Roger Federer: 'I would like to achieve a little bit more, please'

Roger Federer, 39, was the protagonist of yet another gesture that he helps to explain the reason for his popularity. The Swiss champion, holder of 20 Grand Slam titles, has received a Christmas letter from an Argentine fan at his home in Basel and did not stay indifferent. It all started when the girlfriend of the Swiss fan managed to find the address and a deliver the letter from her boyfriend to the former No. 1 in the world, where she only asked him for one autograph. Federer was moved by the gesture and responded and sent him autographed photos and a message: “To Gastón, happy birthday”, reads the message. Roger Federer opened up about his 2009 and 2016 seasons in a recent commercial for Credit Suisse.

Is it too early to start worrying about Roger Federer?

2009 and 2016 were extremely contrasting seasons for Roger Federer. During the former he not only won the elusive French Open but also broke the all-time Grand Slam record by lifting the Wimbledon title. In 2016, however, he was faced with a career threatening injury which caused him to miss a couple of Majors before eventually undergoing surgery. “2009 was an absolute fantastic year for me. After having won the French Open I was also able to win Wimbledon and break the all time Grand Slam record there in an absolute historical match,” said Federer. “It would have been easy to get complacent finishing that year in the number one position for my fifth time," he added. "It's another moment where you gotta look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself the question, do I wanna achieve more? I would like to achieve a little bit more, yes please.” Not many had hopes left from the Swiss, but for him it was just about putting in the the amount of hard work that was needed to get to his goals. "2016 post knee surgery was a big moment for me. But I think when you're down and out or you just lost another match or just had surgery waking up from those moments, I think is a reminder that we're all the same and only hard work gets you to your ultimate goals,” Federer said. Because the 2021 season is now underway and the great Swiss is nowhere to be seen. He’s withdrawn from the upcoming Australian Open for the first time since the 1998 season, which is the same thing as saying for the first time since his rookie season. Oh sure, there are rumours that the real reason that Federer is missing in action in Melbourne is because of Australia’s strict quarantine policy due to COVID-19 and the problems it would cause for someone with a wife and kids, and not because of enduring problems with the two knee operations he’s undergone last year.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3o1Ba1H