Roger Federer: 'You could cramp because of stress, playing with fatigue and...'

The delivery of the ATP Awards is upon us. Many prizes to be awarded, many categories that, like every year, will be awarded. Predictable to imagine how this anomalous, fragmented and in some ways unrepeatable season could have influenced an equally exceptional trend in the votes. For example, the great curiosity of fans is to find out who will win the so-called Stefan Edberg award, that is the award for sportsmanship. A certificate of esteem and respect that has been received many times by the very champion Roger Federer. The Swiss is in fact the undisputed symbol of this recognition, which he won for the first time in 2004 (and a total of 13 times) thanks to his extraordinary ability to be loved by millions of fans and professionals around the world. An example of refinement, obviously combined with his performance on the pitch, which has almost always seen him tear up the competition. This year the favorite seems to be Rafael Nadal, protagonist of a bittersweet season, which reached its peak in October with the victory of the 20th slam on the central court of Philippe Chatrier of Paris, but which perhaps did not end in the best way due to some particularly painful defeats in the last tournaments of the year. In a Roger orphaned 2020, Manacor's southpaw undoubtedly stands at the highest level of preference by fans, who have always loved his sportsmanship and great humility. His behavior on and off the court has never made anyone turn up their noses and if he were to win the prize we are sure that no one would cry out to the scandal, indeed, the world of tennis could not help but thank the Majorcan for having also given this year to fans a healthy and wonderful image of this splendid sport. And speaking of positive messages, we just have to hope for a prompt recovery of the Basel phenomenon, a timeless champion not only with the racket in his hands. Speaking in a live audio session on Spotify, Roger Federer responded to a question on how he has adapted his training methods to stay fresh and motivated for Grand Slams and other big events even at his age.

Federer reveals how he has adapted his training methods to stay fresh 

“I think, at the beginning, when you’re young, you have to put in the hours, have to be able to be stay focused on court, prove to yourself that you can stay on the opponent, focus on the ball for 2, 3, 4, 5, whatever, how many hours you are doing a day. Also, physically endure the stress. It’s one thing doing it in practice but it is another thing proving it in matches when the stress levels gets greater,” Roger Federer said. He said as a player hones his skills and picks up experience on the professional circuit, he also learns to listen to his body and deal with stress better. “You could cramp because of stress, playing with fatigue, like a jet lag, changing surfaces, you know, from one day to the next, you’re changing surfaces and playing another match,” Federer said. The Swiss said that as a player grows more experienced, he needs no advice how to manage himself as he learns to prioritize events. “This, in the beginning, is all a learning experience but you have to learn quick. And then later, you know it all. So you don’t have to really work that much anymore. So, you’re more into quality than quantity,” Federer said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2IhPzIo