5 Reasons why Roger Federer, even at the age of 35, is able to play like he's 25

Roger FedererIn 2013, Roger Federer was struggling to get into the ATP World Tour Finals where only the top 8 players in the world are allowed to play. Even after he qualified for it, many thought that this would possibly be the last time Federer would contest the year-end tournament. Well, they were wrong.Federer became the third player – after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – to qualify for the World Tour Finals in 2014. He also quickly went up to the World No. 2 rank that year, and remained in the top three for the better part of the next two years.In 2016 Federer took a six-month break to nurse his knee injury, but now he has returned dramatically to the top 10 after dropping to – and entering the 2017 Australian Open – at 17th.The phenomenal resurgence of the maestro has surprised many. And why wouldn’t it? He is 35, had been recovering from a recurrent and is playing in arguably the “Golden Era” of tennis.And his win at the Australian Open – a whopping 18th Major title, the highest of any man in the history of the sport – proved that even at 35 years of age, Federer's game is good enough to match his decades-younger counterparts.So what exactly makes him play like a man 10 years younger than he is? Let's have a look:

#1 Light upper body

Body structure plays an imortant role in tennis. Athletes mould their bodies according to their needs, especially their upper bodies. Federer, who focuses on strength and agility, has a light upper body. 

By light upper body, I mean that he does fewer chest workouts and more core and shoulder-back training. Such an upper-body frame gives stability, balance and agility and prevents the lower body from having to bear more weight.   

When leg muscles have less weight to hold, the body moves easily without much strain. Federer’s lean body frame has enabled him to stay injury-free through much of his career, and to move (or glide?) freely. It is also one of the reasons for his strong performances even at an older age.