Roger Federer left in tears by Diego Maradona’s emotional message calling him ‘the greatest’ during exhib
Tennis legend Roger Federer broke down in tears following an emotional message from Diego Maradona.
The former Barcelona and Argentina star was invited to watch Federer, who is playing a series of exhibition matches with Alexander Zverev in a tour of South America, but could not make it.
Instead, Maradona sent a video message, which was aired on the big screen as Federer was on the court, calling the 20-time Grand Slam champion ‘the greatest’.
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Roger Federer welled up after hearing Diego Maradona’s praise
He said: “Hello master, machine, like I call you.
“You were, you are, and will always be the greatest. There is no other like you.
“I want you to know that if you have any kind of trouble in my country, you can call me and tell me what you need.”
Maradona’s kind words left Federer in tears on the court.
Despite being almost 40, the Swiss star insists he has no plans to retire soon.
Federer said: “My retirement is going to depend on my health. At this moment I see no reason to stop.
“I think in 2009 I questioned it for the first time. [It’s been] ten years and here I am. I’m exactly where I wanted to be at this age.
“It is a lot of work to stay. I expected to play until 35-36 and here I am, in a new dimension.”
Federer is playing friendly matches with Zverev in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador in an attempt to bring more top level tennis to South America.
There is no doubt he is the star attraction, receiving the kind of attention Maradona is accustomed to, while he also joked with a fan on court by posing for various photographs much to the delight of the crowd.
