Want to be like Rodger Federer, he is my idol, reveals Mairaj Ahmed Khan

Mairaj Ahmed Khan is arguably the most experienced of the 15 shooters that have qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, with him already taking part in the 2016 Rio Games. He is one of the two athletes, along with Angad Bajwa to have qualified for the Skeet events in the upcoming mega-event.

Mairaj, at the age of 45, is the senior-most member in the shooting team and the entire Indian contingent as a whole, while other shooters are around the age of 23 and 24. He recently revealed how he idolises Rodger Federer and wants to be like him and replicate the way he’s still going strong at the age of 39. Moreover, he draws inspiration from the Swiss legend as he gets ripe with every day passing.

"When I see him on the court and when people say he is getting old, I say 'no. I think he is the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time). Whenever I see him, it gives me goosebumps. I really want to be like him; he is my idol,” said Mairaj Ahmed Khan, in a video posted by SAI. 

“I always watch his (Federer's) games. I always read about him. It gives me immense pleasure...how he is still coping with that kind of pressure, with so many (good) players in tennis now. So, here I am, all of 45 and I have teammates who are 23 or 24 years old. And I am drawing inspiration from Federer," he added.