Dorochenko reveals what went into making Federer great

Roger Federer's former coach Paul Dorochenko has revealed that for all the Swiss ace's talents, he had to be groomed a lot to reach the level he currently has.

The 36-year-old became the oldest player in the game to claim the number one title when he reached the semi-finals of the Rotterdam Open, which he eventually went on to win by defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-2 6-2 in the final. The achievement came days after he won the Australian Open in Melbourne, his 20th Grand Slam title in his journey to the top.

The Swiss ace has gone on to win three of the five Grand Slams scheduled since the turn of 2017 and is looking good to carry on his supreme form for years to come. However, a lot of things went into his development, including support from his wife Mirka and his first major sponsor Nike, who convinced him to lead life as a gentleman.

Dorochenko believes that when you learn to rectify your mistakes, coupled with innate talent, it is then that you become a true great, like Federer now has.

"The talent you have to work every day, with talent is not enough. At this level everyone has something special, but for me Federer has been a very manufactured product," Dorochenko told La Razon.

"The technique was pretty good when I was young. At 17 years it was already seen that this kid, especially with serve and right, already had something more, but has learned to subtract, to volley, to play more backhand shots, to fail less, to behave better ... And that after a few years creates you a Ronaldo, a Messi, a Federer."