I lost three Wimbledon finals to Roger Federer but I was most impressed by classy gesture he did in private

ROGER FEDERER amazed the tennis world with his incredible shots and graceful movement.

And that included beating Andy Roddick in three Wimbledon finals.

ReutersRoger Federer beat Andy Roddick in three Wimbledon finals[/caption]

GettyRoddick still holds great respect for a classy humble gesture he did in private[/caption]

But ahead one of their Centre Court showdowns, Roddick was left in awe of the great Swiss maestro before they even took to the grass.

That is because of one incredible, humble and classy gesture Federer did in private well away from the adoring public eye.

Speaking on his Served podcast, Roddick said: “I watched him one year at Wimbledon before one of our finals.

“I’m a nervous wreck and he’s playing f***ing games on his phone like he couldn’t be calmer which was annoying in its own way.

“You have a couple of players who aren’t as good, maybe in the mixed doubles, they’re not Federer at Wimbledon, they can go to Starbucks in Wimbledon village and probably be left alone.

“They regripped their racquets in the training room – everyone uses the same training room when you’re stretching – and then they just dropped their trash on the floor and walked out.

“I watched Roger having a conversation with someone, see that and just casually go over and pick up three old grips and a bunch of plastic and just throw them away while maintaining his conversation, not saying [anything].

“I would have done it but I would have been like, ‘These f***ing pricks.’ I would have had some commentary about it which was bitter.

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“‘Put it away, I’m Roger Federer, I’ve won this tournament six, seven times already whatever it is.’ He consistently did stuff like that.”

Roddick reached No1 in the world rankings in November 2003, two months after winning his one and only Grand Slam at the US Open.

But he came up just short at the All England Club on three separate occasions – and was stopped by Federer every time.

Federer won their 2004, 2005 and 2009 finals – the latter going to 16-14 in the fifth and final set.

Despite their rivalry and 21 defeats out of 24 meetings with the Basel genius, Roddick still holds Federer in such high regard and with the greatest respect.

The American dad-of-two – who now makes whiskey and owns a golf course – added: “I think the biggest compliment you can give someone after you’ve been a father is, ‘I hope my kids grow up and act like this person.’

“Not famous, not as successful just treat people with the level of respect that he does.

“He knew the name of the person who was looking after the tournament in the locker room each week.

“He just carried himself with a certain grace.

“I’m not jealous of Roger, the only thing I’m jealous of was his ease of operation – how he could do these things and be in a good mood, there’s no way he was in a good mood every day but he faked it better than anyone.

“He was the greatest before the other two [Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic] became the greatest and the greatest.”

Federer is considered by many tennis fans to be the greatest player to ever step foot on a court.

He retired with 20 Grand Slam titles aged 41 at the Laver Cup in 2022.

The retirement announcement and days leading up to that emotional night – where Federer cried while holding hands with Nadal – was captured for a home video that has now been produced into a Amazon Prime Video documentary.

In it, Federer’s wife Mirka broke down in tears as she admitted she misses watching her man play tennis.

Youtube – Served with Andy RoddickRoddick detailed the Federer story on his podcast[/caption]