10 times when mild-mannered Roger Federer memorably lost his cool during a tennis match

Known for keeping a lid on his emotions, he has lost his temper on several occasions

Published: June 04, 2021 13:52 Imran Malik, Assistant Editor

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1: Ice-man Roger Federer lost his temper and was involved in a rare dispute with a chair umpire on Thursday during his French Open match against Marin Cilic. It was a surprise to see him so angry – but even though he is known to be very mild-mannered, this was not the first time he has blown a fuse on court. Back in 2005, he threw his racket on the floor during the NASDAQ-100 Open final against Rafa Nadal. Image Credit: Reuters

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2: The following year, he met Nadal at the Italian Open final and shouted at his uncle Toni and accused him of coaching him illegally. This was the match that many say cemented the duos rivalry. Image Credit: AFP

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3: In the 2009 semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic at the Miami Masters, Federer smashed his racket and then tossed the mangled remains at his chair. He was roundly booed by the crowd and stormed off without shaking hands with the chair umpire. Image Credit: AP

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4: In the same year, he was fined $1,500 fine for swearing at the umpire the US Open final where he lost against Juan Martin Del Potro. Image Credit: NYT

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5: Three years would pass without much incident before Del Potro would again bring out the worst out of him where during a French Open match he yelled at the crowd after hitting a volley into the net. Granted, this was a minor incident but there would be more racket-smashing to come… Image Credit: Reuters

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6: In 2013, he hurled abuse at Andy Murray during the Australian Open semi-final but both players downplayed the event after the match won by the Brit. Image Credit: AP

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7: Four more years of relative calm were shattered when at the Swiss Indoors he smacked his racket onto the net while playing Del Potro. Image Credit: AP

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8: While playing Hyeon Chung at the 2018 Australian Open semi-final, he lost his cool and gave the chair umpire a tongue-lashing. This outburst seemed to frighten Chung more than anyone who, moments later, retired from the match citing blisters… Image Credit: AP

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9: Del Potro sure seemed to know how to push Federer’s buttons as in 2018 he was heard arguing with an umpire before smacking his racket on the ground during their Indian Wells final. Image Credit: Reuters

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10: During his match yesterday against Marin Cilic at the French Open, he was given a warning by umpire Emmanuel Joseph for taking too long between points and accessing his towel which prompted an angry response from the 39-year-old. But the 20-time grand slam champion didn’t allow that to put him off his stride as he entered the third round with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win. Image Credit: AP

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