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Roger Federer and Serena Williams are veterans of the sport who have entertained fans around the world for over a decade with their supreme brand of tennis. Ironically, the two players had never played against each other throughout their careers but finally had the chance to do so on Jan 1st in Australia in the Hopman Cup.
The Hopman Cup saw Team Switzerland take on Team USA and it was the mixed doubles match up in Perth, Australia that fans from around the world wanted to see the most.
Federer (20) and Williams (23) who share a total of 43 grand slams between them have immense respect for each other and were looking forward to being able to share the same court.
The Hopman Cup experimented with a shorter format where players did not need to play the usual 6 games per set but had to play just 4. Federer partnered with Belinda Bencic while Williams partnered with Frances Tiafoe to give the fans some great entertainment. In the end, it was Federer and Bencic who prevailed with a 4-2, 4-3 (7-3).
Hopman Cup
In a statement, Williams said
It was a great experience. I’m kind of sad it’s over — I was just warming up! Honestly, it was so fun. We grew up together, and so having an opportunity after all of these years to play each other — we’ve actually never done this. It’s super cool that we actually get to do this, at this pinnacle of both of our careers
Federer And Williams Closer To Retirement
Federer and Williams are both 37 years old and are now closer to retirement than ever before. However, both players have not given any indication that they have retirement on their mind and their decision could very well be influenced by how they perform in 2019.
Williams needs to win one more Grand Slam in order to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slams and knowing the competitor that Serena Williams is, she would ideally like to do one better and claim the record with 25 grand slam wins and then retire.
Federer and Williams finished the night by taking a selfie with each other and complimenting each other. Williams called Federer the greatest of all time and wanted to get a few tips from him later on while Federer praised Williams’s focus and dedication.
