Tommy Haas and Roger Federer had a fierce rivalry on the court and nobody gave an inch to the other player. However, outside the court, they were great friends and continue to be so.
The German star, Tommy Haas, competed on the ATP Tour from 1996 to 2017. During the course of his career, he faced Roger Federer on 17 occasions. The 20-time Grand Slam champion went on to win 13 encounters out of them while Haas registered 4 wins.
In a recent interview with Eurosport Germany’s tennis podcast Das Gelbe vom Ball, Haas lavished praise on Federer, who retired from professional tennis earlier this year at the Laver Cup. Haas hailed Federer as an incredible guy both on and off the court. The 44-year-old also mentioned that it is always wonderful to spend time with Federer. Haas also didn’t forget to praise Federer’s qualities as a player and felt that from 2004 to 2006, the Swiss star played like a man from a different planet.
“It was important for me to be there. I’ve never been to the Laver Cup before. It was a great atmosphere in the O2 Arena. It was very emotional, almost too emotional.
“Roger is an incredible guy, on and off the court – as a friend, as a father, as a man. You always have fun with him. He has a great outlook on life and it’s wonderful to spend time with people like him.
“Roger is in the same situation now as I was back then: you are no longer on the tour. But when we both play table tennis, we have fun, we have the ambition to win.
“You can talk about Roger’s career for a long time. It’s unbelievable what he achieved, how long and consistently. He played tennis as if he was from another planet, that was the time from 2004 to 2006.”
Tommy Haas and Roger Federer played together on the ATP circuit for close to two decades and gave us many unforgettable moments.
The two players collided for one last time at the 2017 Stuttgart Open in the round of 16. Federer was the top seed going into the tournament. However, Haas produced a magnificent come-from-behind win to progress to the next round. The match ended 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 in favor of the German player.
Haas eventually bowed out in the quarterfinals in Stuttgart after being defeated by sixth seed Mischa Zverev in straight sets.
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