Roger Federer – Mischa Zverev says goodbye to the tennis icon: “It just hurts”

“I was in a bad way. I went to bed really, really late that day and had to get up really early the next day because I had to catch a plane. I only slept 40 minutes, was completely devastated and had bad days all day mood,” he replied Eurosport Expert when asked whether Roger Federer’s farewell also affected him and added:

“You can talk it all up nicely, you can say it’s been a nice career, but it just hurts. It doesn’t matter how old he is or what he’s achieved. It just hurts to see such a farewell, to understand it and perceive.”

“Roger said he’s not sad, he’s happy – maybe he was too, but we weren’t. We were all sad. Basically we were happy to see him on the tennis court, but at the moment everyone was It’s sad that it was over,” explained Mischa Zverev, who also revealed that he had shed a tear or two himself: “Of course I cried. I cried at his first Wimbledon victory and at his last match too.”

Federer’s emotional moment with Nadal moves Mischa Zverev

“What was even worse was the interaction between Rafa and Roger – that’s not possible. They held hands and cried together. It was just too much for any normal mortal who loves tennis,” said the former top -30 player who further elaborated:

“I didn’t know they were that tight. But in that moment, it doesn’t matter if it’s your enemy or your friend. After everything you’ve been through together, you understand that it will never happen again . The good moments as well as the bad moments will never happen again. It’s just over. Whether he’s your boyfriend or not, that’s just sad.”

Mischa Zverev: “For these legends, tennis is everything”

The day after saying goodbye to his long-time companion, Nadal revealed that an important part of his life is now going. Words that Zverev can fully understand.

“Rafa said that something died inside him because he knows that you will never experience moments like that on the tennis court again. I don’t know how big they are, but at that moment everyone understood that that was it now . Rafa also knows that it’s Roger now and in a few years it will be him. They noticed that time doesn’t stand still for legends either,” emphasized the older of the two Zverev brothers.

It would “hurt a bit” even for a top 50 player to end his career. “But for these legends, tennis was everything – and suddenly it just stops,” summed up the 2017 Australian Open quarterfinalist.

Zverev on Federer: “I thought he should keep playing”

However, Zverev did not notice a big difference in quality between Federer and the other players in the Laver Cup.

“When I see Federer, I can’t say he’s too old for tennis. The technique, the footwork, the shots – when I looked at Roger and the other players at the Laver Cup, I thought to myself: ‘He should keep playing , he still plays so beautifully and so well'”, enthused the 35-year-old and finally remarked:

“Unfortunately, your body just can’t keep up. You just can’t start running like you did a few years ago. I think that’s so sad.”