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Federer: “I Have to Remind Myself to Play Like a Junior”


Roger Federer says that as he has grown older he’s learned to play the percentages better out of necessity. But that can be boring at times, Federer told SI’s Jon Wertheim in an exclusive interview for Sports Illustrated magazine.

Video: Ricochet Roger's Rapid Fire Rally

Here's a particularly interesting section from this great interview, where Federer talks about adjusting to life at 33 compared to 23:

“The game has evolved. Racket technology and especially string technology have had a big impact. More and more guys play from the baseline. I’ve had to adjust to that. Back in the day, in a nutshell you'd have about 30 percent of the guys serving-and-volleying, 30 percent playing aggressively and 30 percent retrieving. Now it's all pretty much the same. Everybody has a good serve, forehand, backhand. Usually don't volley very well. So you get stuck in the same rallies more often, which is way more predictable, which is easier. But maybe it's not as fun sometimes as it used to be when one day you played the retriever, then you play the aggressive guy. I like the change.

“Then [the challenge is] just how do you manage your experience? Because experience can be a very good thing, but sometimes it can also be a hindrance. You’re not playing as freely, you’re playing the percentages too much. It becomes too calculated. I like to play free-flowing¬ tennis. I have to remind myself to play like a junior sometimes.” In the exclusive interview, Federer also talks about family life, his passion for modern art and how he doesn’t want to think too far ahead into his future because he’s not prepared to contemplate the end of his tennis career."


You can click through to read the whole interview here

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