Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu has lavished praise on Roger Federer, calling him one of the all-time greats in the game.

From possibly taking a picture with him when she was little, to watching him play for the longest time, the 20-year-old Canadian admitted to having been blown away by the Swiss superstar.

“Might have taken a picture with him when I was little”: Bianca Andreescu on Roger Federer

Speaking to the press ahead of the upcoming Miami Open, the 2019 US Open champion said Federer was a role model not just for herself and other established tennis stars but also for many who may not have anything to do with the sport.

The World Number 9, who is still finding her way back into the women’s game after a year out with injuries, has no better person than the 20-time Grand Slam champion to look up to when it comes to scripting incredible comeback stories.

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Going on 40 and still relentless in his pursuit of greatness, Federer returned to competitive action after 14 months at the recent Qatar Open.

The extended spell on the sidelines saw him miss the bulk of events last season and the Australian Open back in February, but the Swiss seemed to have picked up from where he’d left off in his comeback match against Englishman Dan Evans in Doha.

Although he crashed out in the tournament quarterfinals, the gains of playing back-to-back three-setters and getting back into the swing of things far outweighed the loss to big-hitting Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.

On her admiration for the former World Number 1, Andreescu said, “I might have taken a picture with him when I was little…He’s such a great role model for me, for many people.”

Bianca Andreescu says Roger Federer has contributed a lot to tennis

Andreescu, whose comeback at this year’s Australian Open was cut short in the second round by rising Taiwanese star Hsieh Su-wei, has taken the disappointment in her stride and has hired a highly regarded fitness trainer to regain lost ground in the women’s game.

And the biggest lesson she can learn from Federer is to turn a deaf ear to naysayers and keep working on her fitness and tennis.

“He has really given tennis a lot. He is one of the best of all time,” the Canadian said.

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However, she will be missing out on the chance to watch his idol from close quarters in Miami as he withdrew from the tournament this year to focus on training for the grass-court swing.