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Hubert Hurkacz said it was an honor for him to share the court with Roger Federer and wished the Swiss all the best in the next chapter of his life. Federer, who hasn't played since losing to Hurkacz in the 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinal, announced his plans to retire from tennis after next week's Laver Cup.
Hurkacz, who grew up watching and idolizing Federer, had a chance to play and beat the Swiss at the place where he is the absolute icon. "It was an honor to experience your game for all these years and to share the court with you @rogerfederer.
You’ve been an inspiration to me and many many others. Congratulations on a legendary career and good luck for the future," Hurkacz wrote on Twitter.
It was an honor to experience your game for all these years and to share the court with you @rogerfederer.
You’ve been an inspiration to me and many many others. Congratulations on a legendary career and good luck for the future 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/N7nZ1TAh6S — Hubert Hurkacz (@HubertHurkacz) September 15, 2022
Hurkacz saw off Federer at Wimbledon
When Hurkacz and Federer met for the first time at the 2019 Indian Wells Masters, Federer claimed a straight-set win.
Last year, Hurkacz and Federer met for the second time. Hurkacz performed much better in his second meeting versus Federer as he ousted the Swiss with a 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-0 result in the Wimbledon quarterfinal. Earlier this year, Hurkacz described it as "a big moment" in his career.
"I mean, definitely, a very, very, very big moment for me. I mean, just playing Roger there at Wimbledon and playing a really, really good match was something special, and then that I was able to win, it just makes it way more enjoyable than just just experiencing the match (and) not having an opportunity to play in the next round.
So, yeah, so definitely, that was just, you know, so much fun to play with Roger," Hurkacz said this year. After beating Federer for his first Wimbledon semifinal, Hurkacz lost to Matteo Berrettini in his next match. But now that Federer is retiring, it means that Hurkacz will go down as the player who beat Federer in the Swiss' final Grand Slam tournament.