“It’s Elegant, Graceful”: Renowned American Journalist Relates Roger Federer to Lionel Messi

Former World No. 1 Roger Federer has inspired millions of people from all over the world. After turning 40, he still continues to do so. Over the years, the dedication maintained by him still highlights his professionalism. He often gets compared to the greats of other sports. 

Recently, Roger Federer was praised by renowned American journalist Christopher Clarey of the New York Times. He compared the Swiss maestro’s style of play to that of soccer legend, Lionel Messi. Both players display an elegant, flawless style of play. 

The sports journalist stated, “It’s like Messi playing football. You watch it and see it’s elegant, graceful. You don’t even have to play tennis to enjoy it.” Players of these qualities can make an individual develop a liking for that sport. 

Roger Federer barely played tennis in 2021

Speaking about Federer’s season, he began competing in Doha first. However, he wasn’t able to go deep and lost in the initial rounds. After that, he was seen in Geneva and played his first event on clay this season. Shockingly, he lost in the opening round. 

His next stop was Paris, and he had a good first week, winning three matches. However, he withdrew before the fourth-round match as he was lacking match fitness. He was next seen at Halle, but he lost in the second round to Felix Auger-Aliassime. 

At the Wimbledon Championships, he played well in the first week. Unfortunately, his journey ended in the quarterfinal when he lost to Hubert Hurkacz. Since then, he has not featured and decided to end his season. He needs another surgery and we hope to see him back soon. 

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