"Roger Federer made the change after the time of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi; his absence is felt" - Former tennis coach 

Former tennis coach Dante Bottini recently stated that Roger Federer's absence is felt on the ATP Tour, especially since he was the catalyst for the change in tennis following the Pete Sampras-Andre Agassi era.

Federer decided to end a two-decade career in 2022 after adding 20 Grand Slam titles to his kitty, among other achievements. The Swiss played his last professional match alongside Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup. His farewell saw plenty of emotional moments involving Nadal, Novak Djokovic and himself, as well as other top players.

Bottini, who has coached the likes of Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov, Nicholas Jarry, and Juncheng Shang, recently spoke with the Argentine daily La Nacion. He shared his thoughts on Federer, claiming that tournaments felt different when he was still competing.

"Luckily I had the opportunity to share several moments with him, yes; also with Djokovic and Rafa. But Roger's absence is felt; he misses it. He was a different player," Bottini said.

"He is the one who made the change after the time of Sampras and Agassi. I don't know how to explain it, but the tournaments were different when Roger was there," he added.

Dante Bottini then commented on Federer's presence in the locker room, saying that it left people "speechless." The Argentine added that the 42-year-old "commanded respect by walking" but that he was also a "fun guy."

"Tennis continues, but when he entered the locker room, he was a presence," Bottini said. "People were a little speechless when they looked at him. The guy had a presence. He commanded respect by walking, not just playing tennis. Afterwards, he was a normal, fun guy, with a sense of humor. A phenomenon."

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Dante Bottini recalls memory with Roger Federer when they were junior players

The 20-time Grand Slam champion pictured at the 2023 Shanghai Rolex Masters

Dante Bottini recalled a memory he had with Roger Federer during their junior careers in 1997, when they were both competing in the Prato International in Tuscany, Italy. The Argentine said he showed Federer the tournament draw and told him that if he won, he would face him. However, he did not win eventually.

"Once I wanted to surprise him, because in 1997, as juniors, we shared a tournament: the Prato International, in Italy. I was 17 years old and he was 15. I showed him the tournament draw and told him that if I won I was going to face him, but I lost," Bottini said.

Bottini then mentioned how the Swiss remembered everything from that tournament and told him that's where his "promotion" began:

"He remembered everything and he told me: 'I won that tournament and that's where my promotion began.' He remembered that he had beaten a Frenchman, who was number 1 in the category (Julien Jeanpierre). A phenomenon."