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Social media sometimes brings us wonderful things. This week I discovered something amazing through the internet – a conference speech by tennis legend Roger Federer. Federer holds the record of being the number one tennis player for 237 consecutive weeks, among many other victories.
Federer’s graduation speech at Dartmouth College in the United States last Sunday is being discussed. Hearing/reading the 25-minute speech he gave to students after receiving his honorary degree, it can be said to be one of the best speeches in recent years.
Readers who are often tired of listening to leaders’ speeches and reading news about speeches may wonder – what about speeches? However, some speeches occupy an important place in the history of world politics and literature. Whether it is Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Nehru’s first speech after independence, or US President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize speech, some speeches are inspiring.
Federer has learned life lessons on the tennis court and is one of the best/greatest players of this century. No player is considered great just because of his skills on the court. This can make him a successful player. Just as not all leaders who win elections become great politicians. People become great – how and for what they use this success. How to use the power of success, whether it is wealth, knowledge or fame? This is important. If his knowledge, power or wealth cannot contribute anything to the lives of many people, then his success will be unique to him. Once someone else’s record of success is broken, its price may be like a stale newspaper! Federer also received an honorary scholarship to Dartmouth University for his philanthropic work.
Knowledge/philosophy has no clear source, just like the source of rain, knowledge/philosophy can burst out from its experience. That’s why Federer’s speech was called a “life lesson masterclass”. The 42-year-old Swiss star went to the university on Sunday to receive an honorary doctorate, the second time he has entered the university in his life. He said at the beginning of his speech that today was his second time “stepping into the university”. He said: “Although I am coming to the university for the second time, when I come back from here today, Dr. I will return as Federer!
In a few words, Federer told the students some important life lessons he has learned over the years on the tennis court.
He said he never went to college, noting that he dropped out at 16 to play tennis. But he added that he had recently “graduated.” “Roger Federer, tennis graduate,” adding, “Retired doesn’t sound good, graduate sounds sweet.”
After retiring in 2022, Roger asked himself, “What’s next?” He remembers being asked, he told students, “Everyone asks, even those who have graduated, what’s next?”
He then talked about the life lessons he learned from tennis. He called it “Tennis Lessons,” or tennis lessons. Some of the highlights were:
1. “Effortless” is a myth
Federer, who has displayed an “effortless” style of play on the court for many years, said: “Nothing in life is smooth, easy, or effortless.” He said: “I have heard the word ‘effortless’ many times. People used to call my game ‘effortless’. Most people used to say that to compliment me, and they said it because they were impressed by my game. I often heard people say, ‘Look how happy he is playing, he didn’t even break a sweat’. Is he really not working hard? I used to get bored when I heard that.
“The fact is that it took years of hard work for me to get so easy on the court. For this, I practiced for years to yell, scream, get angry, sometimes swing my racket, sometimes cut my beard, curse. It took years of hard work for me to learn to stay calm. Nothing in the world looks so easy and calm. I didn’t get to where I am today by talent alone. For this, I tried to work harder and harder than every competitor,” he told the students.
He mentioned that he received a “wake-up call” early in his career. He said, “The Italian Open was coming up. One of my competitors openly questioned my mental rhythm and discipline. He said – Roger will be strong in the first two hours. I will dominate the rest of the game. At first I was surprised by his words. I didn’t understand what he meant. Gradually, I understood what he wanted to express – the first two hours of the game can be played beautifully by anyone. Because the body is healthy, the limbs can move quickly, the mind is clear… After two hours, your steps begin to tremble, the body melts away with fatigue, the mind starts to spin, and your discipline and rhythm begin to disappear. ‘
After recounting the incident, Roger told the students, “That day I realized how much more work I had to do. I was ready for this journey. I learned the lesson. I started working hard. I understood – winning with no effort and effortlessness was a special achievement! Why people started saying it was easy to fight, there was no pain, and my warm-up was normal for the matches. When people see that, they forget how hard I was training. I was training hard long before the matches, and no one was watching me at the time.”
Roger then turned to the students and said, “How many times have you wondered – I work so hard, I stay up all night studying, but my friends do nothing and get ‘A’s, ‘A’s’ in every subject. Understand, as I did, that no one can get anything easily by doing nothing!”
Roger then said that it was important to have confidence in him and said, “However, you have to earn this confidence yourself… At first I used to find the opponent’s weakness and hit it, but later I hit him where he was strongest” at. Whoever was strong in some aspect, I tried my best to beat him in that aspect. By doing this, my level of play improved and I also had the opportunity to expand my abilities. You have to have enough strength and weapons in reserve for fighting… so that if one weapon breaks, you can use another one. You only have one to rely on, and if it breaks, what will you do?
Another lesson Roger learned was – “Every day in life is different.”
“There comes a time when confidence is broken. Your back hurts, your knees can’t move… you’re sick… you’re scared. And despite all that, you find a way to win. These victories are the proudest and most memorable because that’s when you realize – I was still able to win even though I wasn’t the strongest, even though I wasn’t the best.
2. A game can be lost by just one point
Federer’s next words in his speech were – “Even if you try your best, you may lose.” He said the true meaning of life in one sentence: “You can’t win by trying hard.”
As the Gita says, “Karma Gar Falko Aash Nagar,” the knowledge Federer has acquired in his 25-year career is as close to that as you can get.
He went into great detail about his experiences of winning and losing. He further stated in the interview, “Tennis is brutal. Every match ends the same way. One player wins and takes the trophy home. The rest of the players sit in the window seats of the boat and look out as they go home, thinking – how did I miss that shot?
He gave a lecture to the students – “Imagine if only one person received a degree today!”
“I try to never lose in any situation. I always want to win. However, I have been beaten. Sometimes I have suffered big losses. Losing to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final was one of the biggest defeats of my life. Some even call it the best game ever. With all due respect, I would say that… if I had won, the game would have been even more beautiful…”
He explained another lesson, “Losing Wimbledon is a big deal because winning Wimbledon means everything.”
If Roger had won Wimbledon in 2008, he would have won his sixth consecutive title that year, a record in itself. Rafael won two sets and Roger won two sets. Rafael won the title after winning the fifth set. Roger said, “That day I understood… why people say the ending is the most important.”
Some losses hit harder than others. I lost my number one spot because of that loss. People started saying – ‘He had a bad game. But now it seems like that time has passed!’ I knew what I had to do. That was to work harder on myself. Improve your game and keep competing.
Winning a game is a big deal for a player. Winning is his goal. However, just like winning, losing is an equally important aspect of the game. The same rules apply to the game of life. Every time you think you have won a game, you may not have won it!
Roger provided a statistic to illustrate the point. He told the students, “I have played 1,526 singles matches so far, and I have won 80 percent of them. But how many points did I win in those matches? Guess what? Only 54 percent. In other words, even the top tennis players only win a little more than half of their points.
After this he said another important thing – “When a player is fighting for a point, at that moment, that point is the most important thing in the world to him.” But when that moment is over, its importance is over too…it is left behind. It is very important to remember this because this “mindset” frees you up to focus on the next point. And then another, and look clearly and sharply to another…”
“The truth is, no matter what game you play in life…sometimes you have to face failure. There is no meaning, no game, no season, no job…life is a roller coaster with ups and downs.
When a person is weak, it is natural to have doubts about his abilities and possibilities. You yourself may feel miserable. And, I am saying this here – not only you, but your opponent is also doubting his abilities. Do not forget this! Federer Uwach.
Roger taught me another lesson – “…the best people in the world don’t become the best by winning every point or every match, but they know that I can be beaten…they know that there is always a chance that they will lose again…but, they accept the defeat. They know how to accept it and how to minimize its impact.”
Federer’s master motto is: “Accept failure… accept the situation… cry if necessary, shed tears… even if it is forced, smile.” Go forward. Be strong and combine with the situation and increase your potential.
3. Life is much bigger than the courtroom
Federer’s third quote is – “Life is much bigger than the court.”
Regarding the third lesson he learned during his speech, Federer said: “A tennis court is a small place. The singles court is 2,106 square feet, to be exact.
The tennis court is the most important place for a tennis player, it is where he wins and loses. Successes, failures and experiences are accumulated. This court gives him recognition and fame. It is this tennis court that made the famous Swiss Roger Federer. Nevertheless, Federer said, “There is more to life than the court.”
He said, “I practiced a lot, learned countless things, and ran a lot of miles in that small piece of land (tennis courts), but life is much bigger than that.” Among students, he said, “When I started playing tennis, I knew that tennis would show me the world, but this world would never be created. Even when I was successful, even when I was in the top five, tennis was not enough for me. He wanted to have his own life, a complete life. Travel, culture, friendship, life with family… So I never forgot my roots, neglected it, abandoned it. I will never forget who I am, where I come from… I will never let the desire to see this big world die.
Inspired by his South African mother, Roger created a foundation to help children get an education. Noting that 75% of children in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to pre-primary education, his foundation has helped provide quality education to 3 million children and trained 55,000 teachers.
Another insight from Federer is – ‘You don’t have to give money and run a non-profit to do charity. This work can also be done by giving your ideas and measures, time and energy to accomplish a mission (goal) that is bigger than yourself.’
“You have so much to give,” he told the students. “I hope you find your own unique way to make a positive impact on the world. Because, life really is so much bigger than the court.”
This quote from Federer is very relevant and inspiring, so I’m presenting it in freestyle this time. If there are any errors in the translation, or if my feelings are found to have entered into Federer’s things, it will be my fault! Those who want to know if it is a copy, or want to say that they read it in English University WebsiteYou can go and have a look.
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