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India's 'Golden Boy' Neeraj Chopra spilled some beans on the conversation he had with tennis icon Roger Federer when both stars met in Zurich, Switzerland, earlier this year.
The reigning Olympic and world champion, javelin star who is gearing up to appear in the upcoming Doha Diamond League opened up about the questions he asked to Federer during his meet. During the meet in Zurich in January, the Swiss legend gave Neeraj an autographed tennis racquet while the 'Golden Boy' handed the 20-time major winner a signed India jersey from the Asian Games. While praising Federer as a person as well as an athlete, Neeraj stated that he asked the 20-time Gran Slam champion for advice on improving the longevity of an athlete's career. "It was good, as an athlete it feels good to meet another athlete. He is a nice person and he has positive vibes. I asked him that he had a long career, he played at the top level and maintained everything so how did he do it?" Neeraj said in a virtual press breifing. "Even though both sports are different sport still he played for so long and the mentality that he had. I agreed with him. He said that as athletes we have to balance what we have to play. If we play more it means less training, you will get tired, more injuries and more travelling," Neeraj added. The 26-year-old star revealed that he even asked if he had visited India and his preference for Indian food. "So it should be balanced and overall we had a normal conversation. I asked him about Indian food and he said India food comes in his top 5 list," he added. Neeraj introduced himself to the world in 2018, when he made his impact at the continental and Commonwealth levels. He won gold in the javelin throw at the Asian Games in Jakarta. With a throw of 88.06 m, he made a mark at continental level, giving signs of a fine future. He also secured a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games 2018 with a throw of 86.47m. (ANI)
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