Federer hits back at Boris Becker

RogerFederer - Cropped

More: Becker SLAMS Federer

Federer copped criticism from Becker for his new tactic which involves him standing inside the baseline and rushing his opponent into a shot after a second serve.

“It’s almost disrespecting the other guy’s serve,” the German champion said of the bold move which has become known as SABR (Sneak Attack By Roger).

Becker went on to claim that in his day, guys like John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl would have served straight at Federer's body.

Federer was blunt in his response when asked about the Becker criticism after his three set US Open semi-final destruction of compatriot Stan Wawrinka.

"Yeah, no. It's not disrespectful," he replied.

"Pretty simple."

That pretty much amounts to an epic spray from the normally reserved Swiss master.

It's not the first time that Becker, who coaches world number one Novak Djokovic, has spoken out about Federer.

In his autobiography, Becker claimed it was an "open secret" that Federer and Djokovic "don't particularly like each other."

Becker continued: "The reason Roger is one of the highest-paid athletes of all time is because he's liked by everybody.

"But think about this - you can't possibly be liked by everybody. He makes good money out of his image but would he make less if we saw a bit more of his true feelings?"

Federer hit back at the time, saying Becker "really has no idea" about his relationship with Novak Djokovic.

No matter who wins the US Open final between the Swiss and Serbian champions this weekend, it's probably safe to say Becker won't be getting a Christmas card from the Federer household this year.

 

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