Roger Federer believes tennis is in a safe place, despite the 20-time Grand Slam winner harboring some grievances about the modern game.
The 43-year-old is in Berlin to compete in the Laver Cup, the Ryder Cup of tennis, which pits teams from Europe against teams from around the world.
With world number one Yannick Sinner and Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaras both winning Grand Slams this year, the Swiss great, who announced he would quit the sport in 2022, admitted players were becoming more “fearless” in their approach because of the bigger rewards.
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Roger Federer gave a powerful commencement speech to Dartmouth College graduates, telling them that tennis is not “a game that comes easy” and that “perfection is impossible.”
“I think both men and women will start hitting bigger forehands and backhands, and they’ll start to feel more fear because they realize the reward is there,” Federer told a news conference in Berlin.
“The best movers are the best players, and you can see it. The best players are the ones who are mentally fittest, physically strongest, and fastest.
“It’s not about technique anymore. I’ve been fooled for the last 10, 15, 20 years into thinking, ‘I’m not sure about this technique,’ but with racquet technique and string technique, as long as you can solve these problems and hit the ball hard and beautifully, everything is possible in tennis. To be honest.
“The game is the same as it used to be, but it’s a step up. I feel like I’m always moving up. Maybe it’s the lack of variation, but it’s also because there are so many double-handers these days, so they don’t use the slice as much.
“Obviously we don’t see a lot of drop shots. Alcaraz and (Daniel) Medvedev are trying to add that to their game, and I think it’s a great play, but we have to work on it a lot in the transition game.
“All in all, I still enjoy watching tennis to this day and I will always be able to watch it from a safe place because it is a great sport.”
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Looking ahead to 2025, Federer is eyeing Novak Djokovic, who has achieved a Grand Slam by winning singles gold at the Paris Olympics, as the Serbian aims to win a record 25 Grand Slam titles in 2025.
“Novak won the Olympics and played maybe a full season. It’s not that he stopped because of an injury, it’s just natural that as you get older you play less,” said the eight-time Wimbledon champion.
“I think he has a chance to move forward.
“I’m looking forward to the next Slam, Australia. I think he’ll definitely be one of the top contenders along with Sinner and Alvarez.
“I think it’s going to be really cool to follow the Australian Open story.”
What about the one-handed backhand?
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Take a look back at some of Federer’s greatest backhand shots of all time on the ATP Tour over the past few years.
Federer, who possesses one of the most effortless and elegant one-handed backhands of any generation, also lamented the disappearance of the unique shot from the men’s game.
When asked what he could do, the Swiss jokingly replied: “I can tie one hand behind my back and play with the other.”
He expressed his opinion, saying, “I think a lot of it comes from coaching. There are two things. I would like to have a world number one and world number two one-hander, but that’s not the case now. So it won’t inspire the generation that plays one-hander.
“Juniors tend to look for the best players in the world and when they see a double-hander they think that’s the way forward, but it might not be. I think coaches around the world have realised that some players play better with a one-hander than a two-hander.
“Do you ever let go of a double-hander? That’s the problem. Coaches need to know, and players need to have the drive to try it like I did.
“I definitely think the one-handed backhand still has its place in the modern game. Sure, you can fight a lot more with a double-hander in returns and defense, but the one-hander can be a lot more difficult.
“I see double-handed players slicing a lot better these days. When I first came on tour 20 years ago, that wasn’t always the case.
“It’ll be fun to watch. It’ll be sad to see fewer and fewer one-handers.”
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What matches will be on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
- Japan Open – ATP 500 (September 25-October 1)
- China Open – ATP 500 (September 26-October 2)
- China Open – WTA 1000 (September 25-October 6 – Featuring Emma Raducanu)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and is integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers more than 50% more live sport to watch at no extra cost this year. Find out more here.
