‘It bothers me’ – Frenchman takes huge swipe at Roger Federer over exhibition scheduling

Julien Benneteau has taken aim at Roger Federer once again, blasting the Swiss legend for playing exhibition event whilst the Davis Cup is being played.
Federer is currently on Tour in the Americas, where he is playing a series of exhibitions with Alexander Zverev in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador.
That has irked Benneteau, though, which is odd given that Federer could not have been at the Davis Cup regardless given that Switzerland failed to qualify.
“It bothers me that it happens during the Davis Cup, that’s it,” he told beIN Sport of Federer’s tour.
“He is the greatest player of all time and it is normal that he is acclaimed this way.
“It’s fantastic and the Argentinians are able to put an incredible atmosphere and it is completely deserved.
“But it bothers me that it happens during the Davis Cup, that’s all.”
Bennetaeu, the French Davis Cup captain, has been a strong critic of Federer before, accusing him of engineering unfair advantages in the Grand Slams.
“Craig Tiley, the boss of the Australian Open who deals with marketing and TV rights, is paid by Roger Federer’s agent and on the back of that, as luck would have it, Federer played 12 of his 14 matches at 7:30 pm,” Benneteau said last year.
RELATED: WATCH: ‘Master’ Roger Federer gets emotional after message from Diego Maradona
“With regard to the new Davis Cup, he says nothing about the date in November.
“When the date of September was mentioned, he woke up and opposed Gerard Pique.”
Federer was eligible for the ATP Cup in January, but opted to pull out of that event for fears over committing to too many events to allow him to adequately recover between tournaments.
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.
Latest
-
Wimbledon
Cameron Norrie breaks new ground at home Grand Slam
Cameron Norrie defeated Steve Johnson 6-4 6-1 6-0 to make the last 16 at a grand slam for the first time.
-
Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic not concerned about Covid-19 risk
Novak Djokovic is not worried about Covid-19.
-
Wimbledon
Mats Wilander backs Brit to make last eight at SW19
Heather Watson made a statement in her third round win.
-
Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic set for fourth round clash with breakout grass prospect
Van Rijthoven’s rapid rise this summer continued, as he beat Nikoloz Basilashvili to the sound of ‘come on Tim’ at Wimbledon.
-
Wimbledon
Heather Watson banishes the ghost of her epic third round loss to Serena Williams
Watson is through to the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time in his career.
-
Wimbledon
How much John McEnroe earns from BBC commentary gig
John McEnroe walks away with a tidy sum for a fortnight of work.
-
Wimbledon
Ons Jabeur isn’t paid by the hour as she breezes into last 16
The world number two extended her winning streak on grass this summer to eight matches.
-
Tennis News
Heather Watson and Cameron Norrie flying the flag for Britain today at Wimbledon
Only four Brits remain.
-
Live Tennis
Wimbledon day five: Follow the action from SW19 with Tennis365’s live scores and results centre here…
Catch the action from Wimbledon with our live scores and results centre…
-
Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz finding his feet at SW19 to threaten Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal
He’s becoming a bigger danger to the ‘more experienced.’