‘Put Me Under Extra Pressure’ – Roger Federer Revealed Getting Intimidated by Old Friend Tiger Woods Attending His Match

Roger Federer stands tall in the list of best tennis players of this generation. He has 20 Grand Slam titles under his name and has records that will take decades to break. Federer, now is a confident man who knows his capabilities. However, during his early days, he was also just like any other fan who wanted to impress their idol.

Though Federer chose tennis as a profession, like his parents, he is still a big fan of golf. And when he was in the process of becoming one of the tennis greats, Tiger Woods had the entire game of golf on his palm. Therefore, what did the Swiss ace feel like when Woods came to support him in a high-pressure match?

Roger Federer about having Tiger Woods cheer for him

Tiger Woods flew to America in 2006 to watch Federer play against the American tennis ace Andy Roddick in the finals of the US Open. He sat in his guest box and cheered him to a victory of 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. However, his presence in the audience stressed the former World No.1 rather than motivating him. As he admitted, “The fact that Tiger was sitting there put me under extra pressure. It was just like when my parents or Marc Rosset watched me play in person. You want to play especially well.”

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Thereafter, Federer spoke about meeting him in the locker room post his victory and having an astonishing realization. And said, “I was impressed by how much we had in common. He knew exactly what I was going through and I see what he has to go through. I’ve never spoken to anybody who was so familiar with the feeling of being invincible.”

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Woods’ appearance in the 2006 US Open finals sparked comparison and debates regarding the two being the ‘athlete of the century’, as both of them looked very prominent in their sport at that time.

When will Federer return?

Roger Federer played only four tournaments in 2021 because of an injury to his knee, and after the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, the injury demanded more attention. Federer walked out of the circuit and disclosed that he would miss the 2022 Wimbledon Championship. Though the 40-year-old didn’t speak about his comeback at that time. Thus leaving fans with doubts about his return.
But now, after recovering from the surgery, Federer has given a happy news. He has signed up for a home-based event which will commence in October. The Swiss legend will be seen playing on the hard courts of Swiss Indoors Basel. Further, the 10 times Swiss Indoors champion will compete as the defending champion of the ATP 500 event.