7 famous ATP players who idolize Roger Federer, featuring Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas

As well as being one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Roger Federer is arguably the most popular player in the sport's history. The 40-year-old has claimed the yearly ATP Fans' Favorite award 19 out of 22 times since it was introduced in 2000 - winning it every year from 2003 to 2021.

The legendary Swiss has also won the ATP's Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, which is voted for by players, a record 13 times since it was founded in 1996. It is no surprise, therefore, that many current players who grew up watching Federer revere the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

Here is a look at seven active ATP players who have identified Federer as their idol:

#7 Denis Shapovalov

World No. 16 Denis Shapovalov has previously revealed that Federer was his favorite player to watch while growing up. In an interview with ATP Tennis TV last year, the 23-year-old Canadian spoke of how he wanted to model his game on that of the Swiss legend.

"Roger Federer [was my childhood idol]," Shapovalov said. "He was just my hero and I always wanted to match my game to his."

The former Stockholm Open winner lost his only meeting with the 40-year-old in straight sets in the last four of the 2019 Miami Open.

#6 Kei Nishikori

Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori is another player who has described the 40-year-old as his idol. After beating Federer at the 2018 ATP Finals, the 32-year-old Japanese player admitted he always found it challenging to face the Swiss.

"Well yeah, I'm glad to win today," Nishikori said. "It's never easy to play with my idol and always it's a big challenge for me to play Roger. So it was great to win today."

The 2014 US Open runner-up has won three of his 11 matches against the 20-time Grand Slam winner.

#5 Matteo Berrettini

World No. 6 Matteo Berrettini has repeatedly referred to Federer as his idol since his emergence as an elite player in 2019. Speaking to ATP Tennis TV, the 26-year-old Italian spoke about what appealed to him about Federer.

"[My childhood idol] was Roger," Berrettini said. "He looked like he wasn't putting effort, you know, it was just so smooth and so light on his feet. And that's why I think the first time I played him I was kind of like - 'What is happening here?' [laughs]."

$3 $3

The 2021 Wimbledon finalist has lost both his meetings with the 40-year-old, which came at Wimbledon and the ATP Finals in 2019.

#4 Hubert Hurkacz

World No. 14 Hubert Hurkacz is another high-ranked ATP player who has revealed Federer was his favorite player as a child. In an edition of Eurosport's Players' Voice, the Pole discussed beating the eight-time Wimbledon champion in the quarterfinals at the All England Club last year.

"As a child, Roger Federer was my idol," Hurkacz said. "At every opportunity, I remember trying to watch him as much as possible on the television; that was when I began to realise my dream of competing in the world’s biggest tournaments one day. When I played and won against him at Wimbledon this year, I felt nothing but sheer joy. It was an extremely intense match for me, accompanied by an amazing atmosphere."

"Facing a player such as Roger on Centre Court and coming out on top was an unreal feeling – even now I can’t really describe that experience," he added. "There isn’t heaps of time between players at the end of matches, but he told me that I played a good game and wished me good luck for the rest of the tournament, which meant a lot."

The 25-year-old lost his only other encounter with the Swiss at the 2019 Indian Wells Masters.

#3 Stefanos Tsitsipas

World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas is another star who has picked the Swiss great as the player he most looked up to during his childhood. The Greek reflected on his victory against Federer in the last 16 of the 2019 Australian Open in an on-court interview.

"There's nothing I can describe it to, I'm the happiest man on earth right now," Tsitsipas said. "I cannot describe it. Roger is a legend of our sport, [I have] so much respect for him. He showed such a good tennis over the years. I've been analyzing him since the age of six. It was a dream come true for me just being on Rod Laver [Arena] facing him."

The 23-year-old holds a 2-2 record against the 40-year-old, having also won the pair's last match en route to winning the 2019 ATP Finals.

#2 Alexander Zverev

World No. 3 Alexander Zverev is the highest-ranked current men's player who has revealed that Federer was his childhood idol. Speaking to ATP Tennis TV last year, the two-time ATP Finals winner spoke about how much he admired the legendary Swiss while growing up.

"Roger was always my favorite player," Zverev said. "How he was playing the game, it looked so easy in a way. It looked like he was really playing with the ball. He was the best player to watch, I think."

The 25-year-old German has won four of his seven contests with the former World No. 1, including their most recent meeting at the 2019 Shanghai Masters.

#1 Dominic Thiem

Former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem is another active player to have identified Federer as their childhood idol. The 2020 US Open champion declared that he was still a fan of the former World No. 1 in an interview last year.

"We are rivals, and of course we want to beat each other in the tournament, [but] I still really love to watch him play tennis," Thiem said "[He] looks so nice, the way he plays, the way he approaches the game of tennis. On the one hand, I’m also a big fan of his still, and that’s why I really love that he’s back and that I can watch him again. That’s what pretty much everybody is thinking, and I hope that he’s coming back strong, as well."

The 28-year-old Austrian holds an impressive 5-2 record against the 40-year-old Swiss and won the pair's last match at the 2019 ATP Finals.

Who Are Roger Federer's Kids? Know All About Federer's Twins