Indian tennis superstar Sania Mirza has revealed that former World No. 1 Roger Federer is her favorite player.
Sania, a former World No. 27 in singles and No. 1 in doubles, disclosed her admiration for the Swiss great in a Q&A session on Twitter after her fan following on the micro-blogging website hit the seven million mark.
Do you have any favorite tennis players (singles)? #sananswers
— ST (@shobz) December 6, 2017
Roger https://t.co/f0sDsovPTg
— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) December 6, 2017
This wasn’t the first time Sania displayed her reverence for the 19-time Grand Slam champion. In fact, the ace Indian has talked at length about her three interactions with Federer in her autobiography ‘Ace against Odds’. In the book Mirza has praised Roger for his caring attitude towards his fellow tennis players.
She remembers the time when Federer, who was himself struggling with mononucleosis enquired about her health during one of the most difficult phases of her career before the start of the Australian Open in 2008. Federer was also in constant touch with Sania when terrorists attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2011 highlighting the down to earth nature of the 36-year-old from Basel.
“He (Federer) also surprised me many months later with a message of concern when Mumbai was tragically struck by terrorist attacks on November 26, 2008. I think this is what makes Roger very, very special because apart from being a legend, a genius and the greatest ever exponent of his craft, he remains warm, caring, accessible, untouched by fame, and a thorough gentleman.” One extract from her book reads.
The Hyderabadi girl has played alongside Federer in some exhibition matches and the two were members of the same Indian Tennis Premier League (IPTL) team, the Indian Aces, in the 2014 edition of the tournament in Delhi.
