When you look at the Big 3 of tennis, Roger Federer was the biggest rival of Rafael Nadal. Rafa, in turn, was then considered the greatest rival of Novak Djokovic. But that’s not to say that Federer vs Djokovic was not equally thrilling on all 50 occasions they met on the court. While a great rivalry has always existed between the three, there has also always been a tremendous amount of respect as well. But did the Swiss legend say anything about Djokovic’s achievement in the Paris Olympics, where he won the gold medal?

Well, Boris Becker thought so. Federer may be retired but he still makes rare appearances at tennis majors, with the latest one being at the US Open. While he sat down for a few interviews, a fan page posted a particular comment supposedly from the Swiss legend on Djokovic. “Roger Federer on Novak Djokovic winning the Olympic Gold Medal: ‘It was a great moment for not just for Tennis but for sports in general. After all the heartbreaks he went through in the Olympics over the years, he deserves it. I’m happy for him. He’s an icon of our sport,'” it read.

Becker reposted the X post with the caption, “Sportsman.” There is never a doubt that Federer is, in fact, one of the greatest athletes to always show sportsmanship. But as it turns out, the Swiss maestro never actually made any such comments.

Becker seems to have fallen for a fake tweet without fact-checking it first. And he’s not the only one, as Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert also recently fell for one such piece of news. It was about Carlos Alcaraz making a comment on the movie Challengers, in which Gilbert had played a part on the tennis side of things. The coach thought Alcaraz had really commented on having a similar situation as the movie in real life, but that wasn’t the case.

What’s interesting to note here is that this has been a rising trend in the tennis community, and journalist Ben Rothenberg even condemned it in late April. “There’s a growing trend of tennis fans making up fake semi-plausible quotes and tweeting them, wherein people get tricked and think they are real and amplify them…and I get why it amuses folks, but it just doesn’t do anyone any good to spread disinformation like this, TT,” he wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Federer is making the rounds at the last Slam of the year. The 5x US Open champion has spoken on everything, from the Jannik Sinner doping controversy to his friend Rafael Nadal’s diminishing form. The Swiss maestro also said he felt sorry for the Spaniard for the kind of season he has had so far.

Not Novak Djokovic, but Roger Federer shares thoughts on Rafa’s career twilight

Rafael Nadal was once the World No. 1 in the competition against his two rivals, but for the last few years, he has barely appeared on the court. Injuries have marred his career, and while he hasn’t said anything concrete about retirement, it’s very clear that 2024 is likely his last on the Tour.

Speaking to the Today Show about a recent chat he had with Rafa, Roger Federer said, “I actually just spoke to him this last week…I felt a little bit sorry for him, that his summer didn’t go as well as planned because at the French Open he had a tough draw. Olympics, he had a tough draw as well. He was hoping, I think, to get a medal.”

Nevertheless, Federer believes in his friend and wants him to go out on his own terms. For Djokovic as well, 2024 has been lacklustre after an out-of-this-world 2023 season. Can these two greats reclaim their former glory before retirement?