Jesus Aparicio, a Roger Federer fan, met with a serious car accident on December 12 2004, as he was out celebrating his 18th birthday.
The tragic incident left the Spaniard in coma.
On August 27, almost 11 years later, Aparicio finally woke up. As he gradually began to speak, Aparicio inquired about his tennis idol.
“It came like a flash to my mind and I asked about Roger. I thought he had retired. When I knew that at 34 years old, he is still playing and is number two in the world, I thought they were kidding me. I could not believe it.
When I heard that he reached 17 slam titles, I put my hands on my face. I knew Federer was very good but I never thought he could win all he has won,” Aparicio said, according to tennisworld.org.
At the time of Aparicio’s accident, the Swiss maestro was World No 1, leading then second-ranked Andy Roddick by 3,000 points in ATP rankings. Barring the 34-year-old, no players from the top ten at the time are currently active on the circuit.
“I was astonished to see him play well. It’s really amazing. It was a shame he could not win but that Djokovic, he plays very well,” he said after Federer lost to the Serb at the US Open final.
“I want to see his match before he retires, perhaps his 18th slam,” Aparicio said. “It would be the dream of my life,” Aparicio added.
