In the latest episode of the Court N°1 podcast on RMC, Gilles Simon revealed that he had a rather simple tactic against Roger Federer. Simon said: “Tactically it was easier for me to face the Big 3, because they are such strong players that they don’t have many weaknesses.
They do more or less everything perfectly. I wasn’t using any brilliant tactics when I was facing Roger Federer. I played him as much as possible on his backhand, it was the only thing I could do. His serve was extremely precise, with his forehand he left you two meters from the ball and at the net he felt comfortable with him.
If there was one area of the court where you could breathe a little, it was definitely the backhand diagonal. I have always struggled more against those players who offered me more options, because there I had to make a choice.
I was often between two fires and didn’t always handle the situation in the best way.” Gilles, who reached the round of 16 at Paris-Bercy in what was the last tournament of his career.
Roger said goodbye to tennis in September
Roger Federer said goodbye to tennis played this year, being now aware that he can no longer compete at the highest level.
The King did his best to be able to treat himself to one last round of the carousel in 2023, but the conditions of his right knee forced him to say enough. The three operations to which the Swiss has undergone in the last two and a half years have been of no use.
The 41-year-old from Basel had tried a timid return in 2021, playing just 13 official matches and stopping again after Wimbledon. The 20-time Grand Slam champion announced his decision to retire via a letter posted on Instagram and played his last match alongside Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup.
The former world number 1 has however promised that he will not step away from the sport which made him a global icon. In this regard, it is rumored that the Maestro could join the BBC commentary team at the next edition of Wimbledon.
