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Watch: Federer On Secret to Longevity



Roger Federer is flying high again.

The Grand Slam king swept Mischa Zverev soaring into his 13th Australian Open semifinal in the last 14 years.

Watch: Federer Has All Answers Beating Zverev

Despite taking a six-month break to rehab his surgically-repaired left knee, the 17th-seeded Federer has played dynamic tennis setting up an all-Swiss semifinal with good friend Stan Wawrinka.

So what’s the secret to the 35-year-old Federer’s longevity?

Extended vacations.

“I always felt like breaks were important for me. If you think back, I always played, but I always also took bigger vacations, bigger breaks,” Federer told the media in Melbourne. “I know you don't know exactly what I do in my time off, or when you don't see me after Wimbledon, what I do until Cincinnati or the Canadian Open or what I do after the year is over.

“I remember some years I wouldn't hit tennis balls for four to five weeks. I think that was really important for me to look at the longevity aspect.”

Stepping away from the sport he was dominating—Federer won eight of the 10 Grand Slams he played from the 2005 Wimbledon through the 2007 US Open—sometimes felt like “a waste” to the younger Federer who fed off the confidence that comes from defeating top rivals and collecting major silverware.

“Sometimes I was talking to the team and thinking it was too much time off almost, because I had all this momentum going for me, I would just throw it out of the window for longevity,” Federer said. “It's so nice to play when you're confident, because to get that kind of confidence after winning a slam, not playing anymore, it's a bit of a waste actually. You should be playing then because you could just keep playing with confidence.”



In retrospect, Federer believes banking rest rather than riding the winning wave relentlessly was revitalizing and a primary reason he’s contending for Grand Slam titles 18 years after he made his major debut at Roland Garros.

“But I guess looking back overall, it was probably a good decision to take,” Federer said. “I hope the six months are going to help me in the future. But I think it's still super early stages in my comeback, that I first want to play a couple months now on tour, and really reassess, maybe by April, how then the schedule is going to look like down the road."

When it comes to creating his calendar, the four-time Australian Open champion values quality over quantity. 

“I will probably never be able to play 27 tournaments a year anymore," Federer said. "We know that all. But maybe instead of playing 22 you play 18, instead of 20 you play 17. That could totally happen.

"You always need the right balance, I feel like, enough practice, enough matches, enough time off. I guess as you get older, everything becomes a bit different.”

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

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