You will lose
Source: Roger Federer’s Speech at 2024 Dartmouth Commencement
https://singjupost.com/roger-federers-speech-at-2024-dartmouth-commencement-transcript/?singlepage=1
The best in the world are not the best because they win every point. It’s because they know they lose again and again and have learned how to deal with it. In the 1526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches. Now I have a question for you. What percentage of points do you think I won in those matches? Only 54%. In other words, even top ranked tennis players win barely more than half of the points they play.
When you lose every second point on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot. You teach yourself to think, okay, I double faulted, it’s only a point. Okay, I came to the net and I got passed again, it’s only a point. Even a great shot, an overhead backhand smash that ends up on ESPN’s top 10 playlist, that too is just a point. And here’s why I’m telling you this.
When you’re playing a point, has to be the most important thing in the world and it is. But when it’s behind, you it’s behind you. This mindset is really crucial. Because it frees you to fully commit to the next point with intensity, clarity and focus. You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That is to me a sign of a champion.
(Excerpt from an interview after a match where he loses a championship to Djokovic)
Interviewer: Roger it was a tough day today. You threw everything at him. But some days you just have to say too good?
Roger: Yeah absolutely. I think Novak played not only great today, but the whole two weeks, plus the whole year, plus last year, plus the year before that. So he deserves it. Well Done Novak.
Interviewer: So close in that first set. It could have been so different, couldn’t it?
Roger: Maybe. That’s sports. That’s why we come to watch it. Just because you don’t know the outcome. Of course, I have my chances in the first set, being up a Break. Second set, you know I got lucky to win that. Had some chances early in the third but it’s how it goes. He was tougher on the on the bigger points and then at the end, he was Rock Solid. So I thought he played great. I didn’t play Bad myself so I can be very happy as well and that’s how it goes.