Petra Kvitova says she likes Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal “very much” because she has always considered them to be very educated people. In an interview with FlashScore, Kvitova was asked to reflect on Federer’s retirement from tennis.
“Both times I won Wimbledon, Djokovic did. The last memory I have of Roger is from the Wimbledon Center Court centenary celebrations. Roger flew in for the ceremony and as we all waited outside the Center Court gates we chatted.
And he dedicated himself to chatting with me, with total tranquility (laughs). He was great. Personally, I really like Roger and Rafa Nadal because they are polite, they always say hello, they smile, they are human,” Kvitova told FlashScore.
In the same interview, Kvitova said that Novak Djokovic “has always been very nice” to her as well. Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion and former World No.2, finished 2022 with a 27-19 record. In the first half of the season, Kvitova struggled with injuries and did not perform well.
In the second half of the season, Kvitova did much better, as she went all the way on the grass courts of Eastbourne, while she finished runner-up to Caroline Garcia in the Cincinnati final. “After everything that has happened to me since the beginning of the year, when I was injured, my game was not going well at all and I was even getting a little tired of everything, I ended up feeling very positive.
I’m glad to be back from that and to play and play and play again. The season did not go well for us Czechs in general, but on the other hand we have a lot of young players. However, my season was successful and the title I won on grass was the icing on the cake,” Kvitova reflected.
King Roger was very much loved
Novak Djokovic showered more praise on his great rival Roger Federer. “His footprint, his legacy, his mark that he left behind is going to live forever,” Novak Djokovic said when asked about Federer during a chat with Prakash Amritraj.
“Even now that he retired, his legacy is going to be there for many many decades and generations to follow. He has not only achieved so much on the court but he has inspired so many young players to take a racquet in their hand.
You have so many top players now talking about it, Roger was their idol. That’s great, that speaks of his greatness.”
