes of all time, and we didn’t care if it was basketball in Michael Jordan or European football with Pele or Nadia Comaneci in gymnastics. Roger Federer was up there and we never had even come close to that being a tennis player before.

“I won three majors in 1988. I went to Cincinnati, Miami and there I wasn’t even close to being the greatest athlete of that year.

“Federer did three in one year three times and was by far the greatest athlete. I think it’s the way he performed he will always be the most important greatest ambassador of our sport. And we cannot put him down as the greatest tennis player in terms of level, but he would be easily the most popular and the one that has affected and taken our sport into people’s living room where people that have never even seen tennis before enjoyed him.

Federer is considered part of tennis’ ‘Big Three’ alongside Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, although Wilander insisted that Andy Murray be considered in the group to make it a ‘Big Four’.

Wilander said he thinks that the retirement of Federer will have a big impact on Nadal and Djokovic, who are still competing for Grand Slams, and thinks Federer was extremely formative in the development of Nadal’s career in particular.

“Yeah I think that maybe they [Djokovic and Nadal] will miss him a lot more on the court than off the court. I think on the court they will miss him because he always posed a problem. He was a problem. So over the years I think both Rafa and Novak knew that they had to not only hit the ball well but that they’re in it for it’s a problem solving situation. Roger can take the racquet out of their hand for a certain period of time.

“But then he can be there even when he’s not playing well so I think that yes, they won’t have that opponent that familiar problem to solve. Week in and week out. And of course, it hasn’t happened in the last couple of years, but I think they were hoping to carry on. We famously remember John McEnroe, saying that he never ever reached the same level of intensity once Bjorn Borg quit.

“And I think for Rafa, especially for Rafa, I think there is something that’s going to feel empty to him because his greatness was built upon the rivalry with Roger Federer. Without Roger, Rafa would have been most probably known as a clay court player. Roger took him to the level of ‘okay, I want to be able to compete with the greatest player of all time’ who is Roger Federer, and then Rafa did that for Novak having no luck has just lost one of his opponents that he loves to play against. And they’re both going to miss him, I think tremendously.

“I don’t think it’s going to make either of them more popular because Roger Federer is gone. I think Roger Federer takes his popularity with him. I don’t know if the people that have been Roger Federer fans are completely devoted to Roger. I don’t think they’re going to jump onto the bandwagon or Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, I think they’re going to find a new guy. And the new guy as we all realise is going to be Carlos Alcaraz. I think Federer fans will go to Alcaraz.”

Wilander was also asked what he felt was Federer’s greatest achievements. He replied that whilst what he did to win the Australian Open in 2017 was absolutely astonishing, he still thinks that his win at the French Open in 2009, historically Nadal’s dominant tournament, was the best.

“I think the greatest achievement for Roger is actually winning the French Open because that was his year, because Rafa Nadal lost to Robin Soderling and he had to win that year. Because if he doesn’t win that year, looking back the previous years, he most probably is not going to beat Rafa Nadal and to be the greatest player of all time, not when one of the great Grand Slams is missing that, it doesn’t go hand in hand.

“So he had to win the French and he stepped up. And he wanted, and it was a couple of close matches in the end, but he won it. So I think that is his greatest achievement in terms of being put up against the wall in terms of hitting himself. I would say that winning the Australian Open in 2017 and Wimbledon in 2017. I mean, must be his greatest achievement in terms of what he did with a tennis racquet because that was a new Federer, a new style of playing and thank God he got to play Rafa Nadal in the finals, and he beat him in five sets, which is unreal, so 2017 to me, tennis wise, Australian Open and Wimbledon is his greatest achievement, but I think, to just have to be forced to perform, because today is the day French Open is open with Rafael Nadal being beaten, was to me the one that he had to win and he delivered.”

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