Roger Federer hopes ‘special’ Andy Murray wins ‘many, many rounds’ at Wimbledon

Ewan West 17 Jun 2023 11:20 AM

Roger Federer and Andy Murray

Roger Federer has declared he is a “big fan” of Andy Murray and described the three-time Grand Slam champion as a “special man.”

The 20-time major winner also revealed he hopes his former rival wins “many, many rounds” at next month’s Wimbledon Championships.

Federer and Murray faced off 25 times between 2005 and 2015, with the Swiss holding a 14-11 edge over the Brit.

Murray is currently competing at the ATP Challenger event in Nottingham – where he will face Nuno Borges in the semi-finals today.

The world No 44 is on an eight-match winning streak, having also triumphed at the Surbiton Challenger last week.

Speaking at an event to open two new courts in the London borough of Greenwich, Federer was full of praise for the 36-year-old.

“Andy is a special man and I’m very happy he’s still able to play. He loves it. He truly loves it,” said the Swiss at the event.

“With all the complications he’s had with his hip, it’s amazing to see that he’s still going and I think we all should give him like, a proper sort of round of applause if you like, because what he’s going through and what he’s achieving with what he’s gone through is incredible.

“Funny enough, he just won a Challenger, I believe in Surbiton last week. I played that back in ’99, lost in the semis. And he won the same week as Novak [Djokovic] got to this incredible record of 23 Slams – that also deserves so much respect.

“So I’m a big fan of Andy’s as well and I wish him all the best for Wimbledon as that’s his best surface in my mind, especially nowadays. So I hope he wins many, many rounds at Wimbledon in a couple of weeks.”

The 41-year-old, who retired last year, also revealed he is enjoying his life after his tennis career.

“You know, I must say retired life is good. I was just speaking before that the best part of being retired is just not having to put the body through the wringer,” Federer added.

“Of course, I still enjoy going out on the tennis court, especially nowadays with my children. So whenever I get a chance to go back on the tennis court, it makes me very happy.

“And especially even more so here in London where I’ve had such a great history in terms of results and memories, of course, over the years. The Olympics, O2 arena, and then as well at Wimbledon, so I added another court to my collection [today] that’s a beautiful one. Very special.”

Federer holds the men’s record for most Wimbledon singles titles with eight. His last victory at the All England Club came in 2017.