Roger Federer's brain is underrated, his on-court & off-court genius makes him the greatest: Ivan Ljubicic

Ivan Ljubicic recently showered rich praise on the mental abilities of his ward, Roger Federer. Ljubicic claimed Federer's unparalleled intelligence across spheres is what makes the Swiss 'the greatest'.

During his playing days Ivan Ljubicic was ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, and he faced Roger Federer 16 times on tour but won only thrice. Since 2016 Ljubicic has been in charge of Federer as his coach, guiding him to three Grand Slams and four Masters 1000 titles.

On a recent podcast, Ivan Ljubicic spoke at length about Roger Federer's tactical and interpersonal intelligence. According to the Croat, Federer has used his 'genius' brain to build an infallible legacy that will stand the test of time - irrespective of what the record books might indicate.

“On the court, he's intelligent, and off the court, he is intelligent,” Ljubicic said. “I think his brain is great, it's just underrated. I mean, he is a genius on the court and off the court, that's what makes him the greatest, in my opinion. You know, we don't know how many Slams or weeks at number one are these that I mean how you know how these careers gonna look like at the end of his career, but you know, his legacy goes way beyond.”

Roger Federer

Roger Federer may not have the physical strength of Rafael Nadal or the clockwork-like precision of Novak Djokovic, but his understanding of the game is second to none. Experts have often marveled at how the Swiss knows exactly what shot to hit when, while also frequently commending his incredible anticipation skills.

Moreover, Federer also knows how to carry himself off-court in the best possible fashion. As the foremost ambassador of the game, the 39-year-old never lets his guard down when it comes to public relations.

Playing against Roger Federer helped me understand him better as a player and a person: Ivan Ljubicic

Ivan Ljubicic with Roger Federer

During the podcast, Ivan Ljubicic also took on a couple of questions from some tennis fans. One of them asked Ljubicic if his experience of playing against Roger Federer has been helpful during his stint as his coach, and the Croat answered in the affirmative.

Ivan Ljubic retired in 2012, just four years before he started working with Roger Federer. As such, he was well-versed with the game of several of Federer's rivals on tour.

According to the 41-year-old, that has proved to be beneficial while coaching the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

"I played against Roger 16 times so I think yeah, I think definitely he the player I played the most against," Ljubicic said. "This is the best way to understand about the player you know. Watching from the side it gives you the least amount of information and watching from behind the court gives you a lot. Watching from within court, inside court gives you even more so, but playing against the player it gives you the most."

"When I started to coach Roger six years ago, on tour, there were a lot of players I mean majority of the players that were still the ones that I played against," he added. "So that also helped me you know, in the coaching that you know that I know how these guys are on the court."