Noah became the first player from France to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era when he toppled the teenage defending champion Mats Wilander in the 1983 Roland Garros final.
The Frenchman is one of only two players from his country to win the singles title at his home Grand Slam tournament, the other being Mary Pierce (2000).
Roger Federer does things that I don’t understand: Yannick Noah
Noah first talked about how much respect he has for the ‘Big 3’ of tennis - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He feels the trio have lifted each other’s level by repeatedly running into each other, which in turn has helped them turn into the most dominant forces in tennis.
But the 60-year-old then added that Roger Federer is in a different league altogether, something that even his two closest rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic can’t boast of.
Roger Federer, at 38, is still conjuring magic on the tennis court. The 20-time Grand Slam champion beat Steve Johnson in the first round of the 2020 Australian Open to become the first player in history to win singles matches in four different decades.
Noah further said that Roger Federer is the epitome of longevity. The tennis pro turned singer lauded Federer for his ability to remain competitive at an age most professional players are many years into their retirement.
Yannick Noah endorses tactic of serving under-arm against Rafael Nadal
In 2019, Roger Federer returned to Roland Garros for the first time since a straight-sets quarterfinal defeat to compatriot Stan Wawrinka in 2015. Defying all expectations, the Swiss reached his first Roland Garros semifinal in seven years where he went down to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
Federer has suffered his fair share of Roland Garros defeats at the hands of his nemesis, having lost four finals to the Spaniard in the early part of his career. Rafael Nadal has dominated all of his rivals in Paris, and his reign doesn’t seem likely to end any time soon.
Noah spoke about the difficulty players faced while going up against the 12-time Roland Garros champion in the French capital. The 1983 Roland Garros winner opined that players with unconventional tactics like the under-arm serve can throw Rafael Nadal off-balance as the Spaniard stands several feet behind the baseline.
The 60-year-old Frenchman also spoke about the mercurial Nick Kyrgios and the efficacy of the Australian’s under-arm serve against players like Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, who stand far behind the baseline on the red dirt. Kyrgios used the tactic to good effect in Acapulco last year, which infuriated Rafael Nadal greatly.
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