After defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals of Basel, Roger Federer says it’s time for people to dismiss the Bulgarian’s unwanted nickname.
“I hope people don’t call him Baby Fed so often anymore,” Federer told reporters. “At first it’s funny, but it gets annoying.”
Coach and analyst Darren Cahill then told the New York Times that the comparison in styles that produced the nickname are not far off-base.
“I’m sure Grigor doesn’t like it that much, and I’m sure Fed has a bit of a wry smile about it, but the comparisons are there,” Cahill said. “So I don’t think it’s bad for the public to make those comparisons. In the end, it’s going to be up to Grigor to step out of those shoes and step into his own shoes, and I think he’s on the way to doing that. He’s a good kid, a really down-to-earth kid. He’s got the right intentions. He’s working extremely hard. He knows physically he has to get a lot stronger and a lot better because the wear and tear of the circuit can get to him, and he has trouble playing over five sets.”