Roger Federer’s wife, Mirka, is reportedly at the center of a disagreement between the Grand Slam record-holder and Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka.
Wawrinka and Federer are understood to have argued late Saturday after allegations that Mirka Federer called out after a Wawrinka serve in their ATP World Tour semifinal. The Daily Mail reports Wawrinka was upset that Mirka heckled him and questioned his ability to close out the match.
In the video, Wawrinka complains and then it appears that Mirka calls him a “crybaby.”
La femme de Roger Federer a bien perturbé Wawrinka by beINSPORTS
John McEnroe claims the post-match dispute meant Federer did not get immediate treatment on his injured back, which led to him withdrawing from the season-ending final on Sunday.
Federer and Wawrinka are scheduled to lead Switzerland in the Davis Cup final against France in Lille on Friday.
McEnroe says Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi faces a “juggling act” to keep both men happy for the final.
On ESPN, McEnroe fueled rumors of the dispute between Federer and Wawrinka.
“Something went on in the locker room, there was a long talk between the players that extended well into the night,” McEnroe said.
“And the stress of that — I can’t confirm all of this — but a lot of this went on and … I don’t think that helped the situation.”
There were also claims French television had captured Wawrinka telling Federer “she (Mirka) did the same thing at Wimbledon.”
Wawrinka and Federer spoke at length on court following their semifinal, but neither player would reveal what was said.
Federer was said to be upset with aspects of Wawrinka’s conduct after saving four match points to reach the final.
The pair’s conversation continued at length and it was not until well after midnight that Federer returned to his hotel.
Federer tweeted out a chummy photo on Monday with Wawrinka and the rest of the Swiss Davis Cup team.
He failed to practice before the final, realizing he was in no condition to challenge Novak Djokovic.
“It’s a very disappointing end to the season,” Federer said after withdrawing for only the third time in his career.
“I was playing so well here, had a great season so far. I was feeling great, you know, until yesterday’s tiebreaker. I felt all of a sudden the back was feeling funny. I tried to have treatment on it, medication on it, just tried to turn around as quick as possible really, but didn’t really feel that much of an improvement overnight. The way I feel right now, there’s no way I can compete at any level really. So probably in a few days it’s going to be better, but right now it’s not good enough.”
Djokovic played an exhibition set against Andy Murray before partnering with McEnroe in doubles against Tim Henman and Pat Cash.