It’s been nearly 2 years since the all-time great Roger Federer bid adieu to professional tennis. But his presence is still felt in the tennis world almost everyday. Federer is still wildly popular among tennis fans and they miss him dearly. Just like ond fan who came upon a specific set of English letters on a flight and remembered Roger Federer.
Redditor r/tennis was on board a plane recently when he saw the seating arrangement on row 18 as ‘FED’. He quickly took a picture of the arrangement and posted it on Reddit.
r/tennis wrote, “Still see him everywhere…”
r/tennis was referring to missing Roger Federer from the tennis world as ‘Fed’ is one of his popular nicknames. Federer has left an indelible impression on millions of fans with his grace and class. Some of his shots like SABR and one-armed backhand shots are also hard to forget. His popularity is probably more than Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, despite having won fewer Grand Slams than them.
It is a coincidence since the letters D, E, and F are assigned to the aisle, middle, and window seats. But the coincidences don’t end there. That the letters are on row 18, could be a reference to the year 2018, when Roger Federer was playing outstanding tennis. Also, seeing the arrangement ‘FED’ on a plane, the Redditor indirectly hinted that Federer’s popularity was soaring sky-high.
In 2018, Roger Federer won his last and 20th Grand Slam at the Australian Open. It was a memorable tournament, since at age 37, Federer defeated Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the final. Besides the AO, Federer also won the Swiss Indoors Basel, the BOSS Open in Stuttgart, and the Rotterdam Open in 2018. This made Federer the oldest World No.1 in the ATP rankings, for one last time in his career.
It was a delightful moment for tennis fans in general. They got to see Federer compete toe-to-toe with a tough Rafael Nadal and a resurgent Novak Djokovic. Fans were transported back to the golden days of the Federer -Nadal-Djokovic rivalry in the late noughties and early 2010s. But sadly, 2018 was the last time Federer was at the zenith of tennis.
The Redditor’s Post Had a Multi-Faceted Tribute Hidden for Roger Federer
While the association with the number 18 and the letters ‘FED’ are quite evident, the post could have other connotations too. This could very well be a reference to Federer’s love for traveling. The Swiss legend has traveled all around the world during his playing days and is still doing the same owing to businesses.
Federer was in Thailand early in 2024, enjoying mango rice in the floating markets of Bangkok. Be it due to various tournaments, launching new products in different countries, or simply for pleasure, Federer never misses out on an opportunity to travel abroad.
Sometimes constant traveling can be stressful to the body. But Federer used it to his advantage instead. He traveled around to de-stress himself from the constant pressure of always performing well. He embraced that lifestyle, instead of complaining about it. This set him apart from the other players.
In excerpts from Christopher Clarey’s book ‘The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer‘, Paul Annacone, who coached Federer to tremendous success from 2010 to 2013, once spoke about how traveling benefited Federer (via Sportskeeda).
“Roger just embraces the different aspects of travelling in a way that many others do not. Pete was done, but Roger is an entirely different animal. Travelling the world drained Pete’s energy. Roger gets energy from it,” said Annacone.
Quoting Federer, Annacone continued, “Roger says, ‘She’s going to come over every day for like a half-an-hour, and we’re going to try to pick up on a few words here and there, so we learn some Mandarin.’ I was like ‘Dude, I can barely speak English’, and Roger was like ‘No no, it’ll be fun.”
Annacone further said, “And he loved it. He learned some phrases so that he could say thank you to the fans in Mandarin, but he was also in hysterics listening to us trying to pronounce things. Roger just embraces the different aspects of traveling in a way that many others do not.”
After Bangkok, Federer also traveled to Vietnam, enjoying the cuisine, meeting locals, and having a great time overall. Federer, who is one of the most beloved players, becomes even more appealing to common folks in this fashion. His down-to-earth personality was also on display when he casually met some Stanford students and spent an evening with them on his recent trip in the United States.
Besides being an idol to millions with his achievements, Federer also became a role model for people who wish to retire and live an enjoyable life like him.
