Roger Federer shares invaluable life lessons he learnt from tennis

Former Swiss tennis player, Roger Federer was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 310 weeks, which includes a record 237 consecutive weeks, as per Wikipedia! And so, the legendary tennis player is an inspiration to many even today. In a recent speech, which he gave to Dartmouth College's graduating class, Federer reflected upon his remarkable professional journey and shared the life lessons he learned through tennis which he hoped the fresh graduates would relate to. Here we list down Roger Federer's life lessons that he learnt from tennis, which are invaluable pieces of advice for all of us.

Photo: Roger Federer/ Instagram

Giving his own example, Federer shared that anything that seems "effortless" is a myth. Infact, it takes years of practice, hard work, dedication, and patience to reach that stage. Speaking about how hard he worked to make his game appear easy to others, Federer said, “The truth is, I had to work very hard... to make it look easy. I spent years whining... swearing… throwing my racket… before I learned to keep my cool." And so, hard work is the key to success and there is no shortcut for it.

Photo: Roger Federer/ Instagram

Federer's second life lesson, which he learnt from being a professional tennis player is that "It’s only a point", and so one shouldn't be too harsh on themselves. Instead, one should accept their failures, reflect upon them and learn from their mistakes, and move on in life rather than dwelling on their past errors.

“In the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches. Now, I have a question for all of you... what percentage of the POINTS do you think I won in those matches? Only 54%. When you’re playing a point, it is the most important thing in the world. But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you," he said.

Life, just like any sport, is full of ups and downs. However, what determines one's success is how quickly one gets over failures and the hard moments in life.


Photo: Roger Federer/ Instagram

“I never abandoned my roots, and I never forgot where I came from... but I also never lost my appetite to see this very big world," Federer shared in his speech. According to the legendary tennis player, life is much bigger than the work one does. Citing his own example, Federer said that apart from tennis, he is quite passionate about traveling, exploring new cultures, and his foundation that provides education to the poor and needy children in Africa. Through this, Federer urged the new graduates to live a purposeful and fulfilling life and make a difference in the world.

Photo: Roger Federer/ Instagram

Federer's three tips-- hard work, resilience, and leading a purposeful life-- are not just invaluable life lessons, but can also transform one's career at the workplace when applied there. These are the habits, when developed over a period of time, that would make one's career successful and would also help them become better leaders.

Photo: Roger Federer/ Instagram