'Roger Federer was just another player', says former Colombian player

When we talk about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal we are talking about two of the greatest legends in the history of this sport. 39 Grand Slam titles in two who, however, made history above all on different surfaces: the Swiss on the grass of Wimbledon reached incredible numbers and at the same time his arch rival (and great friend off the court) made the history of Roland Garros. Speaking to MatchTenis, former Colombian players Manuel Liveano & Nicolas Laverde recalled playing against Roger Federer in the juniors. Liveano also claimed that facing Federer is a memory he will cherish for the rest of his life. Lievano faced off against Roger Federer in doubles as well, with partner Nicolas Laverde. The latter also revealed how he wasn't particularly impressed with the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

Laverde on Roger Federer

"He was just another player. Several with better level attended that tournament such as Nicolás Massú, Luis Horna, Fernando González himself; in fact, his partner was better," said Nicolas Laverde. "I did not have the opportunity to share much with him, on many occasions the language barrier limits a lot, those from South America on the one hand and Europeans on the other. The best of my age were Mariano Puerta, Mariano Zabaleta and Tommy Haas." But Manuel Lievano does cherish the memory of having competed against the now legendary Roger Federer, even if the Swiss was an unknown player back then. "It is an anecdote of life , to tell the children , every time he spoke with Nicolás we remember him , and we always think that we should never have lost that game, we played very badly," claimed the Colombian. The last time there was a U.S. Open without Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was 1999. Novak Djokovic was 12 at the time, and still four years away from turning pro. Andre Agassi won the title that year. Now the “Big Three” of men’s tennis has been reduced to a “Big One” for this year’s U.S. Open, with Djokovic the only member of the troika in New York City for the event beginning Aug. 31. He will also play in the Western & Southern Open in New York, with his first match coming Sunday or Monday. Djokovic will be the favorite in New York as he seeks his 18th Grand Slam title.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2FQMRYP