India captain and global superstar Virat Kohli is no stranger to hero worship, but he found himself on the other side of the barrier when he met tennis legend Roger Federer at the Australian Open.
Kohli seemed in awe of Federer, who has a record 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, and he thought it was ‘crazy’ that the tennis player recognised him from an earlier encounter.
“It was amazing,” Kohli told Sky Sport. “I’ve met him a couple of times before and the fact that he remembered me was crazy. He told me he met me in Sydney a few years back when he was playing an exhibition match and I was like: ‘Wow, he remembers me!’
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Virat Kohli and wife Anushka Sharma met Roger Federer during the 2019 Australian Open[/caption]
“I can’t explain that feeling. I’ve watched him play since I was child. He’s a great tennis player but also a great man and human being.
“He kept asking me questions. We were talking about mindsets in sport, how he prepares, what he thinks about his sport. It was a beautiful, beautiful time.”
[breakout id=”0”][/breakout]Kohli, who cleaned up at the recent ICC Awards, is having a fantastic time on the field. He led India to their maiden Test series win in Australia before claiming the ODI series that followed. His side have since clinched the five-match ODI series in New Zealand with two matches to spare. Kohli will take a break for the remaining two ODIs and the three T20Is that follow.
