Roger Federer: At the start I thought Hewitt was attacking me personally
In an interview, Roger Federer admitted he did not accept Lleyton Hewitt's behaviour at the start. Hewitt used to celebrate his points holding his hand near to his face. "I was struggling in the beginning with his acting on the court. I was like, 'Why is he doing it to my face. Isn't he a little bit over the top.' I felt like he was almost attacking me personally but then I realized he is just doing to pumping himself up," said Federer.
On his former coach Peter Carter, who died in 2002, Federer added: "That was a big shock for me. It came at a really strange time, I wasn't already not playing very well and it was a wake-up call for me. I think that Peter would like to see me do better and finally focus on the game. I took it that way and it really helped me. He had the most influence on my game as a coach and of course, next to my parents maybe also as a person. We had great times today, that's very clear and he taught me the beautiful technique I have today."
Asked if he cried because of Carter following his maiden Grand Slam title in 2003 Wimbledon, the Basel native concluded: "More the emotions, the happiness, disbelief but then maybe also about Peter knowing that he would be very proud."
Federer and Hewitt played each other 27 times. Federer won 18 matches while Hewitt won the remaining nine. At the start of their rivalry, Hewitt won the first three matches they played against each other.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Ou5XI2
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