[Mehdiii]

“Roger Federer is virtually indescribable,” Bollettieri stated. “Whatever we
say about him cannot express the jaw-dropping, breathtaking brilliance of his
play. He moves like a whisper and executes like a wrecking ball. He is a genius,
a magician. He is an athlete of such complete mental and physical power and
calm combined that he is, I believe, unique in the history of tennis… Sampras
was a wonderful champion, a great, no question. But he did have weaknesses,
including a less than perfect return of serve on the backhand side sometimes.
And great though his mobility was, Federer’s is better. Borg was another true
great, but he was a machine. He broke you down mentally. He did not overpower you in the way that Federer does. Federer’s shots can be so blistering, so
uncannily placed that they leave you nothing to say but, ‘How?’” Bollettieri’s
conclusion, “Federer’s talent is not of this planet. Whatever the future brings,
we should just be glad we have seen him play.”