WATCH: New York Re-Unites Roger Federer With His Biggest Fan and TODAY Show Co-host Savannah Guthrie in Endearing Moment

The retirement of Roger Federer left a huge void in the tennis circuit. He bid adieu to the sport after the Laver Cup in 2022, calling an end to his illustrious career. However, his retirement caused a big loss to the fans, who were dejected not to see him play again. Among them was Federer’s biggest fan, Savannah Guthrie, who is also the TODAY show co-host. Recently, she received a welcome surprise in New York.

The Swiss maestro is in the United States where he is attending a private screening of his documentary. Based on Federer’s final days on the court, it offers a glimpse of what the former World Number 1 went through as he played his last match competitively. While Federer was walking through the streets of New York, where he was present to attend the screening, he bumped into Savannah Guthrie.

The TODAY show co-host later took to Instagram to share glimpses of their meeting. The 52-year-old was thrilled to meet her hero and even shared a few smiles with the Swiss maestro. Sharing the pictures on her official Instagram handle, she wrote, “NYC – you never know who you might run into #GOAT.”

Savannah Guthrie has been very vocal about Federer being her favorite player. She even played tennis with the Swiss maestro but called it a “humiliating” experience. Appearing on The Ellen De Generes Show, Guthrie said in 2018, “His people called me and said, ‘Would you like to play in this celebrity tennis tournament with him?’ I hadn’t even met him!”

Revealing that she wasn’t good at the game led the ‘people’ to hold a sort of audition for the television personality, and it did not go well. “I had to go play tennis, like, I had to audition,” Guthrie told Ellen. “I was really bad at it.” But she got to meet her idol!

“I kept missing the ball. Roger’s like, ‘Savannah, stop looking at me and start looking at the ball. It was totally humiliating,” Guthrie laughed. “I mean I got to meet Roger, so it was crazy! He was really nice. He was like, ‘I feel like I know you.’”

Understandably, after the Swiss legend retired, she had a difficult time coping with the absence of Federer on the court.

Roger Federer’s retirement significantly affected Savannah Guthrie

Guthrie, who is also good friends with Federer, took to her official Instagram handle to share her feelings after the Swiss legend’s retirement. Sharing some glimpses with the 20-time Grand Slam champion, she wrote, “When you find out RF is retiring,” and called him a “legend, a great sport, champion, and human.”

However, what caught the eye of the tennis world was her next statement. She stated, “Thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” with a laugh-crying emoji. As a result, her fans were left worried and they took to social media to learn about Guthrie’s well-being, but while her words indicated her sadness about Federer’s retirement, the emoji balanced things out.

Despite Federer calling an end to his career, he has stayed close to the sport by actively talking about it. Additionally, he has also made numerous appearances across the tournaments. This goes to show how dearly Federer is missing his playing days. Indeed, tennis and Federer have an unbreakable bond, which will go a long way in the years to come.