I just watched Roger Federer beat David Ferrer 6-4 7-6 in a group match at the Barclays ATP World Tour finals and thought it would be a good time to write a post on what we can learn from Federer.
Watching Roger play indoors is always exciting because he displays his all-court game a lot more in these controlled conditions. Federer and Djokovic are both undefeated as of now in the tournament and Federer has already qualified for the semi-finals.
Roger looks like he is in great form and as mentioned before the conditions really suit his game. Therefore Roger is definitely my favourite to win the tournament!
So What Are Some Things You Can Learn From Roger ?
1. Good Technique Gives You Options
A lot of Roger’s success is based on the fact that he has pretty much flawless technique. He can do a lot more things well on the tennis court than his competitors.
Have A Look At This Point Where Roger Shows His Whole Arsenal
As you can see Roger can play offense, defensive, he can come to the net, he can hit short slice shots or even drop shots and he can pretty much rely on all of these options at any time in a match. The main reason for that is his flawless technique. (Coupled with lots of talent of course)
When you have good technique your shots become reliable even under pressure and Roger’s game really proves that fact!
One more important thing to consider in this regard is that having many options on the court is a lot of fun as well. You can change your game up whenever you want and experiment with certain shots. That will lead to more long-term enjoyment of the game.
Therefore I believe it is a worthwhile goal for all of you to continue to improve your technique. It will make your tennis journey more interesting and rewarding in the long run!
2. Keep Things In Perspective
When we watch Roger we get a sense for how much fun he must be having on the court when he is playing well. But the great thing about Roger in my opinion is the fact that he keeps things in perspective even when he is not playing well.
He often says that after all Tennis is just a game and he does not expect himself to win all the time. The bar is of course set really high for him and in recent years he had to deal with the media and other experts speculating about whether he can still play at the top and how much longer he will play.
Roger was not phased by this though. He knew exactly why he is still playing the game and he also managed his expectations really well!
He did not expect to win all the time and when he had a stretch where he did not reach a Grand Slam final for a while, he kept saying that this is a perfectly normal thing to happen. And of course he was right in that regard. The competition has gotten tougher over the years. Djokovic and Nadal are playing unbelievable and other players like Del Potro and Berdych can beat the top guys in Grand Slams as well.
I believe that it is his great attitude that allowed him to stay in the game even when things were not going that well and the media kept talking about his possible retirement. In the end he was rewarded when he came back to win Wimbledon this year.
Federer Enjoying Himself After Winning Wimbledon This Year
So the lesson to be learned here is that you need to keep things in perspective in order to enjoy this game for the long run. Most tennis players have expectations that are too high and that holds them back from maximizing their potential and enjoying the game!
3. Work Hard And Smart
Roger is known for his great work ethic. He follows a rigorous training routine and I have often heard that he regularly practices against 3 guys at the same time on the court. The other players rotate out when they get too tired while he keeps playing during these intense practice sessions.
Have A Look At This Training Video From Roger Federer
As you can see Roger is training hard and having some fun at the same time, which is one of the keys to sustaining such a tough training routine!
Of course not everbody can and should train like this. Even though Roger trains very hard, he also trains smart. Training smart is all about getting the maximum result out of your practice sessions without overtraining.
So what does training hard and smart mean for you ? In order to get really fit for Tennis you need to work at high intensity levels over short periods of time and repeat this in intervals.
The good news is that usually you don’t need hours to train effectively for Tennis. You can get a lot done in a super effective 15 minute workout where you repeat high intensity drills/exercises with short breaks in between, basically simulating point play.
So one key aspect is having the right intensity while you pracitce; either on the court or off the court. For more information on this I suggest you also check out my previous blog post: Physical Intensity
Another important aspect is having a high quality in your workout sessions. If the quality of your workouts is good you do not need a whole lot of quantity. Check out my blog post on this idea here: Quality vs. Quantity
Allright so much for now and let’s see who ends up winning the ATP World Tour finals. Roger is certainly my favourite at this point!
