The 2019 Hopman Cup turned out to be a pretty exciting affair. The tournament saw the clash of two of the legends of the sport, Serena Williams and Roger Federer going up against each other. As the United States faced Switzerland, Federer and Belinda Bencic took on Serena Williams and Frances Tiafoe in the mixed doubles encounter. The Swiss maestro was at his very best in that match and won over the American pairing. Years after that historic encounter, Tiafoe remembered a bizarre question from Serena Williams that left him speechless.

During that match, Federer hit multiple aces and also aced Williams. This left the American legend surprised as not many could ace her during her illustrious career. Recently, Tiafoe appeared in the Tour Tales show during which he recounted the question from Williams and his subsequent reaction.

Recalling that encounter, Tiafoe said, “Here comes ace, ace, ace. Serena was like Federer’s acing her. She’s like, I don’t know how he’s acing me, he’s not better than me. And I’m like, what am I going to do, say no?” This made Tiafoe burst into laughter as he remembered that match and Hailey Baptiste, who joined the conversation, also couldn’t control her laughter after hearing this incident.

Nonetheless, it turned out to be a great experience and even the legendary duo of Federer and Williams enjoyed that encounter. After the match, Federer said, “I was nervous returning because it’s a wonderful serve and you just can’t read it. It was great fun and she is a great champion. You can see how focused she is and that’s what I love about her.”

However, Williams couldn’t get enough of the time playing against Federer. “It was a great experience, I’m sad it is over, I was just warming up. I mean the guy is the greatest of all time, both on and off the court,” she said, hoping to play against Federer again. Nonetheless, that was the only time Federer and Williams came up against each other on the tennis court.

Although Federer got the better of her in that match, Williams has always been a fan of his playing style. She even delivered the ultimate praise on the Swiss maestro once in a stunning revelation.

Serena Williams picks Roger Federer as the GOAT

Although the GOAT question is widely debated in the tennis world, Williams has a clear pick in this regard, and it is none other than Federer. A naturally gifted player, Williams believes that the Swiss maestro changed the way tennis was perceived with his greatness. During an interview once, Williams also picked Federer as the greatest player of all time.

She said, “I think two words sum it up: Roger Federer. He’s just a synopsis of greatness and class and amazing and really changed the game. You see players playing like him, moving like him, doing his techniques. The guy is (a) genius. I just feel like he is really the greatest player. You can’t not like the guy, that’s how I feel. His game is so fantastic. If I could only play like him.”

However, Williams is no less a great player than Federer. She has broken several barriers and dominated the women’s circuit for years. Indeed, the two players stand out for their undisputed service to the sport.