Former Swiss tennis star Roger Federer is among the most influential tennis players in history. Holding such a high status in tennis, his words in public have always had a great impact on the sport. Back in 2003, ATP Masters Cup,(ATP Tour Finals), returned to the US. It was the result of the immense hard work and money put up by the $300 million worth US businessman Jim McIngvale. While the organizer put up a good effort in building the courts and organizing the event, Federer was not happy with the surface. Here’s what happened next.
Roger Federer angered Jim McIngvale with his remarks.
Jim was an ardent tennis fan and invested heavily in order to bring back the prestigious tournament to the country. However, Federer was of the idea that the facilities were not great. In particular, he criticized the quality of the court, which, according to him, was uneven and also had a slope.
Federer had more complaints.
Further, the Swiss maestro also doubted that the size of the court was good enough to accommodate such a tournament. According to Federer’s biography, Jim confronted Federer in the locker room. However, Federer as humble as always, apologized to the American.
However, he later expressed his disappointment over not getting the chance to speak his mind out.
“I don’t understand why people wrote that I was criticizing. “That was just my first impression. I can also talk differently when I arrive and say everything is great, you know. But that was just my feeling. If I can’t say my feelings anymore, I don’t come to press conferences anymore,” Federer said.
Federer is the most successful player in the year-end finals.
In 2003, Federer won his first year-end final title. The Swiss maestro defeated American tennis legend Andre Agassi in straight sets to clinch the title. Over the years, apart from amassing 20 Grand Slam titles, he also won the year-end title a record six times. Recently, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic equaled the record after winning ATP Finals 2022.