Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has always been the picture of grace, even in his heydays. So while that is certainly not breaking news, another tennis star has now spoken out about being awestruck by Federer.

The sheer magnanimity of the former World No.1 means that Roger’s reputation always precedes him. At least for recent Wimbledon men’s doubles champion, Neal Skupski, that seems to be the case. The Brit shared how he reacted to having taken a picture with the man he considers his hero.

Neal Skupski on the grace of legends like Roger Federer

Growing up in Liverpool with his coach-brother training him, turning pro was Neal Skupski’s childhood dream. In a recent episode of the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, he sat down with leading tennis journalist Chris Bowers to discuss his formative influences. Gushing over the legendary Roger Federer, Skupski recounted a memorable moment he shared as a young boy.

A star-struck young lad watching his older brother play tennis at Wimbledon, Neal Skupski described the sweet occasion: “I ran up to Roger Federer and got a selfie with him. And obviously, I’ll remember that for the rest of my life. He was the real kind of person I looked up to and my idol. But yeah, it’s sometimes you say never meet your idols. But Roger was very nice to me.”

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With similar reverence, Neal also recounted meeting Andy Murray later in his career: “The first time you meet him, you’re kind of nervous. Your palms are sweaty. And yeah, you just kind of want to get a picture with him ’cause obviously he is one of the stars of the game.” Unfortunately, he revealed that it was only later in life that he could really connect with the British legend.

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Skupski also expressed his delight with making his dreams coming to fruition.

Neal Skupski reflects on the difference between reality and dreams

For Neal Skupski, there is nothing better than living his dream—working hard as a tennis player and traveling the world. One of his biggest highlights is definitely being friends and Davis Cup teammates with Andy Murray. Far from the initial anxiety of meeting the three-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Skupski says things have eased up between them: “Now it’s more like I’ll have conversations with him.”

Skupski admits that despite dreaming of success, he never thought he would get to be World No. 1 in doubles. The stars on TV then – Roger Federer and Andy Murray – are now people that he regularly rubs shoulders with. The gap between the fantasy of seeing them on screen and actually being friendly with them is astonishing, as Skupski reports: “It’s crazy to kind of be around him quite often.

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