The real reason Federer’s game is so easy on his body is not just because of his stupendous talent. It’s because of his ability AND willingness to place shots out of his opponents reach at EVERY opportunity he gets. Of course, that’s declining faster than I can write this, nevertheless that’s the key to his effortless play year after year.
So why can’t other players emulate that, when it should be obvious to anyone with eyes and any semblance of a brain?
The real reason is a poor work ethic. While everyone may not have the same talent pool as Federer, the gap can be bridged significantly IF enough work ‘quality’ time is spent on the court. Every freaking cucumber knows that, irrespective of what endeavor you are engaged in.
You see, when you practice so hard that the racket actually feels like an extension of your hand, you can hit the ball at any corner of the court with about the same accuracy you can get with your bare hand – maybe better. That’s the only way to get there. If you are not there, it’s because you have not spent enough time with the racket hitting the ball from every possible angle.
It’s virtually impossible to not get there, if you have completed the number of repetitions your individual talent reserve requires.
Just saying that Federer has more talent doesn’t absolve you. Why? Because there are millions of talented individuals who are nowhere near the top of their field AND there are millions of talent deprived clowns who are at the top because of their work ethic.
You have so many examples amongst the tennis greats themselves like Connors, Lendl, Sampras etc. They would lose hands down against Federer’s talent, but their extreme desire to not lose, drove them to work that much harder to narrow the gap to even the playing field.
How about Nadal? You think he works hard? You bet!!!! Harder than anyone else on the tour? Sure. Harder than Federer? Absolutely. He has to, for he does not have that gift of talent.
When the ball is sent like a bullet to your backhand and your opponent rushes to the net, you know if you are allowed to throw the ball back with your hand you can easily pass the clown. But if you have put in the work, you can effortlessly and consistently do what Federer does: Flick that ball just next to the net out of reach of your opponent.
You think that shot stems from pure talent? Are you freaking kidding me!!!! That has been rehearsed and practiced to death on the court a million times before it’s even attempted on the big stage. Yes, a million times.
The ball machine is set to hit Federer all day on his backhand and he just keeps flicking until it becomes second nature. Then he does not even have to think before executing it to perfection. It’s on auto pilot. Like you lazy freaks driving your Pinto across the freeway with eyes closed.
You think Roddick practices as hard as Federer or Nadal? Not even close. You cannot have that brand of tennis flowing from your racket if the time on court even remotely resembles that of Federer or Nadal.
You have heard my famous quote? Haven’t you? “There’s no short cut to success. There’s no elevator”, or “Success is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration”.
The reason all these jokers send the ball back to the center of the court, even when the ball lands in their wheelhouse is because nothing else has been practiced long enough to instill confidence in the shot. So the only option is to just try to get the ball back and hope the other guy makes a mistake.
Why does that theory gain credence? It’s because that actually happens – the other guy does make that mistake and they end up winning the match. So they say to themselves “Hey, I won the match and reached the semis or the finals without killing myself on the practice courts. This is pretty good”.
Only a handful of clowns are not satisfied with that, and invest that extra hour every day to win on their terms. Result: Every one starts calling them geniuses.
Genius is nothing else than outworking everyone in sight. That’s the foundation. Without it no matter what top notch material you add to the building, it’s coming down sooner or later.
If you don’t pay your dues, life will not allow you to get too far with the accolades and the hardware. But once you pay the dues, life will crown you with credentials you did not even attempt to bag.
