Jim Courier credits Roger Federer for making on-court interviews fun - "He was the one who showed that it's okay to laugh at himself"

Roger Federer is not just responsible for beautifying tennis, but also for bringing on-court interviews to life, as per Jim Courier. The American also recalled the 2022 Laver Cup, where the Swiss legend retired and failed to hold back his tears while speaking to Courier.

Apart from his aesthetically pleasing game style, the 20-time Grand Slam champion left a mark on fans for the way he carried himself during his 24-year-long glorious career. During his on-court interviews and press conferences, he often made fun of himself and created light-hearted moments that made everyone tickle.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Courier has been conducting on-court interviews for many years and recently pointed out the change that he noticed. Speaking on the AO Show, the 52-year-old stated that Federer taught others how to talk more honestly about themselves, also showing them how to sell themselves to the audience in a more appealing way.

"Players these days, they know that they're still performing when they're in the interview, they know they're still selling themselves to the audience and showing a little bit more of themselves," Courier said. "It's really because Roger Federer showed that it was okay to do that. He was the one who showed that it's okay to laugh at himself and to show a little bit more and talk a little bit more about himself off the court."

The Swiss Maestro played his last professional match alongside Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Laver Cup last September. This was followed by Courier interviewing the icon, who was extremely emotional while reflecting on his amazing journey. Courier declared that he couldn't imagine experiencing a moment like that again, adding that it was a very meaningful farewell.

"That one has a lot of deep meaning because it represents the kind of end of his career," he added. "It represents him giving sort of a synopsis in many ways of his career and then the people that got him there and it was an emotional moment that I'm not going to be involved in an interview again, I can't imagine."