Heavyweight Champ Wladimir Klitschko Is A Friend And Fan Of Roger Federer

As Wladimir Klitschko helps ready his older brother Vitali for his WBC Heavyweight title defense against Albert “The Dragon” Sosnowski in Gelsenkirchen, Germany this weekend, the IBF/WBO/Ring Magazine Heavyweight champ will also keep an eye on the progress of the Roland Garros tennis tournament being played in Paris. Wladimir Klitschko is a personal friend with the tennis titan from Switzerland.

“Tennis is a great sport,” says Klitschko. “Roger Federer, he’s the champion. And if you meet, personally, those big guys like Roger Federer, you’re just so inspired, and following and looking at it. And it’s amazing that he just keeps on winning and keeps winning, which is not common in sport. I met him personally about five years ago in Germany at an awards gala. He’s very handsome and very, very down to earth guy. And I think as a person, he’s not complicated. And just a real nice person.”

Leaders of their respective sports, Klitschko and Federer keep in contact. Federer has not attended any Klitschko bouts live in-person yet, primarily because the pro tennis schedule runs most of the year from early January to late November. However, Klitschko boxes about three times a year and was able to watch his friend play twice live. The boxing champion saw Federer play in Hamburg, Germany at the former ATP Masters Series event, where he defeated Rafael Nadal on clay – “It was just an amazing experience,” – and at the semifinals of the U.S. Open of 2006 against Nikolay Davydenko.

Like Federer, Klitschko is similarly known as a classy and dignified sportsman, as well as an exceptional all-around athlete. Klitschko’s former sparring partner Corey “T-Rex” Sanders described Klitschko’s athleticism in memorable terms: “I trained with almost all the big boys in boxing. But Wladimir’s punch is far beyond. He beats like a horse. He could run a marathon and he moves like a ballerina.” But when it comes to hitting forehands and backhands, Klitschko has thus far been unsuccessful in his attempts at mastering the art of tennis. “I have no talent actually. No talent at all,” he confesses with a smile. “Ping pong is my sport.”

Klitschko says Federer is a boxing fan. “He told me he’s a Klitschko fan, he watched my fights of me and my brother. He said he definitely wants to come to the fights.”

Federer will likely be tuning in when Vitali enters the ring on Saturday night against Sosnowski.

I first interviewed Federer in September 1999 in New York which was years before he became an international superstar, and asked him which were his favorite athletes to watch from other sports? Federer mentioned “Lennox Lewis”, who he said he had seen box with Evander Holyfield to a controversial draw on TV the previous March. Federer, who was 18 at the time, was in New York playing the U.S. Open qualifying tournament but was defeated and did not make the main draw.

Federer, 28, and Klitschko, 34, have both dominated their sports and appear to be at the height of their powers. Federer is aiming to win his 17th Grand Slam singles title next week, while Klitschko has won nine world title fights in a row and is 15-2 overall in world title duels. Klitschko’s overall record is 54-3 (48 KO’s). Both also won Olympic gold medals, Federer in 2008 and Klitschko won in Atlanta in 2006.

Wladimir’s older brother Vitali is also a phenomenal champion. Many ring observers believe he is actually superior to his brother though not quite as athletically gifted. With a record of 39-2 (37 KO’s), Vitali, now 38, returned to boxing two years ago after a four-year retirement due to accumulated back and knee injuries. He has won four fights in a row, all without any any trouble or adversity. Vitali’s two losses both resulted from injuries during fights. Vitali lost to Chris Byrd in 2000 when he tore a rotator cuff in his right shoulder in the ninth round and lost by a ref stoppage on cuts after six rounds against Lennox Lewis in 2003. Vitali was ahead on the scorecards of each fight. He has never been knocked down.

Imagine, if you will, if Roger Federer had an older brother named Ralf or Freddy…perhaps tennis history might have taken a different turn.

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