Roger Federer is known for leaving his opponents bewildered on the tennis court due to his sheer mastery and elegance.
He made playing the game look far easier than anyone else and his long reign of dominance helped him carve out a legacy as one of the greatest of all time. But over the last three years before his eventual retirement last September, he was putting his free time to good use for an art project.
Federer was no stranger to pushing himself physically, but his tennis exploits could not prepare him for one experience. In order to capture his 3D figure, he had to endure hours inside full-body moulds, hanging from a harnesses – in his underpants. The tennis legend even had his entire face covered in silicone.
The Swiss maestro was connected with acclaimed Swiss artist and sculptor Ugo Rondinone through a friend for a large-scale exhibition, and was offered the opportunity to be one of seven models in the piece, called “Cloud Six”.
The experience was captured in “Portrait of a Champion”, a documentary showcasing the unique and unusual art collaboration between Federer and Rondinone.
“I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to work with both Ugo Rondinone and Credit Suisse as the world of art has been something I have long admired,” Federer said.
“This new experience gave me the chance to push me out of my comfort zone and opened my eyes to learn the intricate processes of creating art.”
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Catalyst / Vimeo)
Federer retired from tennis in September 2022 after the Laver Cup in emotional scenes as stars of the sport paid tribute.
He will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on the Australian Open in Melbourne, with American sensation Ben Shelton progressing to the quarter-finals.
Federer signed Shelton to his TEAM8 agency last year, with the likes of Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev and Coco Gauff also on the books.
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Catalyst / Vimeo)
Meanwhile, tennis legend John McEnroe has discussed the absence of Federer and Serena WIlliams in Melbourne, after the greats bowed out from the sport last year.
“The answer is an obvious ‘yes!’ – you miss these GOATs, the greatest of all time,” he told Eurosport.
“Class act, Roger Federer. Serena Williams – people look at tennis in a different way after all that she has accomplished.
“So of course, they are missed. How can you possibly gauge how much they are missed? We don’t even know. It is a question we don’t know the answer to, but we were lucky to have them.
Portrait of a Champion’ is now available to watch on CNBC.com on January 24th.
