What any professional can learn from the comeback of Roger Federer in 2017

I have been a Roger Federer fan since the day I first saw him live in action. The year would be 2001- the Round of 16 match vs Pete Sampras at Wimbledon- the only meeting of the two in the ATP circuit. I was a Sampras devotee for the entire decade prior to that. In more ways than one, Roger's sublime victory that day ensured that the baton of the title of the next great player on the circuit passed from Sampras to him. So did my support. But this article here is not about the glorious playing record of Federer, who arguably, is in fact the best tennis player to have played in the circuit.

This piece is solely about the absolutely inspirational and remarkable comeback of the 35 year 'young' Federer in 2017. And what we, as professionals, can learn from his return to peak form during these past few months which has left all of us, fans and haters ( are there any? ) alike, gobsmacked.

1. You CAN turn your biggest weakness into your biggest strength. Any noob on the circuit knew the 'secret' to beat Federer- thanks to his nemesis Nadal turning this into a routine - keep hitting it hard on his weak backhand. Keep badgering him there. He will hit it long, or net it. Well, Federer of 2017 had other ideas- he had come back with this very backhand ( the NEO backhand as the media termed it )of his turned into a sledgehammer of hitherto unforeseen power and accuracy. His backhands were landing in the right places with mind numbing precision- cross court or down the line. His opponents, including Nadal ( whom, with his last victory at Indian Wells this month, he has now beaten thrice consecutively for the first time in his career ) did not know what hit them. They did not have a plan B. Which well, never quite existed. Federer had done it, at the ripe old age of 35. People find it hard to rectify their game in their mid 20s in the tennis circuit, and here he was, winning grand slams and ATP Masters tournaments against the top players in the arena.

Case in point- this video compiling all 14 backhand winners from the epic 2017 Australian Open Final vs Nadal, which many believe won him the match.

2. You must take work life balance with utmost importance. Federer has believed in being a family man throughout. Has travelled in the circuit with his wife, and his twin kids ( he has 2 sets of twins ). He had torn the meniscus in his left knee in February 2016 while giving his daughters a bath in the tub- shows how the winner of the highest number of Grand Slams in the circuit looks at life. He seems to be having more fun than ever before in the circuit now. Has started a 'boy band' with fellow one handed back hand returners Haas and Dimitrov named 'Backhand Boys' and released goofy videos of them singing with a bit of guidance from David Foster. There was a 4-5 year period at the peak of his career when he won 90% of his matches. Federer knows he doesn't need to repeat that alien like record to prove anything else to himself all over again. He is simply enjoying the process of playing freely and being at the top of his game once more. While ensuring that he is able to give adequate time to his family.

3. Only you get to decide your expiry date. No one else can. Exactly a year back Federer was supposed to be finished. The grand slams had dried up for long, but the proverbial nail in the coffin seemed to be the long injury lay off last year. Even the most ardent of Federer fans always had his legendary fitness and longevity as the last straw of hope during the last 5 years. When that too seemed to have become irrelevant, the media had written him off. So had his fans, they were simply praying for an honorable exit from Federer. Only one man did not believe in any of this- Federer himself. He kept at it, using his injury lay off to rejuvenate himself and come back stronger than possibly ever- and with a more attacking game. Ready to take on players in the circuit who had faster legs, were seeded way higher than him and apparently had welcomed facing him early on in the draw. Federer was ready to face each one of them- and even his nemesis of old. He wasn't ready to quit, yet. All the naysayers had to modify the expiry date which they had branded him with. His fans who saw this miracle happen at the Australian Open in 2017 - shed tears of joy at the resurrection.

Roger Federer, you are an inspiration to us all. Keep hitting those backhands down the line leaving us all spellbound and asking for more.

Photo courtsey: https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/www.atpworldtour.com/-/media/images/news/2017/01/20/11/58/federer-australian-open-2017-friday2.jpg