Netjets US Summer 2023

ROGER FEDERER ON ...
MOST MEMORABLE
VICTORIES AND
STANDOUT CAREER
MOMENTS
Well, a lot of them have come at
Wimbledon, naturally. Maybe 2001, when
I beat Sampras. It had a lot of unique
things riding on it: It was my first time
playing on Centre Court, thinking I’ve
made it, and he was my hero at the time.
And I ended up beating him 7-5 in the
fifth set. And who knew that that was
going to be, sort of, the changing of
the guard? He was also going for five
straight Wimbledon titles and I stopped
him from doing that—funny anecdote:
Three months later, Björn Borg thanked
me because he had five titles! That was
an incredible moment. Then, of course,
winning my first Wimbledon in 2003 was
a dream come true —I was in disbelief.
First Swiss male to win Wimbledon, after
Martina Hingis won on the women’s side.
That was just an incredible moment
in my career. Then, of course, winning
the French Open in 2009: I could hear
and feel the whole stadium backing me,
wanting me to win. The 2017 Australian
Open was obviously fantastic because
of the comeback after a tough year with
my knee. I came back and played really
well in that epic five-setter against
Rafa. And the 2005 U.S. Open was also
special because I played Andre Agassi
in the final: I expected it to be tough in
terms of the crowds and they were really
behind and supportive of Andre because
they expected him to retire and I felt
that too, though I wasn’t prepared for
that kind of an overwhelming pro-Andre
crowd.
ALL-ROUND STAR
Federer is as
engaging and
thoughtful off the
court as he was
elegant on it.
PICTURE ALLIANCE/EPA-EFE
THE SURGE IN POPULARITY IN PICKLEBALL
I’ve never played it. I know it’s very popular in the U.S. In Europe, it’s very much
padel and I played that once or twice when I was in Dubai and on vacation. I
know there is this rivalry between touch tennis, pickleball, and padel, and I’m
asked which camp am I in. I see it more as something that’s great for racket
sports: The more people are playing pickle or padel, the more will pick up
tennis and vice-versa. I don’t think we’ll lose the tennis fan to just that alone.
But certainly, as you get older, it’s nicer to play something that is easier on the
body and where you don’t have to take huge strides left and right. So I think
it’s great. I don’t know how much potential it has in terms of becoming a TV
sport and going global—but it doesn’t matter, as long as it gets people out
there, having a good time and having fun, that’s all that matters.
ADVICE FOR PARENTS OF YOUNG ATHLETES
I spoke to my fitness coach about my children and, beyond practice, he said it’s all about “coordination,
coordination, coordination.” Until the ages of 13 or 14, they can still improve it but basically if you don’t
commit to become a professional by the age of 14, it might be too late. So, let’s take tennis as an example:
Probably a lot of children nowadays play six hours of tennis a day but don’t focus at all on fitness. Or maybe
one hour on fitness. And I think the ratio has to be at least 50-50. So, my fitness coach said that if every
athlete would work on coordination, endurance, strength, and agility, and all those different things—and
we’re talking things as basic as using a skipping rope, etc.—we would have so many better athletes out there.
But, unfortunately, most of us don’t know how important all these disciplines are and how big the potential is
when you’re young. So, I think, hearing that from someone, say, like me or from another professional, is very
helpful. And so, I think getting this right is key.
48 NetJets