Interesting Federer Interview

I stumbled upon this interview and found it very interesting (the interview proper starts about 6 mins in):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDZCG4xPqyI

Whenever I see Federer interviewed at any length, I'm always left with the impression that he's an intelligent guy.

One thing I have always liked about Federer is that he loves the journey. I mean as great as he is ;you can tell he loves to hit a tennis ball. And as a player as well as fan that means a lot to me. He likes the whole process beyond the money and prestigel. The interaction with the fans the media, the competition. You don't get that sense from a lot of other great pros. Sampras, Agassi, Borg you felt that in some way they felt put up on by their tennis greatness. They were tired of it at some stage. Fed seems to enjoy it and handle it better than anyone. As a player I always dream of being able to do what these guys do. And I don't get it when many of the top stars treat the life of a tennis superstar as drudgery or like operating a crane or truck or something. Fed always seems to enjoy the moment and the process unlike many other top pros. I also feel that Novak has a lot of that as well. It is certainly one of things that I like about Federer. The fact that it isn't just about winning, it isn't just about money, it isn't just about being the best but that he does have an intrinsic love of the sport and the tour.

Some interesting stuff in the interview, particularly about possibly playing doubles, and even mixed doubles, at the Olympics.
I think it's going to take a big dip in his form for Rog to retire any time soon. OK, he's unlikely to win another Slam or get back to number one, but he's just had another successful season, he's still capable of competing with the best and he's still clearly enjoying it all.

Socal

Good point - I always get the impression that Federer, more than any other top player, just gets a buzz out of hitting a ball and in particular pulling off the 'impossible' shot.

I've always thought that there is a big contrast with Nadal, who is motivated by the competition, the challenge of beating the best. Could be why he seems to perform better when #2 than #1.

In a broader context, I think Federer appreciates the life he has, and has a good balance between the family side of it and the professional side. Something which I'm sure Djoko and to an increasing extent Murray are still figuring out a bit.

He says he won't retire after the Olympics 2016 because the US Open is just after it.

That is interesting. I mean it's interesting that he didn't say:

I won't retire in 2016 because I'm thinking of playing 2, 3 years.

Arguably there is a possibility there of retiring at the end of 2016. Is he on record as committing further than that?

To build on this points above, I agree I think Federer gets a buzz out of hitting a great shot. I actually believe he occassionally hits low % shots, like goes for a winner 2 inches from the line when 2 feet from the line would have been a winner anyway.

Novak I think he gets more of a buzz from the big moments, he can be match point down and about to lose and on some level he is enjoying the moment. He could be 30-40 5-6 two sets all match point down in a slam final with the crowd going crazy and he could actually enjoy that. Other players are just thinking, get an ace and get out of this.

Rafa what gets him is more about the overall battle rather than specific moments (?).

It's an interesting interview ; and just when you feel you've already heard pretty much all he has to say on the subject of tennis, there were some genuinely fresh insights here. Would probably not have caught this one without the link, so thanks for posting HMM

As an aside, I also found it interesting to see just how much media "stuff" & logistics etc etc surrounds RF on a day-to-day basis (and not least, his seemingly relaxed manner of dealing with it all). No doubt the same applies to all the very top guys, but perhaps it is more emphasised in his case. The battle-hardened - and often cynical ! - journos who were invited to Zurich did seem particularly enthused by the opportunity. Yes, they are being paid to travel and then write, and it's hardly the most onerous of tasks - especially when compared to many other ways to earn a living in this big wide world. But they undoubtedly did give the impression of quasi-giddy excitement at the prospect of spending time in his company.

I think this is the first time (?) we have seen Federer openly discussing retirement at any length - ie other than hitherto stock auto-pilot responses along the lines of ....."no plans at all to do so ....not really thinking about it.....it's a long way off ......"
His reaction in this considered interview does make me feel (wrongly or rightly !) that the day might not be too far away. And no surprise there really, given just how much mileage is already on the clock, and the fact that the kids are - inevitably - growing and will want perhaps to develop more friendships of their own within a settled environment.

Other past icons of the sport have chosen various times/reasons : Borg, notably, said that he had simply lost his fundamental motivational and will-to-win factor ; Sampras grabbed the chance to go out on a high - but had, significantly, began suffering very frequent losses to low-ranked guys (and indeed much more so than is the case with his friend Fed so far). And then of course there are far lesser, albeit still big, names who simply found themselves unable to compete any longer, with any meaningful consistency, against top 20 level players. Interestingly, two of these are very much from Federer's own generation, and both former Number Ones : Roddick and Hewitt.

I believe socal makes a key point re Federer's basic passion for the game and the simple fact that he (ie Federer, although socal too, of course !) just loves hitting a tennis ball. How ironic that the guy who has played more matches than anyone else on the current Tour actually seems to find it less of a chore and a grind than so many others appear to do. Perhaps this underlying sense of enjoyment and the ongoing high degree (relatively so) of on-court success are not mutually exclusive.

dummy_half mentions Federer's apparent happy balance between professional & family life, with the implication that this will see him playing on for a few years yet. Could be right, we shall see, only time will tell. Either way, I imagine there will be any number of future 'projects' for Federer to become involved in, and lots of demands on his time when his main Tour days are finally done. Meanwhile, he still holds a fairly high spot in the annual global Forbes 'Celebrity earnings' list - the figures (though inevitably speculative to a degree of course) put him at Number 16 - slightly below Messi, but also slightly above LeBron James & Justin Timberlake. Not a bad return for the family coffers at $67m, during 2015 alone.  It's a good life ........

Further to the comments above, I thought the section on retirement was interesting too.

I'm pleased he said he is not looking for one last big moment to retire on. That quest can often become quite tragic for the ageing sportsperson, so its good to know he'll retire on his own terms.

I also thought similar to HB's comment above. The fact that he kept saying "I don't think I'll retire after the Olympics" rather than "I won't retire after the Olympics" gave the impression that he doesn't have a definite long term plan. He really is just playing for fun now.

Which is what we all thought anyway, but I don't recall ever getting such a clear sense of it from his own words before.

I also thought it was interesting that he said that maybe for him and Rafa it's not about being number 1 anymore, it's about getting tournament wins.

Again, we all thought that already but it still seems big to hear him say it directly.

In fact, now I think about it, that is probably what struck me about the whole interview: there was an underlying recognition that he is in the Autumn of his career and he seems quite content with the situation.

HM Murdock wrote:

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I also thought it was interesting that he said that maybe for him and Rafa it's not about being number 1 anymore, it's about getting tournament wins.

Again, we all thought that already but it still seems big to hear him say it directly.

In fact, now I think about it, that is probably what struck me about the whole interview: there was an underlying recognition that he is in the Autumn of his career and he seems quite content with the situation.

+ 1

And especially ...... re your final sentence as per my bold

Federer can't help but hear so much of the chatter & varied opinion (perhaps even on 606 ?? .... ) about himself as an individual, his career to date, his standing in the sport as a whole, and now - as time goes by - the ongoing speculation & debate re his retirement ; and yet, when all said & done, he just goes back to the family, puts his feet up when he can, and knows that all is calm is his world.

I am convinced that (most important of all), he has a good handle on life's true priorities & his own values. I reckon he knows how incredibly fortunate he is, and remembers to count his blessings.

What's going on now?

2 Djoko fans praising Fed, after Djoko had an amazing year?

I knew we could all be friends, after all

Jahu wrote:What's going on now?

2 Djoko fans praising Fed, after Djoko had an amazing year?

I knew we could all be friends, after all

When are you writing your next Djokovic article? Would you be willing to be paid and travel and interview Djokovic and his entourage?

Fed just signed to play Stuggart grass 2016 AND 2017, and specifically said in the press for the announcement that he made the commitment for two years instead of one purposefully and he intended to fulfill it. He also said after the wtf that Wimbledon remains his highest priority for the season. So I think with the Stuggart commitment, health willing, he's planning through at least Wimbledon 2017.

think as long as health stays good- he plays at least through willll

I find it interesting that people saying he definitely won't win another slam. I'm not quite so confident. If someone takes out Novak (Stan for example, most likely right now probably) then he would be the favourite of the rest for me.

Ok, Murray is number 2 on paper but I think Federer is probably the real number 2. And that's testament to his mindset and knowing how to treat his body.

As for the interview, I must say I like Roger more and more as he gets older. Intelligent bloke and always makes me listen.

Danny, I myself am very much in the Federer has already won his last-ever Slam camp, but then again I do think there could be something in the scenario you suggest.

The huge challenge for anyone well into their mid-thirties - and hence needing much more recovery time - is of course the matter of seven successive Bo5 matches ; which in itself is the main reason why nobody of his age has won one in the last 50 years approx.

I guess Federer is in a somewhat unique category - as illustrated as recently as a week or so ago - in his ability to beat four different, younger, top eight players in the space of a few days, and for the loss of just one set. All Bo3 matches of course, but pretty impressive nonetheless.

It is, as you say, entirely conceivable that Novak could be taken out by somebody else before Federer has to meet him. Nobody is invincible .....not  even current Novak.

And there remains the possibility - a low possibility, I admit - that Fed himself still has it in him to get the better of Novak in a Slam. In this last USO in September he earned a total of 23 break points and as a result had definite opportunities to win the third set IIRC. Of course Novak was rock solid in defending all those BP's, and he was also helped in no little measure by Federer's wastefulness in converting just four of those twenty three. Four from twenty three !!! On another day, it's just possible - just - that things could go the other way.

While people are dissecting in his pressers after his losses if he said 25 words of praise for his opponent instead of the 30 words they demand, they miss the one thing you constantly hear Federer say :"I had fun out there" "it was a fun match" He always talks about the enjoyment of the match. In the Major losses to Djokovic this year even- he really seemed to have enjoyed the match. I think especialy so after the fact as he kept saying it was fun.

Djokovic, especially after playing Federer, usually talks about how he appreciated the "quality" of the match, the level that he had to reach to beat him.

I think there is a subtle difference there.

Federer also talks a lot about he feels freer on the court with less pressure now that he has entered this phase and the domination isn't expected of him anymore. I actually don't see that in his demeanor on court- to me he seems more tightly wound than ever... which is common with the greats toward the end. It's frustrating to not be able to quite do what you used to. It is clear though he loves all the aspects of the sport.

laverfan wrote:

Jahu wrote:What's going on now?

2 Djoko fans praising Fed, after Djoko had an amazing year?

I knew we could all be friends, after all

When are you writing your next Djokovic article? Would you be willing to be paid and travel and interview Djokovic and his entourage?

I'm still learning english in this forum with the exquisitely intelligent and eloquent posters here, so not yet ready to write 

But next time I'm driving through Monaco, I will make a photograph of Djokos condo (as you americanos call it) and post it, he is only around 6h driving from me 

He's very lucky that he managed to get all the monkeys off his back. Had he not got the French, say, or passed Pete's 15, I think he'd be less fulfilled and therefore less "positive about the process".

He's in that zone where he can be fulfilled yet stay competitive. Nice place to be.

bogbrush wrote:

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He's in that zone where he can be fulfilled yet stay competitive. Nice place to be.

True enough.

And if the many challenges of bringing up* two sets of twins doesn't help keep you grounded, balanced, and provide a sense of perspective on life's real priorities ..... well I guess nothing will.

(*a task rendered somewhat easier, admittedly, by a serious level of wealth .... )