Dedicated To Roger Federer

Quotes about Roger Federer

His fourteen Grand Slams till Date •

Now that he's won in Paris, I think it just more solidifies his place in history as the greatest player that played the game, in my opinion --- Pete Sampras after Roger Federer won the French open title in 2009

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To me he’s the best player in history, he really deserved to win here ---Robin Soderling after the French open final 2009

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He's extraordinarily talented and talk about grace on court, watching him play is something special to see and if he does it tomorrow, he'll know what an accomplishment it was. Federer deserves to be called the greatest --- Andre Agassi before French open Final 2009

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He’s the most complete tennis player in the history of tennis, that’s for sure. With all due respects to (Andre) Agassi and (Pete) Sampras and the rest of the gang. But I never felt so uncomfortable against any of the players before. --- Marat Safin, after losing 2009 Australian Open 3rd Round to Federer

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I had a great tournament but I came up against, in my opinion, the best player ever to play the game today. --- Andy Murray, after losing 2008 US Open Final to Federer

Quotes about Roger Federer •

For me, in my prime, I felt unbeatable. In Roger's days, he's unbeatable. It's really hard to put one guy over the other. Having said that, I think Roger is dominating the game much more than I ever did. I think he's going to go on and pass 14 and win 16, 17, 18 majors. I think he's going to break all records. --- Pete Sampras, before playing his third exhibition match with Roger Federer, Macau, China, Nov. 23, 2007

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I had a taste of what the best is tonight and I think Roger has that extra gear. He has good volleys and he has this little backhand flick that honestly, I have never seen before... it’s something that I didn’t have. I am happy with my performance tonight. I hung in there right until the end.

---Pete Sampras, after playing his second exhibition match with Roger Federer, Kuala Lumpur, and Nov. 22, 2007 •

If he is playing very good, I have to play unbelievable. If not, it’s impossible, especially if he’s playing with good confidence. When he’s 100 percent, he’s playing in another league. It’s impossible to stop him. I fight. I fight. I fight. Nothing to say. Just congratulate him.

---Rafael Nadal, after losing to Federer in the Shanghai Masters Cup semifinal, Nov. 17, 2007. •

I played unbelievable, and if it was not Roger Federer on the other side of the net I would have won, 400 per cent.

---Tomas Berdych, No. 10 in the world, Davis Cup tie, Sept. 23, 2007 •

He's an artist on this surface. He can stay back. He can come in. No weaknesses. Federer could win Wimbledon six, seven, eight times. He can play on any kind of surface, he is so complete. And if he continues the way he has been doing and stays away from injuries and still has the motivation, he will be the greatest player ever. I think the motivation is the key thing and he has the motivation to continue to play for another three or five years.

---Bjorn Borg, winner of 11 Grand Slams, at Wimbledon 2007. •

He's the most gifted player that I've ever seen in my life. I've seen a lot of people play. I've seen the (Rod) Lavers, I played against some of the great players—the Samprases, Beckers, Connors', Borgs, you name it. This guy could be the greatest of all time. That, to me, says it all.

---John McEnroe, winner of 7 Grand Slams. •

He's probably the greatest player that ever lived.

---John McEnroe, BBC Wimbledon 2006 live broadcast. •

He can beat half the guys with his eyes closed!

---John McEnroe, BBC Wimbledon 2006 live broadcast. •

If you want to be a tennis player, then mould yourself on Roger Federer. I won three Wimbledon titles and I wish I could play like him.

Quotes about Roger Federer ---John McEnroe. •

Federer is the best player in history, no other player has ever had such quality.

---Rafael Nadal, after winning French Open 2006. •

Yes, I really hit with him when he was 15, during a tournament in Basel, and I knew then he would be good, but not this good. If he stays healthy, it will actually be a miracle if he doesn't win more Grand Slams than Pete [Sampras]. The way he picks his shots is unbelievable. He is fast, he has a great volley, a great serve, great backhand, great everything. If I was his coach, what can I tell him? He is a magician with a racket. Even when he is playing badly, which is rarely, he can still do things with his racket nobody else can do.

---Goran Ivanisevic on the question if Federer is destined to become the greatest player of all time. •

Well, I think when I look at Roger, I mean, I'm a fan. I mean, I'm a fan of how he plays, what he's about, just the fact that I think he's a class—I don't know him personally, but seems like he's a class guy on and off the court. He's fun to watch. Just his athletic ability, what he's able to do on the run. I think he can and will break every tennis record out there.

---Pete Sampras, winner of 14 Grand Slams. •

I don't see anyone with a big enough weapon to hurt him. They're just staying back and Roger is able to dictate well enough. You just have to serve well and attack him.

---Pete Sampras. •

I really consider myself top 5 players in the world, which it doesn't mean that I am close to Roger.

---Ivan Ljubicic, at Indian Wells 2006. •

Oh, I would be honoured to even be compared to Roger. He is such an unbelievable talent, and is capable of anything. Roger could be the greatest tennis player of all time.

---Rod Laver, winner of 11 Grand Slams, considered by some the greatest player to ever play the game of tennis. •

Roger's got too many shots, too much talent in one body. It's hardly fair that one person can do all this—his backhands, his forehands, volleys, serving, his court position. The way he moves around the court, you feel like he's barely touching the ground. That's the sign of a great champion.

---Rod Laver, after 2007 Australian Open semifinal match. •

The best way to beat him would be to hit him over the head with a racquet. Roger could win the Grand Slam if he keeps playing the way he is and, if he does that, it will equate to the two Grand Slams that I won because standards are much higher these days.

Quotes about Roger Federer ---Rod Laver, speaking ahead of the 2007 Australian Open final against Fernando Gonzalez. •

He's the best I've ever played against. There's nowhere to go. There's nothing to do except hit fairways, hit greens and make putts. Every shot has that sort of urgency on it. I've played a lot of them (other players), so many years, there's a safety zone, there's a place to get to, there's something to focus on, there's a way. Anything you try to do, he potentially has an answer for and it's just a function of when he starts pulling the triggers necessary to get you to change to that decision.

---Andre Agassi, at US Open 2005. •

He hits that short chip, moves you forward, moves you back. He uses your pace against you. If you take pace off, so that he can't use your pace, he can step around and hurt you with the forehand. Just the amount of options he has to get around any particular stage of the match where maybe something's out of sync is—seems to be endless. His success out there is just a mere reflection of all the things that he can do.

---Andre Agassi, at US Open 2005. •

There's probably not a department in his game that couldn't be considered the best in that department. You watch him play Hewitt and everybody marvels at Hewitt's speed, as well as myself. And you start to realize, `Is it possible Federer even moves better?' Then you watch him play Andy [Roddick], and you go, `Andy has a big forehand. Is it possible Federer's forehand is the best in the game?' You watch him at the net, you watch him serve-volley somebody that doesn't return so well and you put him up there with the best in every department. You see him play from the ground against those that play from the ground for a living, and argue he does it better than anybody.

---Andre Agassi. •

He's a real person. He's not an enigma. Off the court he's not trying to be somebody. If you met him at McDonald's and you didn't know who he was, you would have no idea that he's one of the best athletes in the world.

---Andy Roddick, at Cincinnati 2005. •

I think there's—he's the main guy and then there's probably four or five of us that are—I don't know. Maybe we need to do just a tag team effort or something, join forces, you know, like Power Rangers or something.

---Andy Roddick, after losing to Roger Federer at the final of Cincinnati 2005. •

He's probably the most talented person to ever carry a racquet around—the shots that he can come up with, the way he's kind of become a totally complete player. But I think off the court, it's huge. There have been a lot of good champions, but he's just classy. He is never high and mighty in the locker room or anything like that.

---Andy Roddick.

Quotes about Roger Federer •

Roger is at the top, and he's the only person at the top, regardless of how much people want to make rivalry comparisons and this, that and the other. He's the best player in the game. There's no question in my mind.

---Andy Roddick, after losing to Federer in the Final of 2006 US Open. •

[In the modern game], you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist or a hard court specialist ... or you're Roger Federer.

---Jimmy Connors, winner of 8 Grand Slams. •

He hasn't changed a bit. He hasn't been arrogant in the locker room. He never is. That's great to see someone that does it with class. He doesn't intentionally get in anyone's face. He doesn't put people down.

---James Blake, at Cincinnati 2005. •

He is on his way to becoming possibly the greatest of all time. But he's still human.

---James Blake, before he faced Federer in the Quarterfinal at the US Open 2006. •

He put tennis, the bar very high—very high. It's incredible what kind of game he can play.

---Marat Safin, at Australian Open 2005. •

We have a guy from Switzerland who is just playing the game a way I haven't seen anyone—and I mean anyone—play before. How fortunate we are to be able to see that. If he stays healthy and motivated—and the wonderful feel he has stays with him—he is the kind of guy who can overtake the greatest.

---Boris Becker, winner of 6 Grand Slams. •

I'd like to be in his shoes for one day to know what it feels like to play that way.

---Mats Wilander, winner of 7 Grand Slams. •

Roger Federer is the most talented tennis player I have ever seen. He has the capacity to become the greatest in history.

---Nick Bollettieri. •

Roger Federer is the only guy I watch for his strokes. He is just beautiful. He can hit every single shot you could ever think of. John [McEnroe] and Ilie [Nastase] were very talented but you always knew there were some shots they couldn't hit. Not with Federer. I would go and watch him practice, he's so good.

---Ivan Lendl, winner of 8 Grand Slams. •

Roger is a complete player. What he has, and it's not luck, is the ability to change his game slightly as to what his opponent's doing to him.

---Jack Kramer, an all-time great of the game. •

I thought Ellsworth Vines and Don Budge were pretty good. And Gonzalez and Hoad could play a bit, too, but I have never seen anyone play the game

Quotes about Roger Federer better than Federer. He serves well and has a great half-volley. I've never known anyone who can do as many things on a court as he can. ---Jack Kramer •

I've never enjoyed watching someone playing tennis as much as Federer. I'm just in awe. Pete Sampras was wonderful but he relied so much on his serve, whereas Roger has it all, he's just so graceful, elegant and fluid—a symphony in tennis whites. Roger can produce tennis shots that should be declared illegal.

---Tracy Austin. •

He's the best player I've ever played against, full stop ... and he was just too good today.

---Tim Henman, after losing in the 2nd round of Wimbledon 2006 6-4, 6-0, 6-2. •

I'm not sure if he has any weakness in his repertoir.

---Jonas Bjorkman, after losing in the semifinal of Wimbledon 2006 6-2, 6-0, 6-2.

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Maybe Roger Federer will rescue tennis. He plays like we did in the past.

---Ilie Nastase, first ever World No.1 when rankings were introduced in 1973. •

He is capable of hitting shots which other players don't even think about trying. He has so many skills.

---Ivan Lendl, on the 25 Birthday Party of Federer in Toronto. •

Maybe I could win more championships and prize money if Federer was not in the same age with me, but you have to know that there is something money can not buy—that's playing against Federer.

---Ivan Ljubicic. •

He is the best man in the game, on and off the court, and he has a great personality. I enjoy so much having opportunities to compete against him.

---Ivan Ljubicic. •

I am so proud to have him around. It is very pity that I am not able to play with Pete Sampras, but it's OK, I can see Federer on the tour. I could tell my grandson someday that I have competed against the greatest player on the planet.

---Ivan Ljubicic. •

Today I was playing my best tennis, trying lots of different things, but nothing worked. When you're playing like that and he still comes up with all those great shots you really have to wonder if he's even from the same planet.

---Novak Djokovic, after Davis Cup match.

Quotes about Roger Federer •

Roger is like a good red wine, he's getting better with age...I think his big years will be when he is 26, 27, 28.

---Tony Roche, former coach of Roger Federer. •

Roger hasn't even started to use a lot of his game.

---Tony Roche, former coach of Roger Federer.

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He's Roger. What can you say?

---Mario Ancic after their quarter final at Wimbledon 2006. •

Just about everything he does is pretty impressive. So, yeah, 50 titles at any age is impressive. 50 titles at 26 is incredible. 50 titles with 11 of them being Grand Slams, and I think now 14 being Masters Series, that's just phenomenal.

---James Blake after their final in Cincinnati 2007, when Federer won his 50th title in the ATP circuit. •

He's not just number one, he's the best in history. He has 12 Grand Slams and I'm sure he'll get the record (14). He can do it all. He serves very well, he has a very good forehand and backhand. He has no weak points.

---David Ferrer after his loss in Shanghai 2007