Paul Annacone: Roger Federer should not have won 2012 Wimbledon title

Roger Federer is obviously one of the greatest players in the history of tennis. He was a 20-time Grand Slam champion – third all-time and was first when he stopped playing as many tournaments – and was ranked number 1 on the ATP tour longer than any other human not named Novak Djokovic. But according to one of his former coaches, Paul Annacone, Roger Federer should not have won the 2012 Wimbledon title.

Annacone was on a recent episode of the Baseline Intelligence with Jonathan Stokke podcast and spoke about many topics, but was asked what he had learned from some of the many players he has coached. He has coached Federer, of course, but also excellent players such as Taylor Fritz, Pete Sampras, Tim Henman, and Sloane Stephens. In other words, Annacone knows his stuff, and players know it.

Something that Annacone learned from Roger Federer was to not let unimportant things bother him. Federer might have lost Grand Slam finals, such as when he lost the US Open finals during the time Annacone was coaching him in the early 2010s, but just hours after the match Federer was smiling and playing with his kids. Federer knew that his family was more important than winning a match.

Former coach says Roger Federer should have one less Grand Slam win

But Annacone also said that not only should Roger Federer not have won the 2012 Wimbledon title, but he likely should have lost early in the tournament. Federer had injured his back in an early match and he could not practice and could “hardly walk.” Not only should Federer not have won Wimbledon, but if he was a normal human he might even not have gotten out of bed for a while.

Basically, Federer winning the major in the shape he was in just goes to show even more how superhuman he is compared to the rest of us mortals. Not only that, but Roger Federer seems to be a saint of a person.

Federer is ranked third in number of ATP Grand Slams won behind Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Imagine how many he would have won had he not been going up against Djokovic and Nadal. Still, it was certainly a great time to be a tennis fan and watch all those high-level matches between the Big 3.