What is the secret behind Roger Federer's longevity?

[ExpressPacer]

It is no secret that Federer is perhaps the greatest tennis player of all time and we are lucky to be alive in a time where we can see the legend play live! However, what makes him even greater is the fact that he, at age 36, is still playing and is still as good as he was during his peak!

Tennis is an extremely physically demanding sport and requires supreme fitness and in spite of that, most Tennis players retire from playing singles by the age of 30-32 and continue playing doubles and retire by age 36. But Federer is still the best in the world despite competition from great tennis players themselves (Nadal, Djokovic, Murray).

P.S. Aside from being a Cricket fan, I also follow Tennis quite religiously.

 

[Poison]

Federer's fitness is what sets him apart. He's also recognised when he has an injury that could be career-threatening and takes extended time off to avoid aggravating the issue (see Nadal). I guess its also arguable that advances in treatment technologies have extended his career.

When it comes down to it though; he's just a supreme athlete.

 

[Zak_Fan]

Fitness and playing style.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Federer's fitness is what sets him apart. He's also recognised when he has an injury that could be career-threatening and takes extended time off to avoid aggravating the issue (see Nadal). I guess its also arguable that advances in treatment technologies have extended his career.

When it comes down to it though; he's just a supreme athlete.

Agreed. I think it all comes down to the fact that he's maintained a fitness level that is at its zenith.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Fitness and playing style.

How exactly do you think his playing style has anything to do with his longevity?

 

[big_gamer007]

How exactly do you think his playing style has anything to do with his longevity?

People like roddick, nadal, phillipousis etc who have a power game will tend to put more stress on body as compared to people like federer or Sampras..

 

[big_gamer007]

Federer takes care of his body probably has one of the top notch fitness regime for years and a proper diet he follows.. That is the reason he is a GOAT he has been consisten at the top level for such a long time in a sport like tennis it's pretty impressive.

 

[ExpressPacer]

People like roddick, nadal, phillipousis etc who have a power game will tend to put more stress on body as compared to people like federer or Sampras..

Yes, true. Perhaps something like how a fast bowler will have a shorter career than that of a spinner because of the extra exertion.

 

[Adil_94]

Id agree on his playing style. Federer is all class and touch he seems like he never sweats or grunts. His style isnt as physically demanding or exertive like Nadals for example. He also made some small changesin recent years to prolong his longevity.

 

[Zak_Fan]

How exactly do you think his playing style has anything to do with his longevity?

Because he comes out winner without exerting himself as much as other players. Big serve and a near perfect allround game means he gets free points almost every match and can switch between several strategies effortlessly. Most other players lack that, and are forced to compensate for it by pushing their bodies extra hard.

 

[SandyB]

I believe natural Athleticism and playing style are the main factors.

Federer doesn't have bulging biceps like Nadal , but he never looks out of shape. Also his playing style depends more on accuracy and the extreme angles he creates with his shots. His ability to hit aces is unparalleled.

Nadal beats people by chasing after each and every ball and never giving up . This is why it takes such a toll on his body. Djokovic is similar too, but has more technical skill than Nadal and is a freak athlete. Still neither is going to have Federer's longevity, simply because their playing styles are too demanding.

You can draw a direct parallel to Tendulkar here, for comparison. Both had exceptional technical skills, amazing hand eye coordination and a body very suited to their style of play (long frame for Federer, and short body for tendulkar[ which helps batsmen]).

Both had super long careers simply because they were very smart in dealing with injuries and conserving their bodies.They changed their playing styles regularly yet subtly so as to get maximum output from their aging bodies and to beat newer fresher opponents. If you saw the recent Australian open finals, you'd see the commentators going in detail to explain many of the technical changes Federer had made after learning from the multiple bouts he had with NADAL.

Batting is in no way as exerting as tennis, yet if a naturally non-athletic guy like Tendulkar, with good management could outlast his peers, then a far athletic and fitter Federer with a far stronger fitness ethic, could easily keep up doing what he did . You also have to take into account the sheer quality of his competition, and yet find him still stay pretty much close to the top .

 

[Navdeep Srivastava]

Not the first tennis player , many players played at the same level at even older age . Its all about the style , and stress you put on the body.

 

[SandyB]

Not the first tennis player , many players played at the same level at even older age . Its all about the style , and stress you put on the body.

But tennis never saw this level of heightened fitness and competition before the arrival of the Big Four . SO Federer's longevity is astounding .

It's not like the women's game where Serena is so far ahead that she can just 'cruise control' her way to most Grand slam finals.

 

[Navdeep Srivastava]

Don't always believe in media. Vilas, Borg, Mac , Connors, Lendl played alongside apart from 3-4 year difference. Rosewall , Gonzales and Laver played well in their late thirties, Rosewall even went into Wimbledon and us final awhen he was 39. He defeated Newcombe and Smith before loosing final, both past Wimbledon champion, Newcombe was world no. 1 and is considered as the one of greatest grass player

 

[Haroon786]

For those who watch him it's quite obvious - in recent years he's built his game on being very aggressive meaning going to the net as much as possible and ending the point as soon as he can and also his already excellent serve has gone up a notch in recent years and has enabled him the freedom to be a lot more attacking in return games. Also, the 6 month absence to recover and retrain his game from last July has led to a wonderful improvement in his baseline game, most people have marked out the more aggressive cuts he's taking at his backhand but his forehand has been the best it has been in many years comparable to his prime years despite only playing a few tournaments thus far.

In general, this should not be a surprise at all because if there's on player in the history of the sport who can be expected to be so good for so long then it has to Roger Federer, I really don't think the likes of Laver, Nadal, Borg or Sampras are near him. Quite comfortably the most talented player I've seen since I've been watching in 2006 and definitely has done justice to his talent.

 

[SandyB]

For those who watch him it's quite obvious - in recent years he's built his game on being very aggressive meaning going to the net as much as possible and ending the point as soon as he can and also his already excellent serve has gone up a notch in recent years and has enabled him the freedom to be a lot more attacking in return games. Also, the 6 month absence to recover and retrain his game from last July has led to a wonderful improvement in his baseline game, most people have marked out the more aggressive cuts he's taking at his backhand but his forehand has been the best it has been in many years comparable to his prime years despite only playing a few tournaments thus far.

Yeah . Back in 2005-2010 period I was a huge Nadal fan, because it always felt great to support the underdog who rose to challenge the champion and finally take the throne, which happened in Wimbledon 2008.

WHen I sat down to watch the Australian open final, i wanted Nadal to have his comeback Slam . But within 20 mins I went from Nadal fan to a federer ******. !

He was playing so rejuvenated, so much magic in the angles, amazing serves, all of which I refused to acknowledge back then due to my love for Nadal..

Nadal on the other hand played like a 40 year old, fast and hard, yet huffing and puffing, finding it so hard to keep up the extremely hard way of playing he was famous for..

 

[Zak_Fan]

Yeah . Back in 2005-2010 period I was a huge Nadal fan, because it always felt great to support the underdog who rose to challenge the champion and finally take the throne, which happened in Wimbledon 2008.

WHen I sat down to watch the Australian open final, i wanted Nadal to have his comeback Slam . But within 20 mins I went from Nadal fan to a federer ******. !

He was playing so rejuvenated, so much magic in the angles, amazing serves, all of which I refused to acknowledge back then due to my love for Nadal..

Nadal on the other hand played like a 40 year old, fast and hard, yet huffing and puffing, finding it so hard to keep up the extremely hard way of playing he was famous for..

Only in the 5th set after he went ultra-aggressive being a break down. Until that point, both looked pretty equal. Also, Nadal's huffing and puffing can be excused as he hardly had a day's rest after an epic semi-final.

 

[Haroon786]

Yeah . Back in 2005-2010 period I was a huge Nadal fan, because it always felt great to support the underdog who rose to challenge the champion and finally take the throne, which happened in Wimbledon 2008.

WHen I sat down to watch the Australian open final, i wanted Nadal to have his comeback Slam . But within 20 mins I went from Nadal fan to a federer ******. !

He was playing so rejuvenated, so much magic in the angles, amazing serves, all of which I refused to acknowledge back then due to my love for Nadal..

Nadal on the other hand played like a 40 year old, fast and hard, yet huffing and puffing, finding it so hard to keep up the extremely hard way of playing he was famous for..

Interesting to read, but Federer was a lot better back in his 20s - I think everything was better, other than a slight improvement in his serve and a larger one in his backhand but his movement in his peak meant that he would hit more forehand anyway in matches and not have to stay on his backhand side.

Rome 2006, Wimbledon 2007 and 2008 and Australian Open 2009 are my favourite matches of the two in best of 5 sets.

 

[Muhammad10]

For those who watch him it's quite obvious - in recent years he's built his game on being very aggressive meaning going to the net as much as possible and ending the point as soon as he can and also his already excellent serve has gone up a notch in recent years and has enabled him the freedom to be a lot more attacking in return games. Also, the 6 month absence to recover and retrain his game from last July has led to a wonderful improvement in his baseline game, most people have marked out the more aggressive cuts he's taking at his backhand but his forehand has been the best it has been in many years comparable to his prime years despite only playing a few tournaments thus far.

In general, this should not be a surprise at all because if there's on player in the history of the sport who can be expected to be so good for so long then it has to Roger Federer, I really don't think the likes of Laver, Nadal, Borg or Sampras are near him. Quite comfortably the most talented player I've seen since I've been watching in 2006 and definitely has done justice to his talent.

Roger has adapted brilliantly to minimise the impact of physical limitations that inevitably come with age.

 

[troodon]

Roger does not drink water

 

[idrizzy]

Frog juice

 

[MenInG]

Tennis star Roger Federer has responded to climate change critics - including campaigner Greta Thunberg - by saying he takes the issue very seriously.

Activists oppose Federer's sponsorship deal with Credit Suisse over its links to the fossil fuel industry.

Some appeared in court this week after refusing to pay a fine for playing tennis inside Credit Suisse offices in 2018 to highlight Federer's deal.

Federer did not address the deal directly in his statement.

The activists - most of them students - appeared in court in Renens, Lausanne, on 7 January to appeal against the fine. Some supporters gathered outside holding banners which read: "Credit Suisse is destroying the planet. Roger, do you support them?"

Greta Thunberg - the Swedish teenager who has become the public face of worldwide protests against government policies on climate change - joined the criticism against Federer and Credit Suisse when she retweeted a post from activists 350.org Europe.

In his response, the 20-time Grand Slam champion who is in Melbourne for the Australian Open, said: "I take the impacts and threat of climate change very seriously, particularly as my family and I arrive in Australia amidst devastation from the bushfires."

Federer said he had "a great deal of respect and admiration for the youth climate movement" and was "grateful to young climate activists for pushing us all to examine our behaviours and act on innovative solutions".

"We owe it to them and ourselves to listen. I appreciate reminders of my responsibility as a private individual, as an athlete and as an entrepreneur, and I'm committed to using this privileged position to dialogue on important issues with my sponsors."

For its part, Credit Suisse has said it is "seeking to align its loan portfolios with the objectives of the Paris Agreement [to combat climate change] and has recently announced in the context of its global climate strategy that it will no longer invest in new coal-fired power plants".

Federer is taking part in a fundraising event next Wednesday in aid of relief efforts to address the Australian bushfires which have killed at least 28 people and destroyed thousands of homes since September.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51082875

 

[MenInG]

Roger Federer is the first tennis player to top the annual Forbes list of the world's highest paid athletes, overtaking footballer Lionel Messi.

Federer, 38, moved up four places after earning £86.2m in the past year - about £81m of it in endorsements

Cristiano Ronaldo (£85m), Messi (£84m) and Neymar (£77.5m) come next, while American basketball player LeBron James (£71.5m) completes the top five.

Boxer Tyson Fury was the highest earning Briton in 11th (£46.2m).

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton came 13th with earnings of £43.7m.

It follows Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka becoming the highest paid female athlete earlier this month.

"The coronavirus pandemic triggered salary cuts for soccer stars Messi and Ronaldo, clearing the way for a tennis player to rank as the world's highest-paid athlete for the first time," said Kurt Badenhausen, senior editor at Forbes.

"Roger Federer is the perfect pitchman for companies, resulting in an unparalleled endorsement portfolio of blue-chip brands worth $100m a year for the tennis great."

Last week, two-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, 22, ended Serena Williams' run of four years as the highest paid female athlete after earning £30.7m.

That was £1.15m more than earned by 38-year-old Williams.