Roger Federer slides into rival’s DMs with classy message

Just when you think you can’t love Roger Federer any more, the Swiss tennis champion shows why he’ll always be in a league of his own.

Roger Federer slides into people’s DMs as well as he slides around grass courts at Wimbledon — and that’s why he’s the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT).

Earlier this year the tennis champion sent a touching message to Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis after his emotional return from injury at Melbourne Park, and he showed his class on social media yet again after Alexandr Dolgopolov announced his retirement.

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The Ukrainian said he was hanging up his racquet after several years of struggling with a persistent wrist injury, and it wasn’t long before Federer showed why he is universally loved.

The Swiss maestro sent a heartfelt direct message to the man nicknamed “The Dog”, congratulating him on a job well done.

“Congratulations on a great career, thanks for all the fun times on the practice courts and team RF always loved watching you play but you know that,” Federer wrote.

“Take care, best regards and hopefully we see each other again. All the best for what’s to come Dog.”

Dolgopolov was thrilled to receive Federer’s message, and posted about it to his nearly 28,000 Instagram followers on Sunday morning (AEST).

“Guys, honestly, I never thought so many people admired my tennis!” he wrote. “In 3 years off tour, I have forgotten what I did on the tennis court, and the amount of wishes I got today is unreal!

“I am really, really, really touched by all the messages, but one of them is special for me and simply made my day.

“With @rogerfederer permission, I repost these wishes, because I immensely respect this person, he is a legend, very kind and we spent some years preparing for the season together and the advice and conversations I got was priceless!

“Giant thanks to @rogerfederer and his team and best of luck.”

Dolgopolov, 32, hasn’t played professionally since 2018 because of his injury woes and although he always harboured dreams of one day returning, he finally acknowledged it was time to give tennis away.

“It was an extraordinary journey, the length of my entire life. Unfortunately for several years, due to several operations on the wrist, I could not return to the level that is needed for performing where I see myself, and I see no point in playing with limitations and pain,” Dolgopolov wrote on Instagram

“Thanks to everyone who supported and cheered, as well as to those who were not very happy about my success, you motivated perfectly.

“I hope it was interesting for you to watch, because it was damn interesting for me to play my tennis.

“Now I plan to do business, I will move away from tennis life for the near future, and then life will show!”

Dolgopolov can’t carry on.