Spaniard Jesus Aparicio suffered serious injuries in 2004 but after regaining consciousness, his first thoughts were for his Swiss idol who has now won 17 Grand Slam titles
After waking up from an 11-year coma following a serious car crash, there was only one thing on the mind of Jesus Aparicio: Roger Federer.
Aparicio had been unconscious since December 2004 but the Spaniard remembered seeing his idol beat Lleyton Hewitt to win the US Open – his third Grand Slam of the year.
He suffered his injuries while out celebrating his 18th birthday but received a very belated present when he woke up in August this year and discovered Federer was still reaching Grand Slam finals.
An online news website reported that Aparicio said: “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, from Seville, added: “I want to see him play before he retires, perhaps see his 18th slam. It would be the dream of my life.”