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Life Lessons from Roger Federer

By Shlomo Maital  

     On June 9, 2024,  a year ago,  tennis great Roger Federer gave the commencement address at Dartmouth University, an Ivy League school.   Rustin Dodd recently wrote about it in The New York Times.  Federer’s address has become viral, like the late Steve Jobs’ commencement address in 2005 at Stanford.

     “Now, I have a question for you,” Federer said, looking out across a sea of umbrellas at the commencement ceremony for Dartmouth College. “What percentage of points do you think I won in those [career] matches?” (He played a total of 1,526 singles matches during his career. He won 1,251 of those matches).  

    Federer won 80% of his 1,526 matches. 

    He paused.

    “Only 54 percent,” he said.

      It was one of those statistics that at first seemed incorrect. Federer was one of the most dominant athletic forces of this century. That guy lost nearly half of his points?  He won 80% of his matches and only won 54% of his points?   ?????

     “When you lose every second point, on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot,” he told the crowd. “You teach yourself to think, ‘OK, I double-faulted. It’s only a point.’ When you’re playing a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world, and it is. But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you. This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point and the next point after that, with intensity, clarity and focus.”

     I think this is a powerful lesson.  Bad things happen to everybody.  At times, our brains insist on replaying them,  There is value in learning from failure.  But – only to a point. 

     Federer explains that past failures should be time-dated, like prescription drugs.  Figure out what can be learned.  And move on.  Focus. 

      Federer appears to have practiced his own version of a psychotherapy technique known as focusing, developed by Eugene Gendlin.  It is “a quality of engaged accepting attention”, a kind of focused mindfulness about where we are at this present moment,  with past memories, troubles, worries, anxieties, etc., distilled out of our thoughts. 

       Think about the wonderful women’s final at Rolain Gros, the French tennis championship.  American Coco Gauff vs.  world #1  Sabalenka.  Here is one account: 

         “Sabalenka overpowered the American in the early stages, breaking her serve to love amidst a run of nine unanswered points, while Gauff looked spooked, spraying misses to all parts of the court.   But suddenly an inspired drop shot, a Sabalenka double-fault and a flashing forehand winner brought up a break point which Gauff converted.  Sabalenka was now rattled and let a push from Gauff drift past her, thinking it was going long only for it to bounce four inches inside the baseline, as the second seed levelled the set at 4-4. It was a jaw-dropping mistake from a player who had gone 4-1 up against defending champion Iga Swiatek in her semi-final and let that lead slip.”

       Sabalenka later explained that she indeed became unsettled.  My hunch is she let those past mistakes dwell in her mind, and lost what Federer had in his career:  Extreme focus.  In contrast, Gauff appears to have mastered it, at least for this match.

       The expression “water under the bridge” expresses the idea that what’s past, is past.  Can we emulate Federer?  We’re not pro tennis players – but we are all in the complex game of life, where focus is essential. 

       The world is in a huge mess.  Let that not keep you from seeing the incredible beauty of Nature, and beauty of the human spirit, all around us, every minute.