On August 13, the famous Swiss media Brick conducted an exclusive interview with Federer, and the Swiss king disclosed his current physical condition and talked about his mentality after the age of 40. The following is a transcript of the interview.
Reporter: Roger, how are you doing now?
Federer: Pretty good, I'm on vacation right now. I haven't done anything in a long time because of my knee problem. After Wimbledon, I had to put everything on hold. I'm meeting with my doctor and my team this week, and then we'll see what happens next, and at the moment everything is uncertain.
Reporter: How do you deal with this uncertainty?
Federer: It's hard, it's not the same as before. The question I used to focus on was simple: What was my ranking? What is my next game? And now the question is even trickier: How would I feel if I started training again? What can I achieve? What are my goals? How do I become one with my family? What do the rest of the team say?
Overall, my body is more sensitive now than before, my mindset is different, and it's really completely different from ten years ago.
Reporter: Have you had to be more patient over the past year?
Federer: Yes. I need more time to deal with everything. In the past, if I hit a hurdle, it would last two days and then everything would be fine again, whereas now it might last two weeks. I have to be more patient with the pain, with myself, with going back to the game.
At the same time, however, joy wells up in my heart as I reflect on my past achievements. In the past, I took those victories for granted, but now I feel more deeply the reasons behind those victories, how hard they are.
Reporter: The pressure is getting bigger and bigger now?
Federer: It's like boxing. You play a lot less now than you used to. So there was a lot more focus on the single game and I had to re-learn and start.
Reporter: When you analyze the dilemma, you seem calm, do you also have moments of panic?
Federer: You have to adapt to all of this, and I've been that way throughout my career. Situations change, such as psychological awareness, the pursuit of success, perceptions and experiences of the game, one's own identity, and so on. I am a quiet person and always have a sense of humor about people and things. I always see the good side in all kinds of situations. If it's not good now, I know it might get better, but it could get worse as well.
Overall, I'm doing a great job and my family and I are healthy. I just turned 40 and I'm still energetic and competitive, who would have thought in the past that would be the case now? I have a quiet attitude towards the future, and I also believe that more beautiful things will happen.
Reporter: You mentioned your 40th birthday, can you tell us about your birthday celebrations?
Federer: It's amazing. I celebrated my 40th birthday with my family, kids, wife Mielka, parents and friends and we had a great time together.
Reporter: What kind of birthday party is it, dignified standard dance, wild theme party or karaoke?
Federer: I've only sung karaoke once, and I sing it so badly that I think I could have sung it better (laughs). You'll always find me on the dance floor at the party. Of course, it's best when no one is filming my movements and putting them on the internet (laughs). On my birthday, I can really enjoy it again.
Reporter: The day after the party, you turned 40, how old do you feel now?
Federer: I've done a very good job. It's a bit like the millennium, when it was thought that across the year 2000, computers would no longer work. I woke up in the morning at the age of 40 and found that everything was the same as the day before. I was relieved that everything was fine (laughs).
Reporter: 40 years old, is an age that makes many people afraid...
Federer: All of a sudden you're 40 and you think, "Hey, no, unbelievable!" "I suddenly felt like I was far from my 20s, when I was just a kid. Now that I'm 40, I feel like I have to be more serious. You used to look at 40-year-olds and think they're old, and now all of a sudden I'm one of them.
At the bottom of this interview, many Swiss fans offered Federer birthday wishes, thanking him for so much joy and honor to the fans and Switzerland. One of the fans' messages was very special, saying:
"First of all, I took off my hat to congratulate Roger on his 40th birthday. Roger had great success, but the tree wouldn't grow into the sky, even if he was Roger Federer. At some point, his professional sport will come to an end, he won't have to worry about money, he can play those fun games later.
As an amateur player, I used to play tennis at the club for 12-16 hours a week and still play 5 hours today. I'm just over 70, but I'm still healthy and enjoy playing. Injuries are a problem for everyone, we need patience, time and rest, Federer did it right or it would all be over and we have to learn and embrace age-appropriate exercise. ”
After losing to Hulkach in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, Federer announced his withdrawal from the Olympics due to knee discomfort, followed by his withdrawal from the Two Masters in Toronto and Cincinnati. For the US Open that starts on the 30th of this month, Federer has not yet made a clear statement. (Source: Tennis House Author: Yun Cirrus Yunshu)