Christopher Carey, in his book about the tennis legend Roger Federer, discussed his career-defining match that brought a shift for the tennis legend. And it does not involve any of his arch-rivals, including Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. There might be many career-defining moments in the two-decades-long tennis career of the Swiss Maestro, but the one that took place back in 2001 was something that nobody expected. 

During his early tennis days, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was just a tough guy from Switzerland with a rough look and skills. However, with time, the same tennis player grew into the perfect role model for budding stars who want to make a name for themselves in the sport.

The turning point in Roger Federer’s career

Back in 2021, the well-known American author and journalist, via the book ‘The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer’, talked about the life of the Swiss Maestro and his illustrious career. In that book, Clarey mentions about a moment when everything changed for the 20-time Grand Slam champion. Apparently, the match he played against Franco Squillari, back in 2001, in Hamburg was the biggest turning point for him in his tennis career, as he flung his racket and kind of did things he never did. 

And looking back at his on-court behavior on TV, the tennis player didn’t feel great about it. He said, “I started to feel uncomfortable after a while when you’re on TV like this. It’s just a bad look when you see yourself throw the racket in the corner and you’re like, oh my God, and you’re looking around, and you’re so frustrated and disappointed.” 

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Staying true to his words, the Swiss Maestro did improve his own court behavior. He has been quoted as the GOAT on numerous occasions, by both fans and fellow tennis stars. However, the tennis legend feels that the Tennis world has seen better players who have achieved much more than him. 

Federer’s hilarious reaction to being considered the GOAT of tennis

When the tennis legend was attempting to return to competitive tennis almost two years ago, gave a hilarious reaction to being considered the greatest player of all time. The 20-time Grand Slam champion gave a hilarious reply after being referred to as the “GOAT” of tennis during a question-and-answer session on Twitter.

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He responded sarcastically by saying that Switzerland has a lot of ‘goats’.

Do you consider Federer to be the GOAT of tennis? Let us know in the comments.