Roger Federer and clay courts didn’t go hand in hand as much as tennis fans would’ve wanted to see him during his illustrious 24 years of tennis career. Clay courts were generally considered as Federer’s weakest surface. Federer has always said, it’s easier to play the decisive points on grass than on clay. He has won 20 Grand Slam titles in his career and 8 of them have come on the grass and 1 on the clay. And winning one Grand Slam which was the 2009 French Open got the legend “crying” in utter happiness.

In 2009, Federer bagged his first and last French Open title defeating Swedish former tennis pro, Robin Soderling by 6-1,7-6(1),6-4 in the finals. It was Roger Federer’s fourth consecutive French Open final and he had lost his previous three to Rafael Nadal. So, emotions were bound to out-pour after that emphatic victory. Recently, American sports commentator and former tennis player Mary Carillo spoke about that moment during a conversation at the Racquet’s Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

She was doing the commentary in that match and was left speechless after seeing an emotional Roger Federer. Carillo said, “The one time that Roger Federer won in 2009. It wasn’t a good match. I was in the booth with Ted Robinson and John McEnroe. And, but towards the end of the match, he was winning so easily Roger, and he’s finally going to win this one major that he wasn’t even sure he could win.“

Mary Carillo further went on to add, “And he starts jamming up. He starts crying, you know, like, you could see that he’s. So I, I talked to my producer, you know, the cough bet the cough button. And I said, you know, John, I’m, I’m gonna stop talking, you know. Let’s just, you know, let’s just show Rog, you know, going through all this.” 

She revealed how Ted Robinson got quiet and “even John (McEnroe) got quiet.” They allowed Federer to let the moment sink in. Carillo believes although it wasn’t a great match for Roger Federer, it was a great moment for him and all the tennis fans. Did you know Rafael Nadal also became emotional after seeing Federer win the French Open in 2009?

“He cried” – Roger Federer reveals that Rafael Nadal got a bit emotional after seeing his arch-rival lift the French Open in 2009

Roger Federer is always someone who strongly believes that one can get away with having problems with his game on clay more than he can on other surfaces. But he still struggled to land a few more French Open titles in his trophy cabinet. But when he did, he even made the ‘King of Clay‘ get emotional. During an interview, Federer said, “He told me today that he cried when I won the French Open in 09, he was so happy for me. So it’s a great rivalry.“

Rafael Nadal later said he was “moved” by seeing Federer lift the French Open title after trying so hard over these years. He reflected on his good relationship with the Swiss Maestro. Nadal added, “I am one of those people who believes that when you work towards something and you deserve it. The logical thing is for you to eventually achieve it.” This is surely one of the best examples of how to respect your opponents. Share your thoughts on this in the comment box.