My Wimbledon: Hubert Hurkacz reflects on defeating Roger Federer

Hubert Hurkacz enjoyed his career-best major result at Wimbledon in 2021, when he reached the semi-finals, defeating eight-time champion Roger Federer in the quarters, which was the Swiss' final singles match of his career. The 27-year-old Pole enters his sixth outing at the grass-court with a 10-5 Wimbledon record.

ATPTour.com sat down with the World No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings to hear about his earliest memories from the All England Club and which traditions he enjoys most.

What is your first memory of watching Wimbledon?
Just seeing the grass there and the whole venue as a kid. Just thinking, ‘Maybe someday I’ll get a chance to play on this court.’ I did watch it as a kid on TV, probably watched Roger winning. The first time I went to Wimbledon was when I was 17 years old for my first junior Grand Slam.

Is there a specific match you remember watching?
I don’t have such a great memory. I think maybe the [Federer 2009] match with Andy Roddick, that one pops up.

When you first played at Wimbledon, what were your early thoughts about the atmosphere?
I think coming there for the first time, I was a little bit overwhelmed by everything. The whole atmosphere, how green it looked, how well the grass was managed and how nice it was to just play on those fantastic courts with so much history there.

Do you have a favourite Wimbledon tradition?
I think the white clothing. Everything looks so clean out there. The flowers around the courts, the whole setup. The players area has beautiful views over the courts. The seeded locker rooms, by far the best locker rooms on Tour. The whole atmosphere out there. The people working there in the locker rooms, they are such great guys and we have great connections with them. The whole atmosphere from the beginning to the end of the experience, it’s really fantastic.

Have you ever gotten in trouble for something you have worn at Wimbledon?
No, I don’t remember. I manage to get some white before going there.

What was your greatest moment playing at Wimbledon?
Definitely my greatest moment was to play Roger at Wimbledon. That was just an amazing experience, hearing the crowd roar when he stepped onto court. Just being there and experiencing it, this moment will stay with me forever. It was really special.

What is your favourite thing about playing on grass?
Diving is pretty cool. You cannot really dive on a clay court! Usually I try to avoid it.

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