Roger Federer got the seal of approval from his former coach Stefan Edberg, who has branded the Swiss as the greatest of all-time.
Edberg, who worked with Federer during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, was sitting in the Royal Box for Sunday’s final, and witnessed his former charge as he made history by claiming a record-extending 19th Grand Slam – the most ever won by a man.
Federer also became the oldest man in the Open Era to win a Wimbledon singles title and doesn’t appear to be slowing down, even though he turns 36 next month.
Stefan Edberg gets his hands on the gentlemen's singles trophy once more...#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/P1tvVVZ8Sg
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 16, 2017
“It gives hope for everyone doesn’t it? It’s quite extraordinary. He’s so special in many ways,” Edberg, a six-time Grand Slam champion and ex-world No1, told BBC.
Asked if he considers Federer the greatest of all-time, Edberg said: “Roger is the greatest in my eyes and I think he’s proved it with 19 Grand Slam titles, eight here. It’s always worth coming out to watch him because you always know there’s going to be some unbelievable shots out there.”
Federer’s good friend Tommy Haas was also in attendance and the German can be pleased with the fact that he was one of just two people who managed to defeat the Swiss this season.
Referring to that victory over Federer last month, Haas joked and said: “Of course it’s a highlight for me no question, since this is my last year, I’ll definitely take that and can tell him for the rest of his life that when he won his eighth (Wimbledon), I beat him (the month before).
“Who knows what else he’s capable of? He’s showing us a lot and I think all the other competitors, especially in tennis as well, now that you’re 31, 32, they’re going to continue this trend and who knows what else is in store? So that’s very exciting, I think this tennis year on both the WTA and ATP side has been absolutely amazing and I’m just very excited for a good friend of mine.”
Federer is 31-2 win-loss in 2017, with his sole two losses coming against Haas in his opener in Stuttgart and Evgeny Donskoy in Dubai. He has otherwise won each of the other five tournaments he contested (Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Halle, Wimbledon).
He now stands alone as the only male eight-time Wimbledon champion in history, going one clear of Pete Sampras and Williams Renshaw.
“It’s absolutely incredible. We’re all in awe and just amazed at what he has accomplished already this year. Who would have thought? But it’s like he said in his speech, if you keep dreaming, if you keep believing, if you keep working hard and all of those things come together, a lot is possible in life,” continued Haas, a former world No2 and 2009 Wimbledon semi-finalist, who is retiring this season.
“After his loss in the semis here last year, and taking time off and making that decision – which isn’t easy for an athlete to say ‘I’m going to try to get ready and get fit’ and to come back and play these few events that he’s played this year and pretty much winning every single one of them is unbelievable, and winning big titles.
“Especially this one – I know that means the most to him deep down. Winning here a record eight times and holding that record now on his own is something that he was looking for and he’s got it, so I’m very happy for him.”
Federer’s decision to take a six-month hiatus last year to recover from back and knee problems paid off immediately when he won the Australian Open in January on his first official tournament back.
He then decided to take the clay season off and skip Roland Garros, in order to maximise his chances on his beloved grass surface.
During his time away from the game end of last year, the Swiss revolutionised his backhand, which is now as big of a weapon as any of his other shots.
“I think he’s playing as good as he ever has. I think his one shot that he’s improved more than anything is his backhand. I think when you look at his second serve, coming to his backhand, the way he takes it early and not slicing it as much anymore is something that the added to his game and it’s really working well,” explained Haas.
“I think he’s serving as good as he ever had, also a really high first-serve percentages and he doesn’t give you anything. He takes advantage of your mistakes and that’s what he did throughout all of his career, putting a lot of pressure on you.”
Commenting on Federer reaching 19 major titles, Haas concluded: “It’s a joke, it’s crazy, I mean it’s 19 now it’s unbelievable. They should change it from SW19 to RF19.”
