Roger Federer recently emerged victorious in the first round of the Australian Open, but apparently, Will Ferrell had more pressing issues to discuss with the athlete in the duo's surprising post-game chat. Ferrell interviewed Federer following his big win and grilled the tennis legend with some hard-hitting questions that only Ron Burgundy's brain would think to ask. Obviously, that meant asking Federer if he was a vampire, as well as other odd inquiries, including one about the rumor that his dietary needs include wombat meat.
As seen above, Roger Federer classily responded to Will Ferrell's goofiness with good humor, which is impressive, considering he'd just completed a high-stakes match that lasted a little over 90 minutes. The defending 2017 Australian Open champion even managed to play off one of Ferrell's jokes regarding the crowd, which sparked an eruption of cheers from the charged-up spectators. Federer's responses in the 7 Tennis interview even seemed to get a chuckle or two out of John McEnroe, which any fan of the sport knows is not easy to do on a tennis court.
It's a little surprising that someone gave the ok for Will Ferrell to go out there and do his surreal bits with the athlete immediately after a match like that, so it's great that Roger Federer was such a good sport for the surprise celebrity interview. Then again, it's still very early in the tournament, and Federer likely wasn't as stressed as he'll be in future rounds, and he'd handily defeated his opponent Aljaz Bedene without dropping a set. Had this been a more pressing match for the tennis great, it would've been interesting to see his responses to Ferrell's off-the-wall jokes, and whether or not he would have had that same good humor.
As far as how Will Ferrell even managed to score the opportunity to interview Roger Federer on television, the actor has been a part of a handful of celebrity-backed tennis benefits throughout the years. Additionally, Ferrell helped John McEnroe launch his short-lived show McEnroe on CNBC back in 2004. That series only ran for a little over five months, and would at one point score a 0.0 in the ratings, so Ferrell's appearance didn't seem to help that project very much, but his invasion of CNBC to promote the show was quite funny:
The Australian Open continues with second-round coverage beginning on the Tennis Channel at 7 p.m. ET and on ESPN 2 at 9 p.m. ET. For a look at what else is on television in the near future, be sure to head on over to our midseason premiere guide to see what shows are making their 2018 return or premiere. For more on Will Ferrell and his obsession with tennis, check out this bit of news from when the actor was attached to star in a film based on the real-life "Battle of the Sexes," match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King.
