"There's nothing more intimidating in tennis than a Roger Federer 'Come on!' celebration" - Sam Querrey

Sam Querrey recently talked about how Roger Federer getting fired up and celebrating his points during a match is the most intimidating thing during tennis matches. The Swiss tennis legend and Querrey had faced each other four times on the ATP tour, with the former winning all four encounters.

Federer is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with 20 Grand Slam singles titles under his belt, including six Australian Open titles, one French Open title, eight Wimbledon titles, and five US Open titles

In 2022, the former World No. 1 retired from tennis at the Laver Cup after playing a doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal. Throughout his illustrious career, he was known for his calm demeanor and gentlemanly conduct on the court, and he seldom had outbursts on the court . He was selected by his peers as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for a record 13 times.

During a recent episode of the Nothing Major podcast, which features retired American tennis players Sam Querrey, John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Jack Sock, Querrey stated that Federer celebrating during a match was the most intimidating thing in tennis.

Sock chimed in, noting that if the Swiss began celebrating his points, it was a clear sign that the match was already in his favor.

“There’s nothing more intimidating in tennis than a Roger Federer like, ‘Come on!’ or celebrations. It’s the most intimidating thing in tennis,” Querrey said .

“It's ‘cause he does it so infrequently that when he does it might as well shake hands,” Sock added.

Isner also recounted a match against Federer he played at the 2018 Laver Cup in Chicago, where he experienced firsthand the impact of the former World No. 1's celebrations.

After losing the first set and then winning the second, Isner observed the 43-year-old's heightened energy and celebrations, which he found demoralizing. Ultimately, Isner lost the match with a score of 6–7(5), 7–6(6), 10–7.

“In Chicago, I played this unbelievable match against Roger. I actually had a match point on my serve. I went wide of course on the AD side at 6-5 in the tiebreaker. But he took it on the rise and went bazing. When he won the second set, he fired up. I'm looking at him after he won the second set I’m like, ‘I'm cooked!’” Isner said.

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Roger Federer won his last Grand Slam at Australian Open 2018

Roger Federer, Australian Open 2018 [Image via Getty Images]

Roger Federer won his 20th and his final Grand Slam title at the 2018 Australian Open. He was the defending champion and was seeded second in the tournament. The Swiss player began his campaign by dispatching Aljaz Bedene in the first round with a commanding 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory. He then overcame Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round with a straight-sets win of 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(4). The former World No. 1 then triumphed over 29th seed Richard Gasquet 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 and Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-2 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, the Swiss registered a 7-6(1), 6-3, 6-4 win over 19th seed Tomas Berdych and then secured his place in the final after his semifinals opponent Hyeon Chung retired from their match in the second set with the score at 6-1, 5-2.

Federer ultimately defeated sixth seed Marin Cilic 6–2, 6–7(5), 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 to win the 2018 Australian Open, his sixth Melbourne Major title.