The world has been mourning the recent death of football icon Diego Maradona. He is widely regarded as the best football player of all time, and his passionate and easygoing personality enabled him to interact with other athletes in different sports. Last year, Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev played an exhibition match in Argentina, and after the match, Maradona delivered a touching tribute about the Swiss that made him emotional.
Federer cried after watching Maradona’s tribute video last year
After Zverev and Federer finished their match at the Parque Roca Stadium in Buenos Aires, the exhibition organizers played a tribute video that Maradona had recorded. In the moving clip, the Argentine football legend called the former world No.1 a machine, and he declared that the 20-time Grand Slam champion was the greatest tennis player of all time.
El saludo de Diego Maradona 🇦🇷 a Roger Federer 🇨🇭 https://t.co/97oxyTX34S
— CanalTenis.com 🎾 (@canal_tenis) November 21, 2019
Maradona told Federer that he would always be available to help him out whenever he needed anything in Argentina. After watching the video, Federer broke down and shed a few tears, before he composed himself and accepted Maradona’s praise. The former world number one explained that he was grateful for the Argentine legend’s message. In addition to his tribute to the 20-time Grand Slam winner, Maradona also had a special relationship with Rafael Nadal, and the Spaniard recently posted a heartfelt tribute after learning about the soccer icon’s passing.
Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro have offered glowing tributes about Maradona
Nadal wrote that Maradona’s death had left a void in the sports world, but he would go down as one of the greatest athletes in history. The current world number two sent his condolences to Maradona’s family and the country of Argentina. Former world number three, Juan Martin Del Potro, also posted a condolence message on his social media account. The 2009 US Open champion claimed that even though Maradona’s death was a huge blow, the legendary player would return to heaven, where he belonged. The Argentine tennis star declared that the World Cup winner would always be in his heart.
Del Potro had a historic run during his US Open title win. He defeated Nadal in the semifinal before holding off Federer in the final to become the first player to defeat the two tennis legends at the same tournament. Del Potro was the only player outside of the big four of Nadal, Federer, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic to win a Grand Slam title between the 2005 French Open and the 2013 US Open. The Argentine tennis star had an exceptional relationship with Maradona, and his achievements on the tennis court made him a cult figure in his home country. Tennis fans can expect more tributes for Maradona from the tennis community as the world continues to mourn the soccer icon.
Roger Federer in 2020
At the moment ranked no.5, Federer played his last match on the 30th of January when he was defeated by Novak Djokovic 7-61 6-4 6-3 in the semifinal of the Australian Open (draw).
Roger Federer’s latest run at the Australian Open was the best achievement of his season.
