(Berlin) Honored at the Halle tournament, which he won ten times, the Swiss Roger Federer paid tribute to Novak Djokovic on Wednesday, describing his 23e record Grand Slam title obtained at Roland-Garros ten days ago.
“I think what Novak did is incredible,” Federer told the crowd. It’s a great time to be a tennis fan, but also a player. »
But Federer refused to take sides in the debate over the greatest player of all time, which is rocking the tennis planet, saying it was “hard to say”.
“I asked a friend, what is more difficult: winning Wimbledon at 17 like Boris Becker or Roland-Garros at 36 like Novak? I don’t know,” he added.
Djokovic conquered in Paris his 23e title in a Grand Slam tournament, taking a step ahead of Rafael Nadal (22), his last rival still active – although away from the courts due to injury – and still pushing back Federer (20), 41, who has already retired.
A legend in his sport, Federer continues to receive accolades. The organizers of the Halle tournament awarded him a prize for his achievements in western Germany. “The maestro” won ten titles there, including three without losing a single round (2004, 2008 and 2017), winning 69 games for only eight defeats.
