MIAMI—Creativity comes to court every time Roger Federer plays a match.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion showed superb stick skills and sculptor’s feel with a series of stab volleys during his 6-0, 6-4, Miami Open quarterfinal sweep of Kevin Anderson on Thursday night.
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An audacious shotmaker, Federer pulls off dynamic plays most opponents don’t dare attempt.
But who does the maestro himself regard as the greatest shotmaker he’s faced in his storied 21-year career?
We put that question to the 37-year-old Swiss after his quarterfinal win.
Federer named three Hall of Famers as his favorite shotmakers—Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt—citing different reasons for each.
“Shotmaker? Yeah, for me, Pete, great shot making,” Federer said. “I guess guys who came to the net, for me, always did the trick. And to some extent also, you know, maybe Hewitt and Agassi, just Agassi's sheer domination from the baseline, able to take the ball on half-volleying, all that stuff, we didn't know that quite yet. “
The three-time Miami champion said Hewitt’s ability to produce passes from defensive positions was impressive.
“And Hewitt's defensive skills, that he was able to pull off defensive shots like we almost haven't seen before,” Federer said. “Yeah, that's what I remember.”
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