PARIS — Endure long enough in professional tennis and the familiar becomes unfamiliar. At the Miami Open last month, Roger Federer, 37, found himself winning the title in a professional football stadium instead of the more intimate confines of Key Biscayne. Amid all the construction and commotion, what has not changed at Roland Garros is the way the moody French tennis fans embrace Federer. He walked on court to a standing ovation and chants of “Roger,” and he finished the same way. Moments like these help explain why Federer is still pushing, still putting himself and his family through the road trips and the pro tennis routine after winning 20 major singles titles.

Source: New York Times May 26, 2019 21:22 UTC