interview federer Rolex grand slam magazine What made you choose your discipline? What drives you? How do you keep motivating yourself again and again? My passion for the sport drives me and keeps me motivated all the time. If you are not passionate and 100 % focused on what you are doing, it’s difficult to perform at the top of your game and achieve results. For me, motivation has never been an issue as I still play this game for only one reason: I love it. What role do the psychological aspects play? How does one keep one’s mind top fit? The psychological aspects of the game definitely have a role to play in every success. Mental strength is required to persevere and overcome doubts or limiting self-talk. I was talking about momentum earlier, and it applies to the psychological aspects of the game too. When you combine mental strength, momentum and peak fitness and skill, it can help propel you to victory. I also feel it is important to have some outside interests from your sport so you are able to allow your mind to relax and focus on other things, which allows you to come back to your sport with a fresh mind. Do you continue to set yourself new goals all the time? Or do you just let everything run its course in the meantime? I get asked that question quite often after having broken quite a few records and achieved so much. I think it’s in repeating and getting back to those feelings and trying to prove myself time and time again. Having had to defend so many things over such a long period of time, just the joy of being out on centre court and trying to beat the new generation really drives me. I don’t need extra motivation to reach a certain milestone. That can help, because I think it’s really interesting playing for the history books, but it is equally as interesting trying to play the new generation, improving my game and just enjoying myself. But ultimately, I have always been a goal-oriented person so I do like to sit down with my team and plan long-term goals, which allows me to focus on the task at hand and continue to try and improve and innovate. But the shortterm goals are the ones that motivate you match for match and practice for practice. Your compatriot Steve Guerdat is the first rider who has the chance of winning the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. What is your advice to him? I had the opportunity to meet him at the Swiss Award two years ago and we had a good talk together. Steve is really a nice guy. My advice to him would be to follow his dreams, work hard, trust his faith in what he does and buy lots of nice treats for his horse. Can you recall your first success at a Grand Slam tournament? Yes, of course I can remember my first success at a Grand Slam tournament. The circumstances were tough because after beating Sampras in that epic match in 2001, I came back the following year and lost in the first round, despite being one of the favourites – I was 6th in the world I think. And so I came back in 2003 and I had just lost again in the first round of the French Open, so people were starting to question me. Was I going to be that talent that was just never going to fulfil the potential? Was I going waste my talent? Other players like Hewitt, Safin, and Roddick were all moving up the rankings and all very consistent in Grand Slams and I wasn’t. I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders and I decided not to talk to the press as much, or at least as little as I could. I knew I had some obligations to fulfil, but I really wasn’t in the mood to explain myself because I knew that my mental strength wasn’t as solid back then. Then, when Wimbledon got under way, I started to feel really good, I had a good draw. All of a sudden, in my third or fourth round match, my back completely locked up on me and I thought, “Oh my gosh, I can’t play!” It was in the warm up of the match and there was no time left, so I called the trainer, he massaged my back for five minutes and that’s it. The next thing I knew, I pulled through that match – I don’t know how – and I was in the semis. I played the most incredible match against Roddick and then again, in the finals, against Philippoussis. It turned out to be a perfect scenario for me, after having to fight through injury mid-way through the tournament. It couldn’t have come at a 64
Rolex Grand Slam magazine - Number 2
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