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“I like India. I take pleasure in going there to go to and in addition to play. It is a vibrant nation”. From asking his followers to take him on a tour of India through photoshop or confessing his love for ‘naan’, tennis legend Roger Federer’s love affair with India isn’t any secret.
Because the 20-time Grand Slam champion introduced his retirement from top-level tennis, saying that Laver cup can be his remaining ATP tour occasion, we check out Federer’s reference to India.
Federer has been to India 3 times in 2006, 2014 and 2015. He final visited India in 2015 for the Worldwide Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
READ | Tennis Legend Roger Federer Proclaims Retirement After Laver Cup 2022
He additionally visited India for the IPTL’s inaugural version in 2014, the place he performed for the Indian Aces.
Throughout that go to, Federer performed two matches on the Indira Gandhi Nationwide Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. Within the singles tie, he beat Czech participant Tomas Berdych 6-4 earlier than teaming up with Gael Monfils to beat Nenad Zimonjic and Novak Djokovic in straight units.
Federer’s 2014 go to was a memorable one too as a few of Bollywood’s prime stars like Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh joined the Swiss on court docket to play tennis throughout an exhibition match.
Within the all-stars match, he partnered Deepika Padukone and performed in opposition to the pair of Novak Djokovic and Sania Mirza.
Federer visited India for the primary time in 2006 in his capability as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador following the devastating 2004 tsunami in Tamil Nadu. Federer visited a safety centre for kids and orphans in Cuddalore to supervise aid efforts. Federer additionally led a number of fundraising initiatives, together with the ATP All-Star Rally for Reduction.
Greater than 18,000 folks in India, a 3rd of them youngsters, had been killed or reported lacking because of the tsunami on December 26, 2004.
Accompanied by his then-girlfriend-now-wife, Miroslava Mirka Vavrinec, Federer additionally went to Villupuram, the place he took half in an HIV Schooling Programme.
In 2015, an argument erupted after Federer shared an image on Fb that exhibits him unpacking a Workforce India jersey, with the hashtag #BleedBlue. The {photograph}, posted simply earlier than India’s World Cup match in opposition to Pakistan, irritated Federer’s legion of followers in Islamabad.
Nevertheless, the put up was a part of a advertising and marketing photoshoot as Federer shared the identical sponsor because the Indian cricket workforce.
Amid the row, Federer apologised for sparking the controversy. “It was a Nike marketing campaign they’d as a result of I met a few of the Indian gamers and I had simply spent a while in India in order that they introduced the shirt to me. I assist South Africa, and everyone is aware of that. The concept wasn’t to spark any hearth and I’m sorry if it did that,” Federer had advised reporters.
After his 2015 go to, Federer, citing lack of time, had requested his Twitter followers in India to photoshop him across the nation. The tweet drew hilarious strategies.
Earlier than leaving India in 2015, Federer had wished to come back together with his household and tour the nation. “I actually loved it (being in India). Sadly I couldn’t do a lot of these journeys (as prompt on Twitter) however I do know that one I’ll positively journey India in an enormous approach. There’s a lot to see. I wish to include household and hopefully we will do it in peace. I would like to journey this lovely nation,” he had mentioned.
We hope Federer will get time to go to India after his retirement now.
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