There is a famous saying, ‘Never underestimate anyone in your life, because you can’t predict the future.’ Who knows it better than Mardy Fish? This 43-year-old former American tennis player has a knack for light-hearted banter, often bringing out his memorable encounters with the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer. Just a few years ago, during an interview, he recalled how he “got crushed” for underestimating Federer at their first meeting in the 2003 Wimbledon Championships. He has met the Swiss nine times in his career and each time has created a special memory in his tennis. Some are good, while most of them are a bit embarrassing and hard to digest for the American!

Roger Federer has defeated Mardy Fish eight times in his career. Mardy Fish’s only win against the Swiss came at the 2008 Indian Wells Masters. That was the first and last victory for Fish against the Swiss! It has mostly been a one-sided battle on most occasions and talking about the dominance of Federer, the American was recently spotted recalling their epic final in Halle (2004). In that match, Federer defeated Fish by 6-0,6-3. The Swiss sealed the deal in just 57 minutes at that time. 

Federer literally outclassed Fish by 26 points, sealing the bagel in the epic first set. Although Fish tried to make a comeback in the second, he couldn’t match his opponent’s level at that time. Talking about this match, Mardy Fish previously said, “I think he probably felt bad for all of the people that had paid money to come watch, and I’m still, to this day, convinced, that he prolonged the match a little bit longer so it was 6-0, 6-3. He made it, like an hour.” Now, the American was yet again spotted speaking about that match on his X handle.

Recently, an X user named Smooth Melanin put up a question asking, “Has a celebrity ever been rude to you??” In reply to this question, Mardy Fish dropped a cheeky comment highlighting his memories from the 2004 Halle Open final against Roger Federer. Fish said, “OMG Yes! This one time, Roger Federer won the first 9 games of our Final in Halle Germany. Super rude!” However, this wasn’t the only moment of embarrassment for the American that popped up on social media out of nowhere.

Last year when Roger Federer’s victory against Mardy Fish at the 2005 Indian Wells Masters resurfaced in the interest on its 19th anniversary, Fish hilariously dropped a tweet saying, “Delete this immediately.” Federer had defeated Fish by 6-3,6-3 in that R64 match. After seeing several posts on this embarrassing loss against the Swiss, Fish even jokingly said, “I bet Roger had his agent make them post this.” Although Federer has given Fish some bitter memories in his career, the American has never shied away from heaping praise on the Swiss’ brilliance in the past.

Mardy Fish reflecting on Roger Federer’s incredible “aura” on the courts

Despite facing defeats in eight of his nine matches against Roger Federer, Mardy Fish is often seen heaping praise on the Swiss. For example, during an instance, he was even heard admitting, “Roger had this aura and invincibility about him, where you just could never breathe, cause he could turn it like that.. Boom. Point’s over.” According to him, Federer was at his best in 2005!

Mardy Fish is one of the several American tennis players who rose to prominence in the early 2000s. His highest ranking has been reaching the world 7 spot and Fish has also reached the QF of the Grand Slam tournaments thrice in his career. Who, according to him, is the best player he has ever faced in his career?

Is it Roger Federer, whom he once called the “most humble athlete of all time” or is it someone else? Well, according to Fish, “The 2011 Djokovic and 2005 Federer were the best players that I ever played. If those two played on a medium-paced hard court, I think Novak would win. If they played on a faster surface, I think Roger would win. [On] any slower surface, Novak would win. 2011 Djokovic – best player of all time.” 

In 2011, Novak Djokovic won 10 titles, including three Grand Slam triumphs, while on the other hand, Roger Federer won 12 titles in the 2005 season (including the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open). Who in between these two players would Mardy Fish pick if he were told to name one player who would win a match to save his life?

Well, surprisingly in December 2024, in reply to this question on the ‘Murray Musings Podcast’ he was seen snubbing both of them and saying, “If it was 1 set for my life… Isner 2014. I’ll just take my chances in a tiebreak.” John Isner had a stellar season in 2014. He clinched his eighth and ninth titles of his career in that year, so perhaps that was the reason why Fish picked his compatriot over other tennis greats when it came it saving his life! Who would be be your pick, if you’re asked a similar question? Share your thoughts in the comment box.