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The 39-year-old survived a scare on Tuesday to progress to the second round of Wimbledon. The Swiss tennis great avoided defeat after opponent Adrian Mannarino was forced to concede the tie with injury. The Frenchman was two sets to one up and a break down in the fourth against a rusty Federer when he slipped under the Centre Court roof and hurt his right knee. Federer will now face another Frenchman in Richard Gasquet today on Centre Court as he goes in search of a remarkable ninth Wimbledon title.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner has captivated audiences at iconic tennis venues around the world, and has built a huge fanbase in the process.
One of these super fans appears to be former speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.
In 2019, Mr Bercow was watching Federer at Wimbledon when he shouted “we all love you Roger”.
Federer was signing autographs nearby, but appeared to ignore Mr Bercow’s cry of admiration.
After posting the footage online, one Twitter user said: “‘WE ALL LOVE YOU ROGER. ALL OF US’ – Speaker John Bercow there, getting ignored by Federer at #Wimbledon19″.
Another wrote: “I’m no professional lip reader but enjoyed John Bercow telling Federer that ‘we all love you Roger, all of us.’”
Commenting on the video, some commentators branded the speaker “an embarrassment”.
One wrote: “Who acts like that? A 56-year-old Speaker of the House of Commons or a teenage girl at a One Direction concert? What an embarrassment!”
Another said: “Continuing to be an embarrassment.”
Others were more positive about Mr Bercow’s encounter with Federer.
READ MORE: Roger Federer receives fresh Wimbledon boost without even playing
One user added: “I’m not a fan of tennis, but seeing John Bercow get so excited about it is quite charming.”
The former Speaker is reportedly a keen amateur tennis player himself, and an avid Federer fan.
Mr Bercow was pictured outside the Houses of Parliament with a tennis racket in 2013 after joining two million children for the Tennis Foundation and LTA schools tennis programme.
In 2014, he revealed how he had watched the Swiss star play 65 times in that year alone.
In March 2019, he expressed his admiration for the tennis star again during a discussion about a UK-Swiss trade deal.
He said: “I always say the best thing about Switzerland is not its watches or its financial services or its chocolate.
“The best thing about Switzerland is Roger Federer.”
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Mr Bercow once told of how he played Prime Minister Boris Johnson at tennis.
When asked by an Italian presenter if you can understand someone’s personality by playing tennis with them, the former Speaker said: “Of course. You always learn.
“I have never played a single against David Cameron, only doubles. And when we played together, we got along really well.
“I can say this about him… When he made a mistake, he was like McEnroe. He got angry and started shouting.
“But when I made a mistake, he was tolerant and encouraging. He was a good partner.”
On Mr Johnson, Mr Bercow added: “What can I say about him…
“Well… he lost every game in the set we played.
“But I must admit, he took it well when he lost.”
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