Talk about feeling good!

Seriously, Federer seems to have an astonishingly positive mentality.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444327204577613512763592978.html

I can't quickly bring to mind anyone with the same combination of massive competitiveness and contentment. They seem mutually exclusive, but clearly not.

There's a lot of people (myself included) who could benefit greatly from whatever it is he's got going on in his head (I'm afraid I'm from the "driven significantly by discontent" stable).

Federer is at that stage in life where he's won it all, got the t-shirt, the family, the 100s of millions, the private jet, the house in every country, etc and people tell him how good he is every day. What reason does he have to be not content right now?

But it wasn't always that way BB and you know it. He was a racquet breaking teenager with a short temper, he needed sports psychology around 20 yr old and was less than happy in 2009/2010. But he's matured and with success has come the spoils. Sure that success needed amazing competitiveness but it needed massive self analysis and criticism too to facilitate improvement. I think he's just sitting back and smelling the roses now. And good for him!

But I wouldn't separate him, Nadal and Djokovic too much. Guys like that have a mentality to win and close out negatives, they need this make up to prosper under extreme pressure...you can't focus on negatives too long or else it impedes progress. They know how to stay in the moment better than just about anyone and have a very high threshold for stress. Seriously, what has Federer got to feel bad about now?

I agree Lydian, but I know enough about myself to know that having what he has wouldn't do that for me; I've been lucky to have gone far further than I ever thought I would but all I've done is reset my aspirations.

I've always thought that being content was incompatible with ravenous hunger yet Federer seems to have pulled that off. I'm quite sure it's not natural - as you (and he) say he was an idiot when younger.

Doesn't success make one look higher up the same hill or across to another one? Ambition is a powerful drug.

I think Federer has learnt to control his demons over the years and a lot of his demeanour is pure Swiss having worked there a lot. Of course some might call his demeanour somewhat smug

Surely not!??

The calm doesn't surprise me - as you say, what's there to feel bad about? The bit that surprises me is how much hunger remains despite achievements to date and the generally idyllic World he exists in.

Perhaps ITF should consider a Seniors Slam series (not the current Champions tour) and see how Federer's hunger will stay.

BB,

i have put you in your fifth decade since that's how i have viewed you and if you still have the burning rage at that age then good for you. if i have pegged your age wrong then apologies.

i am in my fourth decade (mid) and my burning rage is still there, but directed at slightly different stuff than when i was in my twenties.

anyway, re the Seniors Slams, i seriously hope Federer will keep off the courts once he retires. i would rather he be like a Sampras with nothing much to do with tennis once he retires.

will keep the mystique forever.

It's a great testament to Mirka as well isn't it - she loves tennis as well, not just being a top player's wife but clearly understands and enjoys the competition as much as Fed does. I think wheels are probably very well oiled and kept running smoothly for him at home/on tour.

On the not brooding on losses issue, these guys are so competitively wired that their natural tendency is to look forward and only glance back - I don't suppose any of them spend weeks brooding over things they can't change when there are things they can affect.

How lovely to have a superstar who does acknowledge that they do have a wonderful life and are very blessed.

Of course Federer is feeling good he is playing pressure free. He is playing past the age when some of his contemporaries are retiring, he has 17 slams and he can't be hurt by a loss. That's great for him but not so good for us to watch. Exciting tennis needs drama, ego and things to prove.

The more I think about it when Nadal returns it will perhaps be similar for him. Of course he could still focus on trying to clock up a few more slam trophies but that's not the same without a big rival to beat. Beating a big rival who is 31+ is not quite the same challenge. Just hope it's enough to keep him motivated.

In hindsight there is a lot to thank Djokovic for. He has managed to prolong the interest.

As long as he can keep bringing to the court the kind of magic he displayed in the Wimbledon final, or at quite a few key moments this year, then it will still be good for us to watch.

hawkeye wrote:Of course Federer is feeling good he is playing pressure free. He is playing past the age when some of his contemporaries are retiring, he has 17 slams and he can't be hurt by a loss. That's great for him but not so good for us to watch. Exciting tennis needs drama, ego and things to prove.

The more I think about it when Nadal returns it will perhaps be similar for him. Of course he could still focus on trying to clock up a few more slam trophies but that's not the same without a big rival to beat. Beating a big rival who is 31+ is not quite the same challenge. Just hope it's enough to keep him motivated.

In hindsight there is a lot to thank Djokovic for. He has managed to prolong the interest.

I think you're misreading him and the point I was making.

What surprises me isn't the contentment, the happiness etc but the fact that despite that he's still burning with ambition. Can you imagine the drive it's taken to revive his career, reinvent his style and return to the top when younger rivals had surpassed him? You don't do that unless you have immense ambition.

It's combining that with being so content that I can't figure!

coolpixel wrote:BB,

i have put you in your fifth decade since that's how i have viewed you and if you still have the burning rage at that age then good for you. if i have pegged your age wrong then apologies.

i am in my fourth decade (mid) and my burning rage is still there, but directed at slightly different stuff than when i was in my twenties.

anyway, re the Seniors Slams, i seriously hope Federer will keep off the courts once he retires. i would rather he be like a Sampras with nothing much to do with tennis once he retires.

will keep the mystique forever.

Actually just entered my sixth!!!! I'd like to point out that that I have very little grey, got a full head of hair, one filling and currently weigh what I did 25 years ago, so it's not too bad!

B-brush. Well I'm in my seventh decade, still playing cricket, still playing tennis and still able to run for the bus in the mornings like Usain Bolt. I'm beginning to bald, but the mainly-silvery hair looks distinguished. I used to be big headed but now I'm perfect.

I think Federer has re-discovered a game that certainly fits and feels really good. To me certainly I felt last year Federer was eager and determined to hit players off the court and if the serve waned, he was in trouble. A reluctance to go to the slice, now it seems like he is keen to use the slice even in attacking plays.

I know on another thread lydian spoke of not findingthe current tennis exciting, but I think I have enjoyed Federer's play this year than previous years gone by. The fact he and Annacone went to the drawing board to find a new formula and execute it so well has been a marvel.

Look at the rest of the field. What did Nadal do to change the onslaught he took from Djokovic? What has Djokovic done to retain the form or stay on top of the tennis world? In a sense it does highlight how limited players were. I enjoyed Agassi's last years because he went from baseline slugger to a baseline aggressor. He also powered up his serve and hit heavier ground strokes. That's the whole thing when looking at a tennis player's career and thinking by god how did they keep on playing well into their 30's. Quite simply something as fundemental as 'adjustments' make all the difference.

bogbrush wrote:Actually just entered my sixth!!!! I'd like to point out that that I have very little grey, got a full head of hair, one filling and currently weigh what I did 25 years ago, so it's not too bad!

That depends on what you weighed 25 years ago!

I'd love to think that Annacone got all Burgess Meredith on him last year during Novak's run:

Federer: He's just another player!
Annacone: No he ain't just another player. This guy is a wrecking machine and he's hungry! Hell, you ain't been hungry since you won the Australian Open in 2010!
Federer: Aw, what are you talking about I've won 16 slams?
Annacone: That was easy!
Federer: What do you mean easy?
Annacone: They was in a weak era!
Federer: Set ups?
Annacone: Nah they wasn't set ups! They was good players but they wasn't killers like this guy. He'll knock you to tomorrow, Rog!
Federer: Jeez, Paul. Why'd you do it?
Annacone: Because the beating that you got from Rafa should've killed you, kid. It didn't. It was my job to keep you winning and to keep you healthy.
Federer: You really don't think I got nothing left do you?
Annacone: Well, Rog, let's put it this way. Now, three years ago you was supernatural. You was hard and you was nasty and you had this cast-iron forehand but then the worst thing happened to you, that could happen to any fighter. You got civilized. But don't worry kid. You know, presidents retire, horses retire, Man-o-war retired. They put him out to stud. That's what you should've done, retired.
Federer:I can't retire knowing all this, Paul.

Cue training montage

Sometimes you don't too much to make you feel good ...... eg recovering your lost tennis bag at the airport might do the trick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFW4kgu-V3s&feature=youtu.be

HM Murdoch wrote:

bogbrush wrote:Actually just entered my sixth!!!! I'd like to point out that that I have very little grey, got a full head of hair, one filling and currently weigh what I did 25 years ago, so it's not too bad!

That depends on what you weighed 25 years ago!

I'd love to think that Annacone got all Burgess Meredith on him last year during Novak's run:

Federer: He's just another player!
Annacone: No he ain't just another player. This guy is a wrecking machine and he's hungry! Hell, you ain't been hungry since you won the Australian Open in 2010!
Federer: Aw, what are you talking about I've won 16 slams?
Annacone: That was easy!
Federer: What do you mean easy?
Annacone: They was in a weak era!
Federer: Set ups?
Annacone: Nah they wasn't set ups! They was good players but they wasn't killers like this guy. He'll knock you to tomorrow, Rog!
Federer: Jeez, Paul. Why'd you do it?
Annacone: Because the beating that you got from Rafa should've killed you, kid. It didn't. It was my job to keep you winning and to keep you healthy.
Federer: You really don't think I got nothing left do you?
Annacone: Well, Rog, let's put it this way. Now, three years ago you was supernatural. You was hard and you was nasty and you had this cast-iron forehand but then the worst thing happened to you, that could happen to any fighter. You got civilized. But don't worry kid. You know, presidents retire, horses retire, Man-o-war retired. They put him out to stud. That's what you should've done, retired.
Federer:I can't retire knowing all this, Paul.

Cue training montage

True it would depend on that! Decent shape thanks

As for the dialogue, that means after regaining the #1 Federer will go on to beat the guy who destroys Nadal, then train a champ, then return in 20 years to win another Slam (there are two endings to "Rocky Balboa").

bogbrush wrote:As for the dialogue, that means after regaining the #1 Federer will go on to beat the guy who destroys Nadal, then train a champ, then return in 20 years to win another Slam (there are two endings to "Rocky Balboa").

You know what, I actually wouldn't put that past him!

Players born in the 80's are a hundred times better than players born in 90's

The man himself touched on this in his interview yesterday:

Q. Do you feel as much pressure to win a slam now as you did before you won one?

ROGER FEDERER: No. This is way less pressure. This is ‑‑ I don't know how to explain it. You don't even explain because it makes so much sense. Before you're trying to break through, make your move, you realize it's so hard. You still have Agassi, Sampras, the older generation you saw from TV. Not so easy to come through that one. That's not even talking about your generation that also are pushing, trying to make their move. I remember I felt an awful lot of pressure because I was very talented and people always said, He's going to be the next No. 1, next Grand Slam champion, but it seems like there's something missing. You're like, Yeah, I agree. I agree I could maybe make it, there is something missing, but I haven't figured it out yet. So you do feel that pressure. Yeah, you panic a little bit. It's not so simple at times. Today obviously everything you have achieved, nobody can take it away from you. By virtue of that, you are much more at peace with everything that goes on in your life.

HM Murdoch. Thanks for that extract. "because I was very talented" snigger. Only Federer can get away with this... And yes of course he is playing pressure free. My point has been though that this is less fun to watch. I want to watch the best players under intense pressure.

Chased down the rest of the interview and found this

Q. The Spanish media published today that Rafael Nadal may not play until next year. How do you feel about it? Did you ever have a conversation with him about his many injuries?

ROGER FEDERER: No.



Q. Maybe gave him some advice?

ROGER FEDERER: No, we never really spoke about it, even though we see each other. He sees me taped up. I see him getting taped up. We see each other warming up for matches and so forth. You never really talk about that. I think it's quite personal except if one guy goes up to the other. But we're both very open and honest, you know. When I ask him how he's feeling, he's not feeling well, he'll tell me, I'm tired, a little injured. There's no real secrets out there because he knows and I know when we tell each other that stuff it doesn't leave the room. That's a nice relationship I have with Rafa. It's based on a lot of trust. So it's obviously not great news but one that was a possibility. So I'm not shocked about the news. I'm still hopeful that he'll be okay for the rest of the year.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interviews/2012-09-01/201209011346540951715.html

Like the way Federer doesn't respond to the first "baited" question about Nadal's "many injuries". As always impressed by the amount of respect these two players have for each other.

Hawkeye, yes, I found that part interesting too.

I find the relationship between Fed and Rafa a tricky one to define. Sometimes it seems like they are pals, sometimes they seem like it's only professional respect but personally lukewarm. Sometimes they seem like business partners, sometimes like business rivals.

It's strange, I always get the sense that Rafa gets on best personally with Novak but there is definitely something unique about his relationship with Roger.

Federer gets called arrogant but he just seems to have the habit of saying what he means, and by doing so consistently it doesn't seem wrong. "Because I was so talented" is an example; everyone knows he was/is and to say anything else would be false, yet in some cultures it's regarded as impolite to say what is.

I'm reminded of the press conference after losing to Murray in Dubai in '08; people were foaming at the mouth, yet it was the truth and best thing anyone could have said for Murrays benefit. He was asked about Don Young on court and prompted to give advice; he said some nice things about talent and suggested he remember how lucky he is to be so talented and to enjoy the game (Young beats himself up on court like Murray x 1000). Again, nicely put but the truth.

His comments about Rafa are similar, and I would take them as the best evidence available that Nadal will be back playing soon.

Nadal and Federer have mutual respect for one another, that is clear. I think they genuinely like each other too, ok maybe not best buddies - I don't see Federer as a best buddies kind of guy - but they clearly get on.

Regarding burning ambition, I don't think you lose it...raging fires run deep. If you succeed at something you don't tend to stop to smell the roses but carry on, or divert that focus to another challenge. Federer has always created targets for himself and that has kept the motivation going. I also agree with TP in that Mirka is an understated influence. As a pro player she understands what is needed to succeed so provides him with the solid bedrock from which he can flourish, it is a great cliche but behind every great ma or woman is...
So what the Federer 'unit' have done so well is to harness Roger's and Mirka's burning ambition...I firmly believe that Mirka will have exercised her own burning ambition through Roger's career too, so theirs is a very successful relationship on all levels and is one of the main reasons why he never needed a close coach after Carter/Lundgren.

lydian wrote:Nadal and Federer have mutual respect for one another, that is clear. I think they genuinely like each other too, ok maybe not best buddies - I don't see Federer as a best buddies kind of guy - but they clearly get on.

Regarding burning ambition, I don't think you lose it...raging fires run deep. If you succeed at something you don't tend to stop to smell the roses but carry on, or divert that focus to another challenge. Federer has always created targets for himself and that has kept the motivation going. I also agree with TP in that Mirka is an understated influence. As a pro player she understands what is needed to succeed so provides him with the solid bedrock from which he can flourish, it is a great cliche but behind every great ma or woman is...
So what the Federer 'unit' have done so well is to harness Roger's and Mirka's burning ambition...I firmly believe that Mirka will have exercised her own burning ambition through Roger's career too, so theirs is a very successful relationship on all levels and is one of the main reasons why he never needed a close coach after Carter/Lundgren.

Yes I think it's good Nadal and Federer have this mutual respect.

Anyway talking about Federer and Mirka, my official release of their secret hidden conversation is only a few hours away

Hadn't thought of that Lydian; it's like there's two tennis players focussed on one career.

Federer has often lauded her role in his career, and it's true they've been together since before he won anything big. Is she his Uncle Toni?!