- The tennis player confirmed that the 2022 Laver Cup will be his final competitive match on Thursday by announcing his retirement from the sport.
- Since then, tributes to the legendary Swiss athlete have poured in from all around the world.
- Lara has been forced to reminisce and treasure her memories as a result of the announcement.
Roger Federer is a well-known tennis player. Although Lara Dutta Bhupathi has seen him play numerous times, it is his charm off the court that has captured her heart.
The tennis player confirmed that the 2022 Laver Cup will be his final competitive match on Thursday by announcing his retirement from the sport. Since then, tributes to the legendary Swiss athlete have poured in from all around the world. Lara has been forced to reminisce and treasure her memories as a result of the announcement.
“I have had the privilege and the pleasure of meeting Roger Federer many times through the courses of my husband’s (former Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi) career. I have been one of the fortunate people to see him play on many centre courts at many Grand Slam grand slams. For me. Roger Federer will always be GOAT. It’s just sheer poetry in motion to watch him play,” Lara tells us.
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The 44-year-old continues, “I still remember watching him play at the Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal a couple of years ago. I mean, Nadal is an incredible player as well, but watching Roger move on court is literally just watching a ballet performance take place. I will always treasure the moments that I’ve had to watch him play as an athlete and as a tennis player”.
“When it comes to knowing him for the person that he is… I still remember the very first time that I ever travelled with my husband was to the World Championships, which normally held in London around year end,” she says, adding, “That was the first time that I saw Roger. He was sitting in the players lounge right at the very back. Mahesh’s father, Krishna Bhupathi, walked into the lounge, and went to him to say hello”.
Apart from his game, Lara admires him for his humble nature as well. “No matter how big he was, he recognised people. He was always really humble, always smiling, never said no to a picture being taken,” she says.
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In fact, she is glad that her husband took the initiative to get him to India for a match in the International Premier Tennis League. She confesses, “For Indian fans, it was a dream come true and once in a lifetime opportunity. In our lifetime, to be able to see Roger play on Indian soil, all thanks to Mahesh really for being able to bring him down here during the league. Roger never has in the past ever played on Indian soil. So I think at least in our life and our generation, we got to see him at his peak when he was here”.
These are some of the memories that she will hold close to her heart. “These treasured memories are very close to my heart, given the fact that he is retiring from tennis. But I will always eternally remain a Roger Federer fan and for me, he will always be GOAT,” she ends.
