"You know, it’s just love for hitting that ball is just too big": Ljubicic describes Federer's incredible love for tennis

Former world number three Ivan Ljubicic has talked about Switzerland’s Roger Federer’s love of the game.

The 41-year-old announced retirement in September last year after suffering from fitness concerns.

Ljubicic, who also worked with Federer as a coach for a long time, opened up about his love for the game.

“Tennis, it’s something different,” he said. “I mean, whenever he sees the racquet, any kind of racquet, he would pick it up and start swinging. You know, it’s just love for hitting that ball is just too big.”

Federer ended his career as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s singles tennis in the Open era.

The Basel-born was the first player in the history of men’s tennis to win more than 15 Grand Slam titles. He later went on to become the first-ever player in the Open era to win 20 Grand Slams in his career.

Out of all the major tournaments, Federer’s most successful competition was at Wimbledon where he ended up lifting the title eight times. He remains the most successful player in the history of the competition.