Dear Roger Federer,
I first watched you play in the 2008 Wimbledon Final against Nadal. I had never watched tennis before, but I was enchanted as you waved your Wilson wand mustering a two sets to love comeback to force a 5th set against your rival. I was mesmerized by the beauty of your shot-making and your composure under immense pressure. From that day on, I watched as many of your matches as I could live on TV (and a few in person!). I’d often sacrifice sleep and wake up in the middle of the night to watch you play. You also inspired me to pick up a racquet and learn to play tennis. I love tennis and play regularly to this day because of your influence. When you won I was euphoric. And when you lost I was devastated, sometimes for days. But I know now that there are more important things in life than winning and losing. You are a champion. And even a champion with 20 grand slams loses from time to time. Sometimes you had an off day or were physically struggling or your opponent on the other side of the net just played better that day. Life is the same as tennis, we can’t always win them all. But that doesn’t stop us from fighting. You always fought and did your best to the bitter end. You were fun to watch because even if you were losing you would keep fighting and sometimes even find a way to comeback and win. The quarters of Wimbledon against Cilic in 2016 is a great example of that fact. You taught me and the rest of the tennis world how to win with class, but also how lose with class. In fact, one of my favorite matches was the 2019 Wimbledon Final that you played in a losing effort to Djokovic. That day tennis truly won just as it did in the 2008 Wimbledon final. You never retired from a match in your career. You respected the game, your opponents, everyone around you, and yourself. Your unique attacking game that looked so elegant and effortless will be missed. It cannot be fully replicated because there will never be another Roger Federer. I’m proud to say you are my favorite athlete and the GOAT in my personal book. And you always will be.