Yesterday and today’s message dive deep into the mindset and psyche of Roger Federer.

How?

By analyzing his comments made to Brad Gilbert immediately after “winning ugly” against Borna Coric in Indian Wells this past March.

In Part 1 I told the story of the match, how off he truly was, and what dramatic changes he made to give himself a chance to win.

I also broke down some of Roger’s direct quotes about his performance into two actionable lessons that you can put into play in your very next match.

Definitely read that message before diving into this one or else you’ll be missing a lot of context.

You can either scroll down a bit on the page or read it here.

Ok…

On to the next two lessons, both of which will start with a quote from Federer.

This first one was in response to Gilbert asking him to comment about aiming for the middle of the court for a solid 10-12 games:

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Lesson 3: “Honestly I was just happy not making too many mistakes and at some point you’re happy with very little.”

Think about this for a second…

Consider how much work, dedication, training, coaching, and effort goes into Roger’s preparation for any given match.

Especially at his current age.

NONE of us have ever worked has much or as hard as he has on his tennis, not to mention the small army of hitting partners, trainers, coaches, physios, and nutritionists.

…and after all that, Roger had the perspective and humility to be “happy with very little” on the court.

All of that preparation…and the game plan came down to half speed shots aimed at the middle of the court.

If you’re anything like I used to be (a card-carrying perfectionist) making that kind of concession is extremely difficult to make.

It’s like giving up on yourself….giving up on the shots you know you CAN hit….even if all the evidence is saying that today it’s not happening.

For me, personally, something that’s made those kinds of critical tactical decisions easier has been cultivating more gratitude for just being out there.

Whenever I feel frustration boiling up inside of me because my A game isn’t showing up I remind myself to be thankful for:

The physical ability to play.
The time and monetary blessings to pursue the sport.
Time outside in the sun.
Exercise doing something I love.
The privilege to compete and test myself against others.
Continuing the journey of mastery.
At the end of the day, learning how to be “happy with very little” can ironically be the difference between winning and losing.

Had Roger lacked that ability he would have undoubtedly lost this match in straight sets.

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Lesson 4: Gilbert wraps up the post match interview by asking Roger if he has any idea when the last time was that his match was FIRST on for the day…

His match against Coric was an 11am match which is generally reserved for the less popular pairing.

Roger laughed and guessed that maybe it had been three or four years…

Brad says: “Nope, the last time you played at 11am was in 2006….TWELVE years ago! Was it difficult for you to change around your normal routine so much?”

Roger’s response: “That was what I was trying to block out of my head as well, that if I lost the match I was not gonna tell myself ‘is it because I played so early?’”.

This is so important…

Roger Federer is telling the whole world that he has distracting thoughts during his matches!

So often amateur athletes assume that what sets the world’s best competitors apart form the rest is an innate ability to remove all distractions, nervousness, anxiety, or annoyances.

Nope.

They think all the same thoughts and feel all the same feelings.

What’s the difference between them and us?

The world’s best competitors have mastered the art of simply choosing to consciously focus on the task at hand (problem solving and figuring out how to WIN) instead of obsessing about their butterflies or how annoying their opponent is.

Always remember that distracting thoughts and feelings simply makes you human.

…and it means you really care about the outcome of your match…which you should!

Learn how to better manage your focus during challenging situations on the court and you’ll win more matches and enjoy yourself more while you do it.

I promise.

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If you read all of Part 1 and Part 2 in this quick series then you can easily see that Roger overcame a LOT of adversity to win this match.

It can be so, so easy to watch him play and assume that everything comes easily and naturally for him…

But the truth is there are always challenges, no matter how good you become or what your last name is.

Hopefully these messages have expanded your perspective, given you insight into what it takes to be more successful, and dispelled some myths about what it means to be a champion competitor.

There was a huge response to Part 1, and I want you all to know that those positive messages and comments drive me tremendously to continue writing lessons like these.

Thank you so much for your support.

Without it Essential Tennis wouldn’t exist.

Yours Truly,

-Ian