Rick Macci: "Roger Federer was poetry in motion"

• Tennis News
• Roger Federer

Roger Federer has returned to Wimbledon for the first time since his retirement, placed at the 2022 Laver Cup. Once again, the Swiss tennis legend has brought with him the charm and elegance that have always distinguished his tennis and his off-court side, attending the matches of Elena Rybakina and Andy Murray from the Royal Box of the Wimbledon Center Court.

Roger has written indelible pages in the history of Wimbledon, performing a tennis that reached peaks of unattainable beauty. No one else was, is, and ever will be like him. Rick Macci, on Twitter, said Roger Federer was so graceful on the grass, like a poetry in motion.

The former coach of Venus and Serena Williams talked also about Pete Sampras and Novak Djokovic. He wrote: "Movement on grass is so different. Roger was so graceful he was poetry in motion. Sampras was so light he was on egg shells.

Djokovic is so nimble and balanced he can fire groundstrokes off both butterfly wings with a glass of goat milk on his head and not spill a drop."

Movement on grass is so different. Roger was so graceful he was poetry in motion.Sampras was so light he was on egg shells.@DjokerNole is so nimble and balanced he can fire groundstrokes off both butterfly wings with a glass of goat milk on his head and not spill a drop.

— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) July 8, 2023

Roger Federer's words to the CNN

The Swiss legend granted an interview with the CNN, Deportes and dealt with many topics, from the past to the present up to future tennis: "Me, Rafa, Nole and Murray were together the day I retired and almost all of us were crying under the music.

Everyone had their reasons, but you can see how good it was to play this last phase of our career. Just think that Borg retired at 26, Sampras at 32 and there are few tennis players who have reached our age. The situation of Nadal? We were lucky, even Rafa knows it.

He's going through a difficult period, I've been there too and I hope he can say goodbye to the circuit on his terms and maybe play a little more. I hope to see him again on the pitch and not just for a double with me. I'm sure it will.

Novak Djokovic? I think it's a great moment for him, I've had my moments at Wimbledon and I've won eight times. Now if he or anyone else equals my record it's because he deserves it. In the past I was motivated to break records but once you retire it is no longer your priority.

You're gone. That's when you start to relax, but still take pride in your accomplishments. I hope Djokovic equals my record, I think this is good for tennis and for the history of our sport." Finally on Alcaraz, he said: "I think he will do incredible things in the future, I believe he will win Grand Slam tournaments, and I'm curious to see how he fares at this Wimbledon.

In the end he has to give something more on this surface, especially be careful not to slip otherwise things could get complicated. But I think he has the tools to win, we know what champions are made of."