Roger Federer, Normally a Cool Customer, Once Went Aggressive Against Nick Kyrgios’ ‘Bad’ Compatriot – ‘He Will Be Making a Mistake’

Over the years, we have seen Roger Federer being a perfect gentleman. There’s hardly a moment where we have seen the Swiss Maestro angry or saying anything negative about anyone. However, there are exceptions and Federer had one too. It happened in the 2013 Australian Open when Australian tennis star Bernard Tomic was going strong.

Being a local player, he was getting all the media attention. There was a chance that Federer might meet him in the third round of the tournament. When asked about Tomic, Federer gave a surprising reply which seemed more like a dig. Here’s what he said.

The feud between Roger Federer and Bernard Tomic

Both Federer and Tomic gave statements in such a manner that it seemed like a feud. When the reporters asked about Tomic’s chances to face him in the third round, the former world number one replied, “He’s also got his work cut out in the first few rounds. He will be making a mistake about thinking about me in the third round because he also has to get there.”

Further, the 20-time Grand Slam champion gave his opinion on the Aussie’s chances of breaking into the top ten.“I think we should go step by step, see how it goes. Let’s speak in a year’s time. Everybody wants to jump from—what’s his ranking 60—to 10 in a year. It’s hard to do. No. 10 is a big ask. Don’t forget how tough the Top 10 players are right now,” he added.

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While Federer was sceptical about the Aussie’s chances, Tomic also took a dig at Federer.. He said to BBC, “Well, if he gets that far. … I would love to get in that position to play Roger in the third round.” 

Federer defeated Tomic in straight sets

The predictions turned out to be right and Federer clashed with Tomic in the third round of the Australian Open 2013. As the pre-match talk spiced things up a bit, everyone expected it to be a thrilling match. However, it turned out to be one-way traffic. Federer made sure that the Australian prodigy didn’t win a single set against him.

Federer defeated Tomic 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-1. and cruised to the fourth round. Later, Federer defeated Jo-Wilfried-Tsonga in the quarterfinal to set up a semifinal clash against Andy Murray. However, the Briton prevailed in a tough five-set match.

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This was one rare occasion when we saw Federer getting into a feud. Do you remember any other such incident? Do let us know in the comments section.