"Now that’s classy, no cheating, no excuses, respect for the game & himself" - Fans recall Roger Federer calling his own serve out at Rotterdam

Roger Federer made a rather surprising move during his quarterfinal clash against Robin Haase at the 2018 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, one that left the fans in the stadium amused and bewildered.

During the second game of the first set, with Federer leading 1-0 (40-15), the Swiss called his own serve out before the chair umpire or the linesmen.

When Federer declared his serve was a fault and immediately began the motions for his second serve, Haase was quick to inform him that no one had called it out. However, Federer stood by his decision and said that the ball was out. He then resumed preparations for his second serve, with the chair umpire also agreeing with Federer and officially changing the call to fault.

The incident, which can be watched below, recently resurfaced on social media, prompting a hilarious round of reactions from fans.

"Now that’s classy, no cheating, no excuses, respect for the game & himself. No surprise RF’s won so many sportsman of the year awards, unlike a certain Serb who’d win by any means necessary & has a plethora of excuses when he loses, an epitome of the world we live in sadly," one fan commented on the incident.

"Remember this. Funny thing is no one thought it was even out. Roger the sportsman and genius he is," another wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

Federer eventually won the contest in three sets, returning him to the World No. 1 position at the time.

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Roger Federer recently met Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra in Zurich

2023 Shanghai Rolex Masters - Day 12

Roger Federer recently interacted with India's Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra in Zurich, Switzerland. The meeting was organized by Switzerland Tourism at Zurich's La Réserve Eden au Lac.

Federer and Chopra exchanged gifts as a token of mutual respect. Federer presented Chopra with an autographed tennis racquet, while Chopra gifted Federer an Indian jersey of the Asian Games signed by himself.

Neeraj Chopra, who made history by becoming India’s second individual Olympic gold medalist at the Tokyo Games in 2021 (javelin throw), described meeting Federer as an "absolute honor."

Chopra took to Instagram with a shout-out to the 20-time Grand Slam champion, saying he was stoked to get the chance to meet Federer.

"An absolute honour to meet a sporting icon, whose career has been and continues to be an inspiration to people. I had a great time talking to you, and hopefully we’ll meet again," Chopra wrote on Instagram.