"It's a belief that I can achieve such heights in life. If you have belief you can go really far in your life. I kept on believing and dreaming and I am here today." -Roger Federer on winning Wimbledon 2017.
At the age of 36, when most of the athletes sit back and relax, one name which is celebrated all over the world regardless of nationality is Roger. Nobody wants him to loose even if he is playing against the player of their own nationality. His one handed cross court backhand, serve and volley, ability to move and slide across one side of the net is still unparalleled. Alexander Zverev, who is the currently the youngest guy in ATP top 30 players (finished the 2017 season ranked world No. 4), rightly put his feelings into words in post match presentation after loosing to Roger Federer in the final of Hopman Cup, 2018 "Roger, relax a little bit, we want to win something as well. It makes us young guy look bad".
When he landed in Australia this year, he was favorite to defend the title. He wanted to continue his dream run of 2017, in which he won 2 Grand Slams titles. 2017 was different. He was not physically 100% fit. He struggled to find his rhythm during initial matches. He had the thoughts of last 5 years in mind as he won his 17th Grand Slam back in 2012. He had to fight with not only his opponents but also his body and mind. His words after the tournament rightly reflects the struggle he had to went through-"You might not be feeling great physically or mentally you are drained but the confidence somehow gets you through. And when you don't have confidence, that time you have to trust all the hard work you have done and keep on working hard so success comes back".
But in 2018 he was more confident, more physically fit, he overcame his fears and came to enjoy the game. This was echoed through his performance as he didn't even loose a set before the final. He was ruthless and relentless till the 4th set of the final. But as it is said that you can overcome physical boundaries but mental battles are hard to win. He accepted it. "My mind was all over the place. I was telling myself, I am so close right now, Don't mess it up and that's exactly when you mess it up." The belief that he had in his mind helped him to conquer the fort of his own negative thoughts. The fairy tale continued and it was incredible just like his emotions in his speech "You guys, you fill the stadium, you make me nervous. you make me go out and practice. Just like to thank you for everything."
At the age of 36, when most of the athletes sit back and relax, one name which is celebrated all over the world regardless of nationality is Roger. Nobody wants him to loose even if he is playing against the player of their own nationality. His one handed cross court backhand, serve and volley, ability to move and slide across one side of the net is still unparalleled. Alexander Zverev, who is the currently the youngest guy in ATP top 30 players (finished the 2017 season ranked world No. 4), rightly put his feelings into words in post match presentation after loosing to Roger Federer in the final of Hopman Cup, 2018 "Roger, relax a little bit, we want to win something as well. It makes us young guy look bad".
When he landed in Australia this year, he was favorite to defend the title. He wanted to continue his dream run of 2017, in which he won 2 Grand Slams titles. 2017 was different. He was not physically 100% fit. He struggled to find his rhythm during initial matches. He had the thoughts of last 5 years in mind as he won his 17th Grand Slam back in 2012. He had to fight with not only his opponents but also his body and mind. His words after the tournament rightly reflects the struggle he had to went through-"You might not be feeling great physically or mentally you are drained but the confidence somehow gets you through. And when you don't have confidence, that time you have to trust all the hard work you have done and keep on working hard so success comes back".
But in 2018 he was more confident, more physically fit, he overcame his fears and came to enjoy the game. This was echoed through his performance as he didn't even loose a set before the final. He was ruthless and relentless till the 4th set of the final. But as it is said that you can overcome physical boundaries but mental battles are hard to win. He accepted it. "My mind was all over the place. I was telling myself, I am so close right now, Don't mess it up and that's exactly when you mess it up." The belief that he had in his mind helped him to conquer the fort of his own negative thoughts. The fairy tale continued and it was incredible just like his emotions in his speech "You guys, you fill the stadium, you make me nervous. you make me go out and practice. Just like to thank you for everything."
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| Emotional Federer after winning his sixth Australian Open title in 2018 courtesy-ausopen.com |
This natural display of emotions makes him different from others in the world where tears coming out of your eyes are inversely proportional to the masculinity. His tears are reminiscent of the hard work of past so many years and the support of family and his team. It may happen that someone else comes and breaks his record of 20 Grand Slams as it is the nature of the game but he will remain as the greatest ambassador of the game ever and biggest inspiration for all to learn to defy the odds. His own words expresses it beautifully- "Today all the success you have no body can take that away. So it gives you a sense of security but at the same time you want to achieve more. You need to have that fire burning to really want to achieve big things. That's what I have and that's what I am doing."
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