‘As if Shaking a Lion’s Mane’- Intriguing Tale Revealing Roger Federer’s Lesser-Known Angsty Gesture Comes to Light Ex As Wimbledon Committee Member Opens Up

Tennis legend Roger Federer had horrible anger issues as a child but went on to become one of the most calmest and charming sporting figures in the entire world. While he never had outbursts on the tennis court during his professional career, however, he developed a certain “tic” to suppress his rage. Safe to say, every athlete faces tense situations in a game where they feel anger or frustration, but the trick is to control it. And the 20-time Grand Slam Champion seemed to have cracked the code.

In the Swiss Maestro’s biography, Michael Gradon, a former member of the Wimbledon committee, mentioned how the gentlemanly Federer too experienced moments of anger. He reveals an intriguing tale about the Swiss Maestro’s specific gesture that meant he was angry!

Even Federer got angry sometimes on the tennis court…

In the Swiss ace’s biography, The Roger Federer Effect, there are a lot of instances when people who have been a part of his tennis journey revealed secrets about him. Similarly, a former Wimbledon committee member who used to accompany the Swiss ace to post-match press conferences revealed a lesser-known fact about him.

He said, “If he’s on the court and he’s really, really annoyed – as we all know, he had quite a temper growing up. There would just be this slight, slight shake of the head as if shaking a lion’s mane. That was his sort of a slight tic … but [it was like] how he kept control on the tennis court, particularly when going through losses when having had match point.”

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Further, he shared that there were times when he was annoyed while answering questions from the media. And anyone could clearly see that there was a subtle dig in his comeback rather than a standard answer.

Nevertheless, there was also a time when the former tennis legend brutally mocked a tournament director who withheld his $12,000 prize money.

When Federer expressed his frustration at a tournament director 

The 41-year-old tennis legend was accused of ‘tanking’ during the 2002 Dubai Tennis Championships, which landed him in trouble. Federer was the subject of these accusations from the tournament director, Jeff Chapman. And his prize money was withheld along with his appearance bonus. The season after that, the Swiss ace returned and triumphed in the competition without dropping a set.

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Additionally, following that victory, he made fun of  the tournament director after the match. “I believe I’m the last guy who is not giving his best, so I’m back to prove him (Chapman) wrong, not for the money,” he said.

What do you think of Federer’s tactic of suppressing his anger on the tennis court?