Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston shared his admiration for tennis legend Roger Federer on the My Sporting Hero podcast, revealing a long-standing love for the sport.
The Canadian, who grew up playing tennis with his family, spoke fondly of attending tournaments and is now continuing the tradition by playing with his fiancée. However, the interview took a humorous turn when Johnston recounted a bold claim from teammate James Forrest.
According to Johnston, Forrest has regularly insisted that he could have rivalled Andy Murray as one of tennis’s top players if he’d pursued a career on the court. Johnston couldn’t help but laugh at the idea of Forrest breaking into the “big four” of men’s tennis, recalling his reaction to Forrest’s claim: “Apparently, James Forrest, he always tells me, that he thinks he could’ve broken into the big four, that he could’ve replaced Andy Murray if he’d stuck to tennis.”
With a grin, Johnston admitted he finds it hard not to take the bait: “I said, ‘I’m not sure there are too many tennis players at the heights of 5 foot 8.’ I take that with a pinch of salt, and he always brings it up. It winds me up a little bit—it’s hard for me not to nibble on that one.”
I think it’s safe to say that Celtic fans are quite pleased that the winger didn’t take these ambitions up and pursue a career in tennis. He’s brought so many memories to Celtic fans with some massive contributions; the last decade or so could’ve looked so different without him on the wing.
Johnston himself seems to be a man of many sports, so it’s not surprising to hear him talk so fondly about tennis.
Maybe Celtic TV should organise a tennis match between the pair and see who comes out on top.
