‘A Manufactured Product of Nike’s Marketing’- Roger Federer’s Villainous Meltdown Led to a Provocative View From Former Team Member in 2009

When people think of Roger Federer as an example, what people usually imagine is a guy who took tennis to new heights with his unique personality and simplicity. A smiling guy is what everyone can usually imagine while thinking about the Swiss great, right? But, deep down lies a question: Is it really his true side or is there a dark side of Roger Federer as well?

An incident that happened back at the US Open in 2009 displayed a side of him that was quite hidden from his fans. Reacting to the whole incident, one of his former team members suggested how Roger Federer truly is and how his popular personality and his brand value made him look on the tennis courts.

Roger Federer showed his villainous side in the US Open final back in 2009

In the high-stakes 2009 US Open final, Roger Federer found himself in a five-set battle against Juan Martin del Potro. The match was originally scheduled for an early evening Monday slot due to prior rain delays. However, it was a thrilling action-packed match with forehand winners and a crowd that occasionally disrupted play.

Roger Federer, usually composed and dominant, surprisingly faltered. He missed the opportunities to seize control and struggled with his serves. This showed clear signs of frustration for the Swiss player. His discontentment with the electronic line-calling system, an innovation he opposed since its introduction in 2006, was clearly visible. This later led Federer into a heated exchange of words with the chair umpire Jake Garner. Federer suggested his frustration over his opponent’s delayed challenges.

“Stop showing me the hand, okay?” Federer snapped. “Don’t tell me to be quiet, okay? When I want to talk, I talk all right. I don’t give a shit what he said. I just say he’s waiting too long.”

“The Federer we see on court today is a manufactured product, a manufactured product of Nike’s marketing that represents the values we want to give tennis: the gentleman and all that,” he said. “But deep inside, Federer was never a gentleman. He’s a fighter. When he extends the hand with a smile to Nadal, I’m not at all convinced.”

This side of Roger Federer differed from the image portrayed by his sponsor-driven persona. This was further shared by Paul Dorochenko, Federer’s former fitness trainer. Dorochenko suggested that Federer is more of a fighter than the gentlemanly figure depicted by marketing strategies. What happened at the US Open back then was a clear indication of what Federer was all about from the inside.

Also read: ‘I Left Home.. Decided to Stop..’ – Reflecting Back at His Illustrious Career, Roger Federer Lays Bare the Sacrifices Made on His Journey to Pro Tennis

This moment revealed the vulnerable side of Federer, which often comes out to the public. His behavior, which people often view as someone who is quite calm and chill, came out in front of his fans. Ultimately, while Federer’s outburst in the 2009 final was a departure from his usual self, its significance stemmed from the stark contrast it presented to his otherwise outstanding conduct.

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