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Published by on June 29th, 2008
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By Scoop Malinowski
As he prepares for his world title defense against Tony Thompson in Austria, this week, Wladimir Klitschko will keep an eye on the progress of the Wimbledon tennis tournament being played outside of London. You see, Heavyweight champ Klitschko is a personal friend with the tennis titan from Switzerland.
“Tennis is a great sport,” says Klitschko. “Roger Federer, he’s the champion. And if you meet, personally, those big guys like Roger Federer, you’re just so inspired, and following and looking at it. And it’s amazing that he just keeps on winning and keeps winning, which is not common in sport. I met him personally three or four years ago in Germany at an awards gala. He’s very handsome and very, very down to earth guy. And I think as a person, he’s not complicated. And just a real nice person.”
Klitschko and Federer keep in touch, and frequently e-mail each other before important competitions. Federer has not attended any Klitschko bouts live in-person yet, primarily because the pro tennis schedule runs most of the year from early January to late November. However, Klitschko has watched Federer play in Hamburg last May, when he defeated Rafael Nadal on clay – “It was just amazing,” – and at the semifinals of the U.S. Open of 2006 against Nikolay Davydenko.
Klitschko, known as an exceptional all-around athlete, has not yet quite mastered tennis though. “I have no talent actually. No talent at all,” he confesses with a smile. “Ping pong is my sport.”
26-year-old Federer, who has won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, is attempting to make tennis history this week. If Federer can win Wimbledon again, it will be his sixth consecutive title at the All England Club, which would break the record of Bjorn Borg’s five consecutive Wimbledon titles. On Monday, Federer will clash with 2002 champ Lleyton Hewitt and is heavily favored to reach the final where it is likely he will meet the #2 seeded Spaniard Nadal who he edged in five hard-fought sets in last year’s final.
Klitschko was invited to attend last year’s final and was hoping to go – which was the next day after his successful title defense against Lamon Brewster – but decided to stay in Germany with a slight hand injury and thus missed one of the epic Wimbledon battles which was won by Federer over Nadal, 76 46 76 26 62.
Klitschko says Federer is a boxing fan. “He told me he’s a Klitschko fan, he watched my fights of me and my brother. He said he definitely wants to come to the fights.”
I interviewed Federer in September of the year 1999 in New York, which was years before he became an international superstar, and asked him which were his favorite athletes to watch? Federer mentioned Lennox Lewis who he had seen draw with Evander Holyfield on TV the previous March. Federer, who was 18 at the time, was in New York playing the U.S. Open qualifying tournament but was defeated and did not make the main draw.
Check out the Roger Federer Biofile at www.thebiofile.com
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