ROGER FEDERER ON ...
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 US 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 US. 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. 46 NetJets
CONQUERING THE CLUTCH POINTS IN A MATCH … AND HOW HE APPROACHES CRUNCH-TIME PLAY I mean, I hope I also don’t choke as well! Seriously, though, I know we all look like everything’s totally under control. But I think we both feel the same way. Let’s just not mess this up. Let’s just get this point over and done with so we can move on to a different, less stressful point. But, of course, if you want to be specific, I guess once the point is over, I use the first five seconds to react in a positive or negative way, the next five seconds to relax and then the next five seconds to respond to what has happened quickly – the last point or the last hour. And ask myself, “Is there something I had in the back of my mind that I would like to try out when it comes down to the crunch?”, “What is his weakness?”, “Do we massage that or do we go to the strength to then go to his weakness?”, “How aggressive are we going to play, how much risk are we willing to take?” – and off you go. All that in 15-20 seconds, let’s say, and you compress it very quickly. And then as the point is obviously going on, then the mind is also racing – focusing on the geometry of the plays, which are crazy all the time. If you wait a split second more, you would get more options or fewer options. As you know, tennis is quite a difficult sport and you’re always thinking, “Just don’t make a mistake, just don’t miss” and if you can, try to play with controlled aggression. That was always a type of play I used to employ, and, of course, you try not to beat your opponent with the biggest shot. Don’t be silly. Don’t be the hero in the certain moments – but, on the other hand, I always tried to remind myself to be young in the brain, be willing to take risks. Because as we get older, I felt, or as a player as in life, you start playing the percentages too much. So, for example, do you go for the high backhand up the line, smashing it for a winner from the baseline against a fast runner – you hit maybe one of ten. So, you think to yourself, is this the right moment to take that chance, because why not, he will not expect it. Or is it too big of a risk? So, I think sometimes you just have to weigh the options, be a bit stupid and do that, just to remind your opponent that variation is there. And my thing has always been variation, variation, variation on the tennis court. MENTAL TOUGHNESS AND FORTITUDE I definitely think you can build mental toughness. How did I become one of the most consistent athletes out there? It came through hard work. I figured out why I’m going to the gym and not the beach and I knew what I needed to work on and what it was going to bring me. And once I understood that the hard work was in the gym, I could then translate that to on-court and then that gave me the confidence to believe in myself. One of the things that I thankfully missed out on at the beginning of my career was social media, something I’m very happy that I didn’t have. And so I didn’t have to deal with negative comments or the echochamber. I was able to deal with the wins and losses because of the good team that I had built around myself. I was able to surround myself with the right people early on, because before you know it, you have people on your team, whom you don’t know what they’re doing, but they’re there. And it’s not that they’re bad people – but just not the right people. WHAT GOES INTO BEING A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE It’s a full-time job. It’s not just when you walk out onto the court. The match is the tip of the iceberg. But everything that goes into it is beneath the surface, and that’s what fills up your day. And I feel like sometimes a lot of the athletes and the players, they think when they come home they’re no longer a professional athlete, no longer a role model – and they try to put it all away. I agree we’ve got to put it on hold, but I still think you have to be a professional 365 days a year, and I’m not that crazy athlete that thought like this all the time: I was a master at compartmentalising and you have to be quite extreme because if I’m always tense and always in the moment, then I can’t relax, I’ll get tired throughout a long two or three weeks, like here at Flushing Meadows as an example. So, the key for a professional athlete is being able to bounce in and out. Yet be aware that he’s always a professional athlete. And not that you can do whatever you want – and to behave like an animal. Because you have to be able to maximise the moment. And your career is short: You have to always remember that, and somebody is willing to take your place. It’s windy at the top, I always say, and I think when you’re conscious of that, you also have respect and a duty toward your sport as a professional – you know that somebody else would love to be in your shoes. And by virtue of that, you do it the right way. NetJets 47
