In the vast world of sports, some transcend all boundaries to become a legend. Roger Federer is one of them, and his illustrious career is a testament to his contribution to the racquet sport. He has not only broken multiple records in his 24 year long career, but also created millions of fans. Federer is a role model for future generations and his peers. The former world number one in doubles recently spoke about how Federer’s brilliance helped him in his own journey with the racquet sport.

Nicolas Mahut recently made his debut as a consultant on Eurosport for the 2024 US Open. He was commentating during the R1 match between Constant Lestienne and Jordan Thompson. The Aussie, who won the match 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, hit 11 aces in that match. While analyzing his serve, Mahut recalled an incident featuring a doubles match with Roger Federer.

He said, “That’s information that Roger Federer gave me when I played doubles with him in Brisbane. And at one point, he was serving and he was doing a sequence by always serving in the same place. And sometimes I wondered if he was going to vary a little bit. And at a change of ends, he said to me: ‘I’m not going to vary until I’ve taken a return. As soon as he finds a solution, I’ll change’. And I said to myself that he was right, there’s no need to panic and vary for the sake of variation. If it works, we continue.”

This incident like took place in the 2014 Brisbane International. Both Federer and Bahut have played against each other four times in their careers. Although the Swiss Maestro has a clear 4-0 edge over the Frenchman in the H2H, Mahut has always ensured he learned something from Federer wherever they met.

While recalling an instance from the 2012 French Open, Mahut once revealed that the former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy had called him to give him courage before facing Roger Federer in the R32.

Although he lost the match to Federer by 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, he feels that was the “best match” that he has played against him. Roger Federer’s easy approach to the game with an incredible balance is what impresses him the most. Did he ever try to replicate Federer’s free-flowing game, though? Well, Mahut thinks, “It’s a mistake to try to do what Roger is doing.” His fascination with the Swiss Maestro was seen time and again through his speeches in the past. Let’s now take a look at some of those comments.

Nicolas Mahut believes Novak Djokovic can never dethrone Roger Federer in this aspect of the game

With his recent win over Radu Albot in the R1 of the 2024 US Open, Novak Djokovic has now surpassed Roger Federer’s record for the best win percentage at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. He currently has a win-loss record of 78-11 at this iconic venue, whereas Federer had a record of 77-11. He can now also become the second person after Federer (2008) to defend the US Open title. However, despite all these feats, Mahut once said, “Even if he breaks all the records, there will always be a debate (GOAT), which would not be the case if it was Federer or Nadal.”

In 2021 during another interview, Nicolas Mahut admitted that looking at all the numbers and statistics, Djokovic would probably be one of the “biggest” players in the racquet sport. However, he also said that when it comes to the tennis GOAT, when talking about the impact and emotion “the impact that a Roger has had on tennis will be greater than that of Novak whatever happens.” He feels playing in the era of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has made Novak Djokovic stronger.

However, despite portraying his admiration for the Swiss Maestro, Mahut admitted that he also has a “soft sport” for Rafael Nadal. With Nadal out of action in the 2024 US Open, do you think Djokovic can break some more records at the US Open this year?