Page 52 - SHARP Summer 2024

towards the end of my career. [However,] I’m not going to think like that because my body and my knees have given me so much throughout my ca- reer. Up until 34-35, I had very few injuries and ev- erything came towards the back end of my career.
The shift was also very natural because obviously, COVID hit, but I was also rehabbing the whole time. So, at one point it was inevitable that I was going to retire. It came at the right time, and I was at peace. I knew the moment of retirement was going to be special but really tough and emotional for me to go through, because I wanted the chance to thank my fans and the tennis community and [share] a moment like that. Life has been great ever since; I’ve been really enjoying myself!
You’ve had both an incredible professional rivalry and personal relationship with Rafael Nadal. Do you consider that a lifelong bond? Definitely! Close matches like those I’ve had with Novak [Djokovic], [Andy] Murray, and Rafa bond you in a certain way.
With Rafa, his family and coaches also get along very well with my family and my team, so to come out on the other side of both of our careers and be able to get along so well is really beautiful for both of us. But also, for the public to see that you can have really tough and brutal rivalries but still really enjoy each other’s company and respect their craft.
It’s like two boxers that have had an intense fight; they usually end the bout with a hug and leave the ring with huge respect for one another. Exactly, you see it a lot in boxing or UFC, the respect they have for one another. They go to battle, but at the end it’s all forgotten, and you’re super happy and respectful that the person is okay and thankful that they made you a better person and a better player.
You won five consecutive US Open and Wimbledon titles, what mindset did you have going into those tournaments?
I don’t know what it was, but it was a good one. I liked summertime, and July to September was
a very good time of the year for me. Wimbledon always came very naturally to me, with the surface and not shying away from the big stage and being able to handle that pressure.
When you’re on a roll like this, you have this incredible confidence, and it really takes a great effort for someone to beat you. You need an off day. Even though you know anything can happen in tennis and professional sports, you definitely need a mindset where you go in as a winner and that you want to defend your title. You’re very clear. Whereas, when you start out on the tour, you’re not sure what to think.
What happens when you’re the defending champion is that you go step-by-step without overthinking the whole process. When you’re confident and World No. 1, the goals are clearly set and focused on every minute at a time, instead of being focused too far ahead.
Is this something you had to develop?
I’ll never forget the 2002 French Open when I lost in the first round. I lost the first set, and I was thinking to myself on centre court, “How am I ever going to win the French Open this year?” [...] I had made a big mistake and a mess of my mind going into the
French Open because I felt like I was going to win it. But I wasn’t ready to battle and dig deep. Later on, I got so much clarity, and it was so much easier to focus on point-by-point mentality.
I can imagine it would have a psychological effect on the opponent too, because you’re facing someone who has not been beaten in five tournaments. It must put doubt in their minds. You definitely create an aura or an image that you are hard to beat, and that confidence is on your side. I’ve played the likes of Rafa, Novak, and Murray when they were super “on” and there is a feeling that the situation might play out the way it’s supposed to be and that the better player is going to win.
The other player has to change up their game, even though you don’t want to change up your game normally, you want the other guy to do that. It’s like an arm wrestle and it’s very hard to get out of that. Sometimes you have to just work on your game, but other times you don’t have time, and you play the guy again but you’re just not ready mentally. That’s when it gets hard and maybe you lose two or three times in a row, like some have done against me. It’s tricky but it made us stronger.
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MAN WORTH LISTENING TO
“My parents would call me up and say, ‘How long are you going to hold this information? It’s killing us!’ You have friends and parents asking, ‘How is Roger doing?’ We knew everything but who could we tell? Because sooner or later this stuff gets out.”
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