Few athletes in the world of professional sports have the talent with which Roger Federer is blessed.

So, when the 19-time major champion chimed in with his assessment of countryman and New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier, people paid attention.

"I mean, look, we're very happy in Switzerland that we have such a great hockey player in the starting blocks who is hopefully going to be a great, great player," Federer said, according to Jeff Eisenband of The Post Game. "Hope he stays healthy. I'm only hearing great things about him. He's a good guy. Unbelievably talented.

"People predict a great future ahead of him. I had the same. It's always easy to predict. But he's the guy who has to put in the work and be the guy who does it every single night on the ice."

While Federer has been competing on the world's biggest stage for nearly two decades, Hischier is just embarking on his career.

And, while the buzz around Hischier's debut has been substantial, Federer was quick to caution the 18-year-old rookie about the noise that comes along with being pegged "The Next One."

"That's the tough thing about it. It's always easy for people to talk, predict you're going to be world No.1, best goal-scorer," said Federer. "Doesn't matter. You have to put your head down and just work as hard as you possibly can."

With New Jersey set to open training camp in a matter of days, Hischier might be wise to lean on his Swiss counterpart for some advice. Guidance that Federer is more than willing to provide.

"If he has questions, I'm always happy to help," Federer said. " ... But I wish him all the very best."

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