Fitness coach Pierre Paganini in an exclusive interview

„It sparkles in Roger’s eyes“

The back pain is gone. Federers Fitness coach thinks Roger is capable of doing something great again soon

By Christian Bürge

Mr. Paganini, how fit is Roger Federer at the moment?

Pierre Paganini: At the moment he is superfit. We are practicing nearly for 2 weeks meanwhile. The holidays have been good for him.

In Wimbledon he complained about having pain. Where did those pains come from?

In principle these pains are normal. You are playing 60-70 matches in a year. Then you are going to have those matches where you care carrying a little injury with you and where you are feeling your back. Especially on grass. He didn’t felt that well and that means you play with lesser selfconfidence, which already disturbs the puzzle. On this level already little things have a big effect.

How important is fitness for Federer?

Of course it is the best when everything works. As a person, as an athlete, as a player. But the reality is that Roger just like many others sometimes doesn’t feel 100% well in matches. He knows that he can beat most of the players, even when a little detail is missing, but he also knows that it can become dangerous than for him.

Roger is going to be 29 years old next week. How do his performance parameters these days look like compared to former times?

He is exactly as fit as 6 or 3 years ago. I don’t name any exact numbers. But the measured values which you can have regarding explosiveness, speed or specific stamina, are where they must be. Adding to this Roger has more maturity because he has practiced all these years very disciplined. Fact is: You can’t really show each day what you are having in your suitcase.

So age isn’t a problem?

You are not old when you are 29 or 30 years. But at this age you already have done a lot and this is the huge difference. It isn’t your first practice or your first match. He has nearly 900 matches in his legs and x-thousand practices. You are going to feel this. What is changing now is not the quality of an athlete, but the planning is different. You have to give your body a little more time to make certain things.

The statistics of many former topplayers show that especially with 29 years mostly a decrease in general performances happens.

It’s different with everyone. Agassi had a long period like this in between. Important is the willingness. What delighted me in the last 2 weeks: Roger comes to the practice with a vigour in his head as he would be a junior. I’m really fascinated. It sparkles in his eyes. When you say to him: You are going to have 1 ½ days off he says: Maybe it’s beautiful tomorrow and one can practice.
That shows me that he has the mentally right attitude.

So Federer ticks differently?

Maybe others were less in love with tennis. Roger loves ballsports. That’s why he plays. Everything which he has done so far took a lot of energy out of him. You have to respect this. Roger practices as much as before. It also has to be divided differently. The same quantum, only arranged differently.

What do you think when people say that his time is running out slowly.

When someone at the crackerbarrel with a beer in his hand is saying something like this he should say it. You can’t be mad at him as he doesn’t know it better. What irritates me are the so-called specialists who talk about the end after every loss. When you are going to feel tennis you should come to another conclusion.

Q: That costs energy. Doesn’t that influence his game ?

A: Sure, but I think only positively. Federer takes also strength from the family, it also distracts him. Other players had much more problems with the adjustment. But Mirka does an incredible god job. She empathize with Roger.

Q: So Stress with the kids is not harmful for the performance ?

A: Not at all. There are many positive sides. How many people are unhappy with 29, because they don’t feel a sense in life ? Roger is happy. His privat life guarantees, that he will play a long time.

Q: Has the new coach Paul Annacone a clear opinion, what he wants to add Federer’s game ? He was a serve-and-volley specialist.

A: Annacone is here since two days and is thrilled of Roger’s commitment. Basicaly it is Roger, who creates the game. You cannot impose anything to him. It is a dialog. Roger is much more open than five years ago. That with s-a-v specialist I would not see it too narrow. Annacone played like that. That doesn’t mean, that he wants to impose this to someone. Everything is much more complex.

Q: How demanding is the trainingprogram of Federer in Zürich?

A: We are training just under two weeks. Until August 5 we will have done between 15 to 17 conditioning units of 1 to 2 hours. And 18 to 24 hours on the court. The training partners Stefan Koubek and with immediate effect Philipp Kohlschreiber are training also.

Q: How long can Roger win Grand-Slams ?

A: Today I would say four to five years. Also if certain physiologic wearing will add. But what concerns his abilities, enthusiasm and athletic, he can keep up with the others a few more years without any problems. We plan long-term right now for the next five years

http://www.blick.ch/sport/tennis/es-funkelt-in-rogers-augen-152205

A special thanks to LaRubia and Rogisilam10 for translating this at RF.com. I’m sure you will agree that this is a pretty uplifting interview as far as Roger’s future goes. I just have a few of my own thoughts to add. Firstly it is obviously nice to see that Roger is thinking long term and that he is not thinking about quitting anytime soon. Since Roger’s latest stretch of bad form I’ve seen too many people saying this is the end for him blah blah blah. I myself had thoughts that the end may not be far away, but that was IF he did not make some kind of change, which he seems to be doing now. Therefor it is also good to hear that Annacone and Roger seems to be clicking already. I think they can make a great partnership and add some more majors to Rogers resume, because they are both so professional and Roger can really do with a high class coach.

As you can see it’s not a question of Annacone imposing his own game on Roger, but the fact that Annacone was a s-a-v player himself is an important factor in coaching Roger. It has been apparent for a long time for me that Roger needs to take advantage of his volley skills more, so Annacone will be ideal for that. Roger has problems with all kinds of base liners these days, because he plays too much into their comfort zones. Annacone will help him to shorten the points and make these players more uncomfortable. Paganini also says that Roger is much more open than he was 5 years ago, and I think that has to do with the fact that Roger has suffered so many losses of late. That is what suffering will do to you. It will make you more open. You can see that the losses he has suffered since the Australian Open has by no means been a waste.

It has helped him to make what seems to be a new beginning. It seems everything happens for a reason. Speaking of the Australian Open, the people who claim that Roger is done conveniently overlooks the fact that Roger has won a grand slam in very dominant fashion just about 6 months ago. Also, Roger’s injuries have not helped. But the holiday looks to have done him good and he is now training just as hard as before but only smarter. You know the thing that the critics doesn’t get and never will get is that Roger loves tennis immensely. When he says he wants to keep playing for a long time, he actually means it, and he will do whatever is necessary to make that possible. If it was someone who loved the game less, they would almost surely have given up the ghost by now. I mean Roger has achieved everything there is to achieve.

Why keep struggling? Because this is not all about winning but also about the love for the game. In this way Roger is the best possible role model. He plays for all the right reasons. That is clear by the enthusiasm he still brings to the court. It is amazing that after all these years he hasn’t lost a stitch of his enthusiasm for the game. That is maybe the most positive thing of all that comes out of this interview. It’s also great to see that his family life is so good. As I well know, tennis can cause you to have regrets because it is not a normal life. But since Roger has a good family life he is not in danger of this. It will help his tennis because he will not get distracted, thinking there is more to life. As far as Roger’s age goes, it’s great to see the Federer’s camp attitude about this. Roger is now almost 29, which really isn’t that old.

The only problem is the mileage he has in his legs. Agassi played until he was 36, but there was long periods when he lost interest in the game, so he didn’t do the same mileage as Roger at a similar age. But even more important that the mileage in a players legs is their enthusiasm for the sport. Paganini is a smart fitness coach and as you get older you just rest more in order to get more out of your body. So I don’t see his age as a big issue. Roger is now as fit as he ever was according to Paganini, and I’ll take his word for it. Maybe he is a little slower, but that is where Annacone can help him. If he plays more at the net and hangs around the base line less, he does not need to be as fast. For me it is important that Roger becomes more offense orientated, and that is what Annacone is for. Offense equals shorter points.

This will result in less wear and tear on Roger’s aging physique, and it will take the base liners out of their comfort zone. I really like the sound of all of this. The fact that Paganini says Roger can win slams for 4-5 more years makes me excited. Once again this will fly right in the face of the critics. They were thinking Roger should retire at the end of this year or next year. They wish! Just to hear that Roger has a five year plan and knowing what the critics must think of it, gives me a kick. Here’s to many more slam titles!

Dear Fans

I’ve been looking to add someone to my team and I’ve decided to spend some days with Paul Annacone. As Paul winds down his responsibilities working for the Lawn Tennis Association, we will explore our relationship through this test period. Paul will work alongside my existing team and I am excited to learn from his experiences.

See you soon

Roger

http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/rogers/news/newsdetail.cfm?uNewsID=1094

I thought this was great news, but as you can see nothing is certain yet. He did the same kind of thing with Darren Cahill and it never worked out. This time however I think there is a bigger urgency from him to change something, and it’s good to see he’s been thinking in similar terms than I have. Here is what Annacone had to say way back in April 2009 when Federer was going through that difficult period:

“There are definitely some parallels,” said Paul Annacone, Sampras’s longtime coach, in an interview this week. “Just as it was for Pete, it’s a particularly interesting, challenging time in Roger’s career. But I would look at it with Roger in the same way as for Pete. For guys like that, it is daunting but not that daunting. They are so skilled, they can adjust, but a lot of the adjustment is mental.”

“We are all creatures of habits,” Annacone said. “Roger has won a lot a certain way, and when you’ve done that for four or five years and then in year six or seven, that shot that used to be a winner isn’t a winner anymore, the tendency in human nature is to overplay a little bit. And that’s what’s happening. His couple of patterns that used to be very dominant are still successful against 95 percent of the guys — just not against that last five percent.”

“I always feel in an individual sport, it’s up to the guy on court, but as you watch the evolution of careers, it’s good to have someone you trust and who understands you and what you’re trying to do and also your game and the history of what’s gone on,” he said.

“He may choose to keep doing what he’s been doing and not tweaking, and that’s his choice as a champion,” Annacone said. “But for me it would be a shame. If you have a lot of weapons in your arsenal and choose not to use them, what’s the point in having them? It’s a matter of managing them a bit differently than he did a few years ago.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/sports/tennis/10iht-ARENA.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3

Here Annacone just echoes what I’ve said about a thousand times in my blog. So for anyone who still doubts that Roger is having a hard time changing and that he can do better if he is willing to adjust, here is more confirmation. Annacone has worked with the best and he knows what he is talking about. He is also the best possible coach that Roger can hire right now. He made his opinion very clear here and stated it in no uncertain terms. It is a mental adjustment that needs to be made first of all. Roger needs to face the fact that the way he used to dominate is not good enough anymore to dominate that 5% of guys which he needs to dominate to win slams. These guys are of course the big hitters Del Potro, Berdych, Soderling, etc. I have always thought Roger does not use his skills at the net enough, and that is pretty much Annacone’s speciality.

Roger has more weapons than he is willing to use, and this is purely out of habit. The tendency to slug it out from the base line with the big hitters is an obvious mistake, but the force of habit is so strong that even the greatest of all time can’t change it on his own. This is where he needs someone like Annacone. Luthi is not a recognized coach and he was more like a convenience if you ask me. Annacone is the real deal and it is clear from his statements what he wants from Roger. I have always said that I think Roger can win more majors if he is willing to adjust and manage his weapons better. It is great to see Roger has now realized this himself. He would not have initiated this whole thing if he wasn’t thinking about change. If he ends up hiring Annacone, which I think he should do as soon as possible, the poor form of late may end up being a blessing in disguise.

I don’t know exactly when they will begin working together. I assume the test period begins immediately. It would be great if Annacone can be around at Toronto, Cincinnati and the US Open. But even if they are not successful immediately, I don’t think that should matter. It takes time to change old habits, so Roger shouldn’t be thinking quick fix. For a long time I have thought that Roger would benefit from playing more like Sampras, especially when facing base liners like Nadal and Murray. He tends to stay in that comfort zone on the base line too much for my liking. But now with a loss of speed and power it is hurting him against more players than just Nadal and Murray. So this is a great time to make a change. This gives me new hope, because it could make the difference between Roger winning more slams and fading away fast, the way he has been doing of late.

I really hope this turns into a permanent and lasting relationship between Roger and Annacone.

The Federer twins finally got on the board in terms of years spent on earth today(23/07/2010). They are now wise old one-year olds. Happy Birthday to them! Here is how they fared:

“Hello world, we’re absolutely adorable”

Myla Rose:”Nice and safe here in daddies arms” Charlene:”Finding my sea legs.”

“Enough already!!!”

“Why was sis crying? I don’t see what the big deal is, I really don’t”

“Daddy wake up! Can’t you see I’m supple enough to go beat up on those ‘twin’ sisters already?!“ 

“Can we get away from this water stuff and hit the tennis courts now?” 

Clearly Myla Rose and Charlene is going up in the world. Watch out people!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/specials/fortunate50-2010/index.20.html

Just a brief post to inform you that Federer is now the highest paid professional athlete outside of America, and the second highest paid athlete in the world. The only athlete who has made more than him is some golf player named Tiger Woods. Anyone know this guy? Lol. Mr. Woods is well ahead of the rest with an annual income of $90.5 mil, while Federer is 2nd on $61.7 mil. Roger climbed 8 places from last year to number one, and no doubt the fact that he won the career slam last year and broke Sampras’ record didn’t hurt his endorsement deals. The fact that Tiger is American makes a big difference of course. I’m sure if Roger was American he may well be ahead of Tiger now, but I’m sure if given the choice he will remain Swiss instead of going for the money. The fact that Tiger had to pay his wife $750 mill for the divorce makes me wonder whether Roger is not a wealthier man right now.

But what is wealth worth anyway if you are miserable, which clearly Tiger has been for quite some time now? Roger is a better human being than Tiger, which counts for much more than money in the bank as far as I’m concerned. Very few top athletes actually have the balance between personal life and professional life right.

All hail GOAT Federer!

Tiger Woods is a balding, 34-year-old man fighting his swing, his putter, his confidence, his past and his history.

http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/07/18/writing-off-tiger/?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin

I just quoted one sentence from the article that you can find above to show you how harsh the media can be, but go ahead and read the whole article. It’s a decent article which makes some valid points, yet I thought it was way too critical. You just get the feeling that this guy doesn’t like Tiger much at all. If Tiger Woods has proved anything up until this point in his career, it is that ‘valid points’ does not really pertain to him. And I am just speaking in golf terms now. I know he is not very popular for what he did off the golf course lately, but in the end we all make mistakes and he has already paid a heavy emotional and financial price for what he did. Tiger had to pay his wife $750 million for the divorce, he has lost several sponsors, and his golf has suffered badly since he came back this year at The Masters. Much like Federer, Woods have had one of his worst stretches of play since the beginning of the year.

Woods is 0 from 6, while Federer is 1 from 11 in tournament wins. Federer did win a major, but it has been his worst stretch of play after that since he climbed up to the top of the rankings. Woods is 34 and Federer is 28. Both of them are at a stage in their careers where they are past their peak, yet they can hardly be written off. In golf terms it may be hard to win majors after the age of 35, yet Tom Watson finished 2nd at the British Open last year at the age of 59. Woods have won 14 major titles so far, 4 behind the all time best of Jack Nicklaus. The journalist points out that only two golfers have won more than 2 major titles after having turned 36(Nicklaus and Player both won 4), yet Tiger is still just 34. He is going through a rough year which is kind of to be expected, yet next year he will only be 35(birthday Dec. 30) and he can easily pick up more majors in 2011.

Woods is physically probably the strongest golfer that ever played. If anyone will do well into old age it is him, and that is not even taking into account the big temperament player he is. It has always been Tiger’s goal to break Nicklaus’ major record. It was almost as though he was born and bred to do it. Roger has this same sense of destiny about him, and he went through the similar period that Woods went through. At the beginning of 2009 he was on 13 majors, 1 behind Sampras, and things weren’t going very well at all for him after suffering another heart wrenching loss to Nadal in the Australian Open final. After the 2008 loss at Wimbledon to Nadal, the Australian Open loss seemed like the final nail in the coffin, and there was much speculation whether he would even equal Sampras’ record, let alone break it.

Yet since then he added 3 more major titles to his name, 2 clear of Sampras now. And despite that, he is being written off once more. Coming back to Woods, it is clearly very foolish to write off athletes of Federer and Woods’ caliber. These guys just have something special about them. And although Woods have not broken the major title record like Federer has, he has more time left in golf than Federer has in tennis. Since when does a 59-year old come second(make the final) in a slam in tennis?! That would be like Rod Laver(age 71) making the final of Wimbledon now. Clearly Woods has still more than enough time left to break Nicklaus’ record. You know, this is just the nature of the media. They get readers by writing controversial things, but in doing so they show lack of class and expertise.

There is no way in hell I would write Woods off for beating Nicklaus’ record. I mean the guy was basically born to do it. He is definitely going through a rough time now, but as time goes by he will probably want this record even more now. I mean he has lost his wife, and therefor he must now at least achieve this one important thing. It is to be expected that he is going through a tough time, and I am sure he will be back. Roger himself is going through a tough time in his game right now, but he will be back as well. The media make themselves look silly, because each time Roger struggles, he gets written off. Yet each time he comes back to prove them wrong. The media never learns, and therefor no one respects them. Not anyone who knows anything about the game anyway. I can’t find the article now, but Nadal was recently asked if he was a journalist, what would he write about Roger.

He said first of all that he would never be a journalist, and second that Roger will be back. That pretty much sums it all up right there. Given their respective track records, it makes much more sense to believe in these great athletes than to believe in the media. And if that means you don’t take what I say seriously, since I am a type of journalist myself, I would be perfectly fine with that too. For me the truth is more important than any particular journalist anyway. I will write what I believe is the truth, and that is that neither Woods nor Federer can be written off yet. For that they are still too young and too special as athletes. I think Woods will end up breaking Nicklaus’ record despite this difficulty he is currently facing, and I think Roger will add at least 2 more slams to his name before his career is over.

In other news Roger is teaming up with Lindt chocolate to offer consumers to win some prizes, including a trip to New York this year to win the US Open. You can read more about that HERE.

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/07/14/18th-annual-espys-big-winners-include-drew-brees-new-orleans-saints-lindsey-vonn-shaun-white/57185

Federer won his a 6th straight award at the ESPY awards on Wednesday night for best male tennis player, beating Nadal and Del Potro in the process. Also he appeared in the following video for the 2010 US Open series:

You didn’t forget that shot did you?

Here are some other points/shots for your viewing pleasure:

As you know, Spain won the Fifa World Cup yesterday for the very first time in the history of the World Cup. Congrats to Spain! You may also know that Nadal came to my country to watch his country play in the final against Holland. It was a tense final as neither of the teams was able to take advantage of several great scoring opportunities. But that is what you would expect of a match of such importance. Spain finally scored the winner when Andres Iniesta blasted the ball past the Dutch goal keeper in the second half of extra time. Nadal said the following after his country’s historic win:

“I cried like a little boy. We have to celebrate for a whole year, because this is unbelievable. It is very difficult to repeat this,” Nadal told Marca.

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/42730-nadal-cries-joy-after-historic-glory

Source

This win clearly means a huge amount to him. What does this all have to do with the Fedal rivalry? Last year Federer won the French Open and Wimbledon double, and after Wimbledon his wife gave birth to twin daughters. It is becoming uncanny how similar Rafa’s 2010 is to Roger’s 2009. Both had a bad year the previous year and had bad starts to the year, both got their act together in the clay court season, and both won the French Open/Wimbledon double. And now both had a significant event happening in their lives after Wimbledon. For both these players 2009 and 2010 must be the best year of their lives respectively so far. Nadal is obviously a huge football fanatic who played football before he took up tennis, and winning the world cup is basically on par with Federer having children.

Roger’s 2009 was amazing tennis wise because he completed the career slam and won the most major titles in history. And then he had children as well. Everything just seemed to be happening for him, just as everything is happening for Nadal this year. The reverse is also true. In 2009 Nadal had his worst year, while Federer has hit an all time low himself now. It is obvious that these two’s destinies are very much intertwined. All of this is just part of the ongoing ebb and flow of the Fedal rivalry, and Fedfanatics can take heart from it because as sure as Rafa is the one on top now, so will Roger be on top again. Does this give us a clue of what is to come for the rest of 2010 as well? Maybe. In 2009, after Roger had all the success during the middle part of the year, his form fell of somewhat towards the end of the year.

He lost to Del Potro in the final of the US Open, and the same could be true for Rafa. With the physical problems Rafa had in the past on hard courts, and with all the tennis he has played of late, this could well be the case. Nadal has also never won three majors in one year, and I think winning the major he has never won before, could be asking just a little too much. But this would also mean that Federer won’t win the US Open either, in which case we would have a new champion again. The obvious choice would be Andy Murray, but since I’m holding true to our experiment, I’m gonna keep believing that Roger will win win a 6th US Open to make this another great year for him and his fans. Incidentally I visited RF.com today, and someone there had a dream after the Australian Open with the number 6172 in it.

Someone has also posted the link to my post Like a King, Federer will Rise… on RF.com, and someone else then pointed out that the number 6172 was mentioned in that exact order in my blog post. It stands for a 6th US Open title, 17 grand slams, and 2 grand slams for the year. So lets make 6172 our number for 2010. If Roger does turn out to win the US Open(which of course he will!), then this will all fall nicely into place. So lets keep sending him those positive thoughts!

The Federer’s enjoying some water and sun in the Mediterranean. Mirka seems to like neither much.

For more photos click here.

As you would have noticed, the new theme of my blog is ‘like a king, I’LL RISE‘. This is not because I think it looks good. I actually think it will happen, and I want as many Fedfanatics as possible to believe this with me. The reason for this is not that I doubt it will happen, but because I believe that thoughts are energy and they have an effect on reality. I won’t go into a detailed discussion why I believe this, because this is not my spirituality blog. But maybe you have heard about the law of attraction. The law of attraction states that whatever you think and feel influences your reality. But because thoughts are energy, it can also influence other people’s reality. I believe prayer works by a similar mechanism, as well as telepathy. If you want a better explanation, I will soon make a post in my spirituality post about why exactly I believe this.

But we can do an experiment anyway. We can all visualize Roger coming back successfully and winning the US Open. That may be a tough ask at the moment for him, but there is no reason we can’t give it a go. After all, Roger has won the US Open 5 times already, and he will probably have a chance of winning there as long as he plays. So can you see it? Can you feel it? How sweet would a 6th US Open be? He will have the record for the most US Open titles in the open era, ahead of Sampras and Connors. He will also have his 17th slam in the bag, and all the disappointment since the Australian Open would be a thing of the past. It would be another 2 grand slam year, which is a great year in anybody’s book. The key to this working is not to have doubt and wonder how it will happen. The only requirement is absolute faith in the outcome.

Worrying about Nadal and Roger’s problems with big hitters is not going to help. That sends negative energy to the GOAT. We want to send him our positive vibes because that will give him strength. A lot of people believe that Nadal is now the favorite for the US Open. Some of the betting sites have Roger and Rafa as joint favorites, while other have Rafa as the favorite. It helps Rafa that Del Potro is not playing, but it helps Roger as well who lost to Del Potro in last year’s final. Rafa has never been past the semi-finals of the US Open, and many believe he has his best chance to win it this year after his recent run of good form. Rafa has never been able to win the US Open because it is the only slam which could really be classified as a fast surface anymore. Because he plays a defensive game, there is always the possibility that he could be hit off the court like last year when Del Potro spanked him 2, 2, and 2.

The other problem for him is that this is hard court, which is problematic for his knees. Also, the US Open comes at a time of the year when his taxing game style has already taken a big toll on him. This year he has scheduled better, but the clay and grass court seasons was long for him, while Roger will be fresh. Last year Roger went through what Rafa went through this year, and it could have been what cost him the US Open. The same could happen to Nadal. I don’t know if Rafa is playing Toronto, but it may be a good idea for him to skip it. He already started having knee problems during Wimbledon, and playing two Masters Series events before the US Open can take a toll on his knees. Now don’t go visualizing that Nadal gets knee problems. That could work as well, but I would not recommend it. I also believe in karma and what you reap you will sow.

So rather spend your energy on sending Federer positive thoughts rather than sending Nadal negative thoughts. I think Roger will rise whether we send him positive thought or not, but if a lot of us do this it may just hasten his comeback. If you look at Pete Sampras, he went through a period of more than 2 years where he did not win a single title, but came back to win the US Open in 2002. This should give us even more reason to be positive. Of course the press has made a big deal of the fact that Roger made two quarter finals of slams and have written him off. But we know better than that. We have been here before at the beginning of 2009. I have no doubt Roger will rise again, but I would love to see it happen at this year’s US Open already. I’m looking forward to see if our experiment works.

Ps. Don’t tell the Rafanatics about our little experiment 

Does thoughts create reality?

Two of my readers remarked that this is becoming Ruans Nadal Blog of late, and although I am disappointed about that, this post is not in response to them. This is a post that I found necessary to make for all Fedfanatics, if not for all tennis fans. As a member of a tennis forum myself, I know how much hate exists between different fan bases, and none more so than between Federer and Nadal fans. That is to be expected I guess, as Federer and Nadal are two of the most dominant tennis players ever who happens to play in the same era. I myself have been guilty of downplaying Nadal’s achievements in the past. But that was before Nadal had came through adversity successfully. I gained a lot of respect for him of late, just like I gained respect for Federer when came through that period in 2008 where he was on 13 slams.

I am first and foremost a Fedfanatic, and nothing will ever change that. I would not have started a blog about a single individual if that was not the case. Where most people have tennis blogs, I have a Federer tennis blog. This is because I believe Federer is an extremely special athlete, the likes of what we may never see again in our lifetime. But like any great champion, Federer needed a rival that could push him. In this way Nadal is very special as well. In an era where no once could touch Federer, Nadal did that and more. As a Fedfanatic I respect that. To disrespect Nadal is too disrespect Federer, because their destinies are so intertwined. Federer needed Nadal, because Nadal is the only player that took him out of his comfort zone and pushed him to greater heights. This is why you would often see a kind of irritation Federer shows when asked about Nadal.

Nadal on the other hand needed someone who could set him an example to which he could strive to live up to. This is why Nadal often shows a kind of fan mentality when talking about Federer. Nadal himself is a Fedfanatic, but a unique one, because he is also his biggest rival. You see, I don’t see Nadal as evil and Roger as good anymore. How can you call Nadal evil if he is a Fedfanatic? I truly believe he is a misunderstood Fedfantic . He is like a little boy who admires Federer while at the same time relishes the challenge of chasing down his records. It’s almost like Federer is a big brother to him. I don’t see anything wrong with that. In fact I think Nadal has been a blessing for Federer. Nadal is both Federer’s friend and enemy. Why do I say this? When Federer is on top, Nadal tries to bring him down.

But when Federer is down, Nadal pulls him up. How does that work? Consider what is currently going on. Federer is at an all time low, while Nadal is on a high. Nadal has just won his 8th slam, and there is a remote possibility that he could catch up to Federer in slams won. If Nadal was not around, Federer may be inclined to just call it a day if things don’t improve for him. But with Nadal around, he can’t take that chance. He must find a way to stay in the game and either keep Nadal from winning slams, or win more slams himself. A lot of people think that is not a possibility anymore. I beg to differ. Lets just go back to 2009 for a minute here. Federer came off his worst season in a long time in 2008 after a bout with mono. He then lost in a heart wrenching Australian Open final to Nadal in 2009. Federer looked to be done.

At that time many people thought Federer won’t win another slam, and for a while it looked like they were correct. Federer kept hitting all time lows. We fans were just hoping he could somehow get lucky and win one more slam, let alone 3. But in spectacular fashion he won the French Open of all tournaments, and then two more slams after that. No one in hell expected that. In fact, for Federer to win another slam now would be less surprising than him winning the French Open last year. People don’t see this fact, but it is true. I believe Federer will be back, and he will win at least one more slam, if not more. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever. This is just the nature of the Federer and Nadal ebb and flow. And I don’t believe that ebb and flow is over. Federer will be back to win more slams and keep Nadal from winning slams.

What I am trying to say is that Federer and Nadal are involved in this seemingly eternal dance. There is a big similarity with what could be referred to as spirituality here. You could say Federer is good and Nadal is evil(or in the case of a Nadal fan that Nadal is good and Federer is evil), and they are both involved in an eternal dance. As soon as you think the one has won, the other comes back to triumph again. Every Fedfanatic and Nadal fan knows this feeling all too well. Evil never ends, but it is possible to go beyond both good and evil. As long as you choose sides, you will be subject to disappointment. But since this is tennis, not spirituality, there could always be a certain amount of agony and ecstasy involved. Unless you like either player equally. But those people are in the minority. So what is the solution? I think it is possible to appreciate both players for what they bring to the game while you still prefer one over the other.

As a Fedfanatic I can’t help but to appreciate Nadal because he keeps things interesting. Imagine there was no Nadal, or he never came back from adversity the way he did. This means Federer would have the slam record with no one in sight that could challenge that record. Fedfanatics may claim that they hate Nadal for this, but they can’t deny it keeps them interested. Also, if Nadal was not there to challenge Federer’s records, Federer may have been inclined to call it a day after everything he’s been through of late. He is married and have a family now. Why bother with the grind of tennis when this new generation of ballbashers keep hitting him off the court? He would have had no reason to really fight it out and make a comeback. So for this reason Fedfanatics must be grateful for Nadal, because he is keeping Federer in the game.

When you look at things more closely, there is really no need for this hate for either Federer or Nadal. The one is not what they are without the other. Hate is always due to ignorance. Nadal and Federer are opposites, just like good and evil are. You can’t have one without the other. If it wasn’t for Nadal’s ‘ugly’ strokes, we would not appreciate Federer’s beautiful strokes as much as we do. If it was not for Nadal’s ‘gamesmanship’ we would not appreciate Federer’s fair play as much as we do. If it was not for Nadal’s ‘stomping’ around the court, we would not appreciate Federer’s effortless and graceful movements. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Although it may be hard for us Fedfanatics to understand, some people find Federer’s game to be ugly and Nadal’s game to be beautiful. I’m trying to show you a different perspective here.

Of course I find Federer’s game at least a 100x more attractive than Nadal’s game, but a Nadal fan may think the opposite. This is sport, and duality is very much a part of it. We all like the drama that goes with it, even though we may claim we don’t. And if we enjoy the drama, then from a Fedfanatic’s perspective we indirectly like Nadal as well, because he is the one that causes the most of the drama if you’re a Fedfanatic. If you don’t like the drama you wouldn’t follow sport and I would recommend you read my spirituality blog. If you had enough of drama and the ego, spirituality is definitely the thing for you. Personally I like both. For now at least. Maybe when Federer finally calls it a day I would lose interest in tennis as well. Who knows. But first I want to be the best possible sports fan I can be.

And for me that means to appreciate all aspects of the game. In this way tennis is a spiritual discipline, because you can either look at it from the outside with detachment, or you can be inside it and lose yourself. I prefer to look at it from the outside and see Federer and Nadal as part of a whole. I can still prefer Federer over Nadal, but I do not have to condemn Nadal. I think I have already given enough reasons for this. As long as you resist evil, it will persist. The same with Nadal. If you continue to resist him, he will come back to haunt you. As long as you resist evil and can’t see that you can’t have good without evil, evil will continue to haunt you as well. But like I said, this is sport, and I still enjoy some of the drama. I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this ‘eternal’ dance between Federer and Nadal. The dance is not over…