Roger Federer captivated with the biggest weakness. Will it also come to Slovakia?
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Dominik Hrbatý is reluctant to call Roger Federer the best tennis player of all time. He prefers to name with admiration the main reason that led to the fact that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are more successful than the Swiss according to the most watched criteria, and they also have the upper hand in the statistics from mutual fights.
The positive balance of Dominik Hrbatý himself against Roger Federer 2:1 in singles is widely known. It is less known that they faced each other for the first time on the court in doubles. It was in July 1997 on clay in Gstaad.
Roger Federer was only 15 years old at the time, and alongside compatriot Yves Allegro, his tennis companion, he lost to Dominik Hrbaty and Argentine Andrés Zingman 5:7, 2:6 in the 1st round of qualification. Less than three years later, he played doubles in Adelaide with a Slovak on one side of the net.
“We didn’t even have a partner there, so we made an agreement. He was a young talent, smart at the net, I played very well with him. We became friends on the court, during training sessions, in the tennis facilities. I even slept with the Federers once,” says the 44-year-old from Bratislava, who is three and a half years older than his famous friend.
They finally won the doubles together at different tournaments, including the Australian Open 2001. A quarter of a year ago, the team made it to the finals in their native Basel, Switzerland.
Photo gallery
Dominik Hrbatý and Roger Federer
Source: TASR
BARBECUE AT STÜMPEL
Dominik Hrbatý reciprocally made Roger Federer an “animator” for his compatriots on neutral ground: “Before one of the tournaments in Indian Wells, California, we trained for a week in Los Angeles. We went to NHL hockey games, our trio Stümpel, Pálffy, Višňovský played for the local Kings. Roger played tennis with the boys, we had a barbecue at Jožek Stümpel’s, they are good memories. While traveling for tournaments, there was rarely time for such experiences.”
Dominik Hrbatý, the 2005 Sportsman of the Year in the Slovak Republic, has had time for experiences for a long time: he was last in an official international event in June 2013. That is why his communication with Roger Federer has died down.
“We were in contact only when I coached someone or accompanied them to tournaments – at the US Open, in Miami… I talked to him and his wife Mirka, even for an hour personally in the Players’ Lounge,” reveals Dominik Hrbatý.
“I know from my own experience that you can’t talk to people like that over the phone. After training, media matters and sponsorship activities, everyone, even a player of Roger’s caliber, wants to have peace from everyone, to rest, to concentrate on performance.” summed up the recent Davis Cup non-playing captain of the Slovaks.
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Roger Federer with the 2003 Wimbledon trophy.
Source: SITA/AP
HE WAS ALWAYS VERY FAMILY GUY
Roger Federer delayed 14 months from last year’s Wimbledon, announcing his farewell at this week’s exhibition Intercontinental Team Laver Cup in London.
“I think he was still hoping and the hard decision whether he came back at 80 percent or if he was still waiting. One hundred percent recovery could come one day, but it might not. When an athlete is his age, the comeback becomes more and more difficult. Apparently he tried it and found that the knee would not be great enough to give him a chance to attack the top again.” estimates the former 12th ranked player in the world.
“In addition, Roger spent a year with his closest people and probably realized that this kind of life suits him better after all. He was always very much a family type,” your Dominik Hrbatý. The Swiss’s daughters Myla Rose and Charlene Riva are thirteen, and sons Leo and Lenny, also twins, are eight years old.
Roger Federer’s collection of Grand Slam titles in singles ended at the round number 20 at the Australian Open 2018. At that moment, Rafael Nadal had 16 and Novak Djokovic still “only” 12. In the meantime, they rose to 22 and 21… The Spaniard and the Swiss have each other 24:16, Serb 27:23.
“The controversy about KOZA, the best tennis player of all time, will probably stay here forever. I consider Roger an upgrade to a legend based on how classy he was on the court. He had a sincere smile, he sounded very human, he radiated charisma. Even if he wasn’t the best in history, he incredibly popularized tennis, attracted many fans to it.” Especially Dominik Hrbatý.
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Roger Federer with the trophy for winning the 2005 US Open.
Source: SITA/AP
CONCLUSION JOINT SESSION
He defeated Roger Federer in November 2000 on the indoor carpet in Paris-Bercy (4:6, 6:2, 6:2) and in August 2004 on the hard surface in Cincinnati (1:6, 7:6 /7/, 6: 4). The Swiss in the second case was the leader of the ranking and pulled a string of 23 match successes, through which he conquered Halle, Wimbledon, Gstaad and Toronto.
According to AFP, he said: “This event may have been too much for me. However, I am not disappointed, there is no need to feel sorry for me. I have had a great career, which is now over.’
At that time, Dominik Hrbate was ranked 21st, and against the incumbent units he achieved a respectable score of 4:2. the attempt in such a constellation surpassed Yevgenij Kafelnikov, Andre Agassi and Marat Safin. “I was the more relaxed of the two of us today. In such a layout, you can sometimes beat opponents you wouldn’t expect. It was clear to me that I had to push my game. Roger and I often train together and I know that he doesn’t like it too much,” emphasized Dominik Hrbatý.
In the 1st round of Wimbledon 2008, he was – with the so-called protected ranking after surgery on the elbow of the dominant right hand – without a real claim (3:6, 2:6, 2:6). A comic joke stuck in my memory when he sat down with Roger Federer on the bench with a conciliatory and mischievous smile for a chat. The Swiss won the 60th duel in a row on grass by a few tens less.
HE DIDN’T STOP ATTRACTING
The two-time winner of the Hopman Cup Dominik Hrbatý is of the opinion that Roger Federer did not collect more trophies than 103 singles because he often died for beauty: “Consistency is part of mental strength and she had the biggest weakness in her head. It consisted in the fact that he gave free rein to his talent. He did not stop teaching the audience and us tennis players with strokes that could play. With more game discipline and patience, he would no longer be ‘that’ Roger. However, he also lost important matches from match points, which he could have won if he had a machine game like Novak Djokovic.”
Roger Federer caused a stir in the summer of 2015 with a stroke that was named SABR. Sneak Attack By Roger, or “Roger’s sudden lunge”, consists in returning with a half-volley after moving behind the baseline to a considerable depth of the court, somewhere halfway to the net. He invented the unofficial designation together with the scientific Davis Cup captain Severin Lüthi. The Swiss caught several opponents by surprise, including Novak Djokovic, in the final in Cincinnati (7:6 /1/, 6:3).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iUJ1nLnCI0
“I tried it in training mainly as a joke. It can disrupt the rhythm of the opponent’s serve and maybe even strum the psyche. Of course, I need to evaluate when the moment is right. It’s also fun for me,” said Roger Federer according to Tennis magazine.
“For him, it’s about catching a hit. Less so for the player on the other side of the net,” Novak Djokovic was quoted by AFP. Serbian coach Boris Becker told Sky Sports: “My generation would immediately start directly on his body. If he tried that against McEnroe, Lendl, Connors or me, we’d honestly warn him we’d be after him. Today’s players have inhibitions, we certainly wouldn’t hesitate.”
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Roger Federer with the trophy for winning the Australian Open 2017.
Source: SITA/AP
THE NEXT BIG DEPARTURE IS COMING
The end of Roger Federer’s career is more fundamental for tennis than the departure of Serena Williams, Dominik Hrbatý thinks: “Serena had the effect of bringing a little more attention to women’s tennis, raising the premium to the level of men’s tennis. However, women still clearly lag behind in terms of public interest. It is enough to compare the occupancy of the stands during individual matches at Grand Slam and other joint tournaments, the sale of broadcasting rights and advertising times. From this point of view, the disappearance of Roger from the action has a greater impact.”
Roger Federer at the end of Thursday’s farewell communication confession of tennis love and declared that he will never leave him. “First of all, it will be through the Laver Cup, the creation of which he participated. He will definitely try to develop it and be present in this project,” estimates Dominik Hrbatý.
Charity events and exhibitions were also a very logical agenda of Roger Federer after my career. Dominik Hrbatý says: “Maybe I will finally be able to download it to Slovakia. I will probably look at a few tournaments as well. I will definitely not miss Rafael Nadal’s farewell. What I unofficially know from tennis circles is that it will happen next year at Roland Garros.”