Tommy Haas paid tribute to Roger Federer as he said the Swiss played tennis “as if he was from another planet.” Federer, 41, ended his astonishing tennis career after the Laver Cup. Haas, who played his last match in 2017, paid a visit to the Laver Cup as he didn’t want to miss Federer’s big farewell.
Throughout his career and after he retired, Haas kept a very good relationship Federer. Describing Federer, Haas said the Swiss was a tennis great who also had a great personality.
Haas: Federer is an incredible guy
“I knew beforehand that he would say goodbye there at the Laver Cup.
It was important for me to be there. I’ve never been to the Laver Cup before. It was a great atmosphere in the O2 Arena. It was very emotional, almost too emotional. Roger is an incredible guy, on and off the court – as a friend, as a father, as a man.
You always have fun with him. He has a great outlook on life and it’s wonderful to spend time with people like him. Roger is in the same situation now as I was back then: you are no longer on the tour. But when we both play table tennis, we have fun, we have the ambition to win.
You can talk about Roger’s career for a long time. It’s unbelievable what he achieved, how long and consistently. He played tennis as if he was from another planet, that was the time from 2004 to 2006,” Haas told Eurosport Germany’s tennis podcast Das Gelbe vom Ball.
Haas, a former world No 2, played against Federer 17 times. Haas didn’t really enjoy much success against Federer as he lost 13 of their 17 meetings. However, Haas defeated Federer in their final meeting as he upset the Swiss 2-6 7-6 (8) 6-4 on the grass courts of Stuttgart. That was the last pro win of Haas’ career.
