Roger Federer has had several coaches over the course of his highly successful career. However, none was more important than the partnership he forged with the former ATP world no.3, Ivan Ljubicic. The Croatian tennis legend, in a recent interview, talked at length about the paramount reason why he was hired. It had something to do with his archrival, Rafael Nadal!

Ljubicic was one of the main reasons for the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s success in the years 2017 and 2018. These were the years when he won a plethora of titles like the Australian Open 2017, Indian Wells, Miami, Wimbledon Championships, 2018 Australian Open, and so on. In this interview, Ljubicic talks about how Federer’s Australian Open win against Nadal catapulted his confidence to great heights.

Ljubicic relives the epic 2017 Australian Open final of Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal

Ivan Ljubicic says that when Federer hired him, the singular goal was to win a grand slam again. And although both of them were skeptical of that happening again, it materialized with Federer beating Rafael Nadal in a nail-biting five-set thriller in 2017. Federer was down in the deciding set, yet he showed no signs of giving up and he beat Nadal eventually in the final.

According to Ljubicic, that is a ‘Mount Everest’ moment of his career. After that, he won Indian Wells, Miami, Wimbledon, and Australian Open of the next year in quite dominant fashion.

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He said, “When he signed me, his goal was very simple: win a Grand Slam again. We didn’t know if it was going to be possible. The way he beat Rafa in the final, after breaking down in the fifth set, you can’t beat that. It is Mount Everest. He took advantage of that to win Indian Wells and Miami or Wimbledon without losing a set, the Australian Open again in 2018 or regain number 1. He rode the wave. There were phases at that time where he thought he couldn’t lose.

Ljubicic also spoke about how Federer made the sport known to parts of the world where it was absolutely oblivious to them. According to him, he is the perfect ambassador of the game.

Ljubicic: Federer’s influence on tennis was bigger than anyone else

Now that Federer has retired, Ljubicic has sought to explain Federer’s contribution to the sport. According to the Croat, no one will be able to come close to Federer’s unique legacy. He has won the ATP fan favorite award for a record 19 consecutive times and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award 13 times. No one in any other sport has captivated and galvanized these many people as Federer has. Michael Jordan, despite not having not all the records, is still considered G.O.A.T. by the majority in his sport. The same applies to Federer, according to Ljubicic, and this is due to the influence and impact of Federer.

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Ljubicic opines that no one has had the impact on tennis as much as Federer. He says, “Nobody will be able to come close, even remotely, to what Federer has given to this sport. He has received the most beloved tennis player award 19 years in a row and has won the sportsmanship award 13 times. I don’t think there has been anyone in any other sport who has been as loved and influenced as many others as he was.

Federer has influenced tennis like no other. Ljubicic’s candid interview gives one a clear picture of Federer and things that are quite unknown about him.

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