A GENUINE MOMENT WITH ROGER FEDERER IN ROME BY CRAIG CIGNARELLI

Written by: Staff on 16th May 2015

A GENUINE MOMENT WITH ROGER FEDERER IN ROME BY CRAIG CIGNARELLI |

Photo by AJA

One of the perks of having a tournament pass and being a coach, is having access to tennis greatness. Today, I got to spend a little time with Roger Federer. He’d just completed a strange win over Kevin Anderson, was up 6-3, 5-2 double break, and sputtered a bit, before finally regaining his regal self to win 6-3, 7-5. Ten minutes later he strolled up toward the press area in a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I did not take notes because when you talk with Roger, it’s much more of a conversation, a “look you in the eyes and get genuine for a few moments” sort of thing. So I am not going to quote Roger, but rather, just give you the gist of what he had to say:

After having played Cuevas, what was different about your preparation for Anderson today?

I reviewed my game plan. However, tennis players have to be mentally flexible, whether it’s rain, or waiting for another match, or having to adjust during play, we have to be prepared for everything. I’ve done that my whole career so I have a handle on it now.

Roger Federer of Switzerland in action against Kevin Anderson of South Africa during their third round match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 14 May 2015. EPA/ALESSANDRO DI MEO

You said tennis players have to be flexible. What adjustments did you make today during the match?

I played pretty well in the first set, and then had a slippery spot in the second. You have to make adjustments based on who you are playing. Sometimes guys have a big serve and there’s not a lot you can do. Anderson has a big serve and it can be hard to deal with, but I broke him four times today and that’s a pretty good effort. I feel good about that.

Often after points, you have this little head-shake, as though you are getting rid of the last point. Is there something strategic about your between point routines?

Do I? I wasn’t even aware of that. When I was a kid, I was a bit of a perfectionist and I used to get really angry about missing shots. I thought, “How can I miss that!” Over time, I’ve learned that the between point time is critical during matches. I use the first few seconds to react to the last point, and then spend some time relaxing and breathing, and then the last few seconds I’ll prepare my plan for the next point. It’s a three-phase process and after a while, it becomes routine and I just do it naturally.

A few other notes about Roger: His ability to deal with the media is remarkable. He is so disarming, genuine, and open to any questions, that you are almost taken aback by his frankness. There is humility, respect for the game, a sadness about his celebrity and the inability to even go out to dinner in Rome without being assaulted by autograph seekers and photo-ops (but he said that is part of the game and he is proud to have reached a level where that actually happens), and a pride about his place in tennis history. He still does that little hair-fix when he gets shy and continues to express how much he loves the game, the fans, the travel, and everything that goes with tennis. I left the conversation with a renewed feeling of joy about our sport. That we have such a perfect ambassador for the thing we love, and that he wants to continue to be part of it for as long as possible, means the sport is in good hands for at least a while.

Topics: Atp, Craig Cignarelli, Internazionali BNL D'Italia, Roger Federer, Tennis News