– By Onyekachi Osondu, ABH Press
Serena Willliams and Roger Federer are undoubtedly two of the greatest tennis players to ever grace the face of the earth.
Federer and Williams, both 37, earlier won their respective singles matches Paired with Belinda Bencic, Federer beat Williams and Frances Tiafoe 4-2 4-3 (5-3) to give Switzerland a 2-1 win over the United States in their round robin match.
Roger Federer was on the winning side in his historic mixed doubles match against fellow tennis great Serena Williams at the Hopman Cup Tuesday, but in the end the result hardly mattered.
More importantly, it was the first and probably last time that fans would get to see the two tennis players, widely regarded as the greatest of all time, battle it out across the net in a competitive match — and after it was over they even had time to pose for a selfie that is sure to go viral.
After the match they both had their say on the match and on each other and you could feel the love, respect and admiration.
“It was great fun. I really enjoyed playing against Serena. What an honour,” said Federer.
“I was nervous returning because people talk about her serve so much. I know why they say it now, she has a wonderful serve.”
“She’s a great champion, you see how focused she is and I love that about her.”
Federer and Williams have won a combined 43 Grand Slam singles titles, with the American, Serena Williams, claiming 23 of them and have spent a combined 621 weeks at world number one.
“It was a great experience. I’m sad it’s over, I was just warming up,” said Williams.
“It was so fun to do this at the pinnacle of our careers.
“The guy is great. He’s the greatest of all time. There’s a reason why he is so great. He has a killer serve. I’ve watched him all the time but I never realised how good it was. Maybe I could get some tips from him later on.”
Both players are hoping to add to their extensive trophy cabinets with successful title defences at the Australian Open, which starts on January 15.
