Roger Federer uses science to try and stop losing a point

Resurfaced footage of tennis icon Roger Federer explaining why his opponent should not be awarded a point has gone viral.

Swiss tennis player Federer is a legend of the game and known for being a class act in the way he conducts himself.

This was perfectly demonstrated during a disagreement with the chair umpire in his match against Czech player Tomáš Berdych at the 2012 Madrid Open.

During the rally, Federer executed a backhand drop shot that had Berdych chasing down the ball in an attempt to reach it before it bounced twice.

Berdych stretched to return the ball over the net and went on to win the rally, but Federer approached the line judge suggesting that his return of the drop shot should not count because the ball bounced twice.

Federer asked the umpire: “Did you see how the ball bounced towards me?”

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The umpire replied, explaining he thought Berdych had just managed to get the racquet underneath it.

Federer responded: “The ball came bouncing at me in a topspin way. The only way [that can happen] is if you push the ball down into the court first.”

He used science to explain that the only way you can impart topspin on a tennis ball is to either hit it into the ground first or to hit the ball as it is on the rise, hence it would have to have bounced twice in order for Berdych to hit topspin.

A replay of the incident showed that Federer was, in fact, correct and the ball had bounced twice, though Federer was not awarded the point by the umpire.

Despite not being given the point, the Swiss star went on to win the match and ultimately win the entire tournament.

Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, retired from professional tennis in 2022 after an illustrious career in the sport.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.