"I really wanted to catch him before he retired" - Stefanos Tsitsipas speaks on fulfilled dream of facing idol Roger Federer on tour

Tennis legend Roger Federer inspired thousands during his illustrious career, and former World No.3 revealed his aspirations to face the Swiss Maestro before his retirement.

Tsitsipas burst onto the tennis scene towards the end of the 2010's, while Federer was still active on tour. The Greek star would reach his first Grand Slam semifinal in 2019, before claiming the biggest title of his career when he captured the year-ending ATP Finals trophy that same year.

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Playing against Federer was a dream come true, says Tsitsipas

The 26-year old has made it known that Federer was his idol growing up, and admitted he was looking forward to the day when he would face the 20-time Grad Slam champion on the court.

“Roger Federer was my idol. I really wanted to catch him before he retired. It’s true. I have never really disclosed that before,” he told the Tennis Insider Club podcast. "But I knew I was in a tricky phase with the top three still playing but them not being the youngest any more.
“So I was like at least I want to play the top three before they retire or stop, so I wanted to be in a good situation ranking-wise to do that. These were the guys, these were the reasons I wanted to be the best in tennis because I saw them play on TV and I really wanted to see how it feels being like them."

Tsitsipas faced Federer on four different occasions, with each match occurring in 2019. Each man won two meetings, with the Greek star prevailing at the Australian Open and the semifinals of the ATP Finals. Federer would emerge victorious in Dubai and at the Swiss Indoors Basel tournament.

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