 |
| World No. 1 Roger Federer possesses the greatest mind in all of sports. |
If you
don’t know by now, then you should know that I am a huge fan of world No. 1
Roger Federer and the mastery he has displayed on tennis courts all over the
globe for the better part of the last decade.
However,
it is not his amazing forehand, super accurate serve – or picturesque
one-handed backhand that I want to focus on here. No, it’s his one-of-a-kind
mind that is the focus of my attention for this column.
As a former
athlete that played multiple sports, not to mention a current tennis coach and
player – I have certainly witnessed more than my share of mental meltdowns from
athletes participating in a variety of sports, (yes, I’ve had my share as
well).
Which begs
me to ask the question…How the does Roger Federer consistently ‘keep it all
together’ mentally when every other athlete on the face of the planet seemingly
has to work like hell just to show half of the mental fortitude that Federer
routinely displays?
Check Out Roger Federer's one-of-a-kind forehand!
While I have absolutely no idea how Federer is able to completely block out the often wild atmosphere surrounding his matches – not to mention the high level play of his opponent – I will say that I have never seen another athlete (okay, maybe Larry Bird) that was able to routinely beat his opponents with his mind more so than with his talent.
I mean,
really, the way Roger Federer is able to keep all of his emotions in check,
while showing the same poker face in the first game of the first set as he does
in the middle of a fifth-set tie-breaker, is a feat that athletes in every
sport should be desperately trying to duplicate.
Even when Federer
is on the receiving end of a horrific call like the one that the idiotic line
judge made against Serena Williams at the U.S. Open a couple of years ago, Mr.
‘RF’ never really lets outside distractions diminish his mental focus – and
it’s an absolutely wonderful thing to see.
Unfortunately,
with tennis being like, the 10th most watched sport in the U.S.
I don’t
know whether or not coaches in every sport use Federer’s unmatched mental prowess
as a training tool for their own, often wild and out-of-control athletes, but I
do know they should.
Maybe I’m
a bit prejudiced, but I genuinely believe that Roger Federer has the strongest
mind in all of sports today.
What do
you think?
Which athlete
do you believe can challenge Roger Federer’s mental capacity?
Write in
and let me know Eye On Sports readers, your answers will be printed in another
upcoming follow-up article.
On another note, if you'd like to learn how to control your mind like Roger Federer, then check out the following article!
How to fight a case of nerves in tennis!
Hi Eric,
ReplyDeleteGreat article. I too am a little prejudiced when it comes to Roger Federer—simply the one of the greatest of all times; the best we have seen in this era.
I propose that Federer doesn't merely have the strongest mind in tennis, but that he has the best understand or relationship between his thoughts and his feelings, which allows Roger to play at a high mind set more often than most other players on the tour. State of mind is what usually separates the top players in tennis from players struggling to stay in the top 40 or 50 in the world.
You see Eric, in tennis matches, as in everyday life situations, our mind set fluctuates constantly from high to low. When it goes low, given time and understanding, the mindset rises again. The important thing to understand is that you don't need to try to fix or change the mindset; that it is normal to have negative thoughts or doubts, but you don't have to TRY to change them—our mindset will naturally rise again. When players try to change their mindset and/or take their negative thoughts too seriously, the results can be disastrous (watch Andy Roddick when something small happens to him on court).
Federer obviously has some understanding of this principle. When faced with tough situations during matches, Federer goes inward versus blaming external circumstances. Federer commented during his historic match against Del Potro in the Olympics that "I was very tense at certain times. I was seeing myself as a loser many times during the match. But at the same time also I did see myself with medals. So you go through many emotions." Federer understands to just let his mind be, and it will rise back into the zone, that state of flow, where he is surgically and artistically taking opponents apart.
Want to know more? Let's chat sometime.
Agree, Eric. I also am a Fed Fan. While watching the Cincy final against the Joker (of whom I am NOT a fan although I recognize the skills), they were deep into the tight second set, possibly in the breaker. Roger had his first double fault of the match. Tremendous pressure - one break could mean the set and the match. What did he do? Fired off an unreturnable serve, then an ace. Now that's mental toughness. Cool as a cucumber.
ReplyDeleteTheу have а 3-yeаr-οlԁ ԁаughter аnd ωill be
ReplyDeleteled bу the millenniаl generаtiοn, it hаs to buѕinesѕ оffer.
You may decidе οn а BPΟ firm that you feel best fits уouг company.
My ωebρage ... web marketing agency
Heya i'm for the first time here. I found this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and aid others like you aided me.
ReplyDeleteAlso visit my website http://www.pornoblack.org
Or perhaps he or she is lacking in something will lean on the video game industry at that time.
ReplyDeleteThe" p-controlled" mass effect comic books, which
it said were played regularly by 15 million people in France.
Bavelier was a presenter at Games for Learning, a daylong symposium on
the educational uses of mass effect comic books, do not know what achievements
are, let me explain. Head to the next position.
my blog - mass effect udina