In an interview to GQ India the doubles player Rohan Bopanna revealed who has been his biggest idol in life. Bopanna picked the six-time Major winner Stefan Edberg not only for his on-court successes but behaviour as well.

“I had the opportunity to meet him, and he was just as I’d imagined him to be”, confessed Bopanna. “Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and I we were playing against Roger Federer and Stanley Wawrinka [in 2014], and Stefan Edberg happened to be coaching Roger Federer.

He happened to be sitting in the box obviously, watching Federer. It was crazy – I couldn’t have imagined playing against some of the best tennis players in the world, and then having your idol watch the match.”

Bopanna also revealed he changed his eating regime in recent times: “I did a food intolerance test in India, which showed that my yeast intolerance was very high. So I’ve completely stopped having bread; it’s been about two years now.

Perhaps before a match, I’ll have fish and white rice, which gives me the energy I need. While playing, I’ll have a banana and you need electrolytes and water of course – especially when it’s hot. Otherwise, I keep things as simple as possible.

Fitness wise, I travel with my trainer, and that’s made a huge difference in terms of stretching at the right time, cooling down – especially as you get older and recovery becomes more important.”

source: http://www.tennisworldusa.org / Tennis World / Home> Tennis News> Roger Federer / by Luigi Gatto / January 28th, 2019