Roger Federer recalls how his coach's incorrect advice led to his failure against Kuerten
Roger Federer might be off the court right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he has definitely been in the news. The 38-year-old Swiss maestro was recently named the highest-paid athlete in the world and yesterday also vouched his support for the "Black lives matter" movement that has gripped the world.
But in a lighter moment, Roger Federer recently recalled a strategic failure against three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten that occurred 18 years ago.
The year was 2003 and Roger Federer was facing the might of Kuerten in the prestigious Indian Wells Masters, the highest-attended tennis tournament outside the Majors. Roger Federer went on to lose the match in straight sets 7-5, 7-6, getting undone by some flawed preparation - at the heart of which was his coach Peter Lundgren.
Roger Federer, the rising star of the early 2000s, undone by the Brazilian veteran's wiles
Roger Federer would go on to win his first Grand Slam on the lawns of Wimbledon later that year, got very close to snatching away the World No. 1 ranking from Andy Roddick. But on that afternoon in California, the might of the Brazilian superstar coupled with his own strategic shortcomings made the Swiss go home empty-handed.
Roger Federer recalled the incident in a light-hearted vein during a live video call with his adversary from that day, and jokingly said that it was the fault of his then coach, Peter Lundgren.
Remembering the moment whilst talking to Kuerten, Federer said, "I remember a funny story in Indian Wells. Peter Lundgren my coach told me that against Kuerten he’s got this really big serve into the backhand, he serves it really hard and he always goes there."
Roger Federer had practiced facing serves on his backhand side in anticipation of Kuerten blasting them there. But as it turned out, Kuerten chose to attack Roger Federer's forehand with his serve instead.
As the Swiss joked, his coach's incorrect advice put him on the backfoot right from the start. Kuerten managed to hoodwink Federer by repeatedly going the other way, and the then 21-year-old had no answer.
"I tell you I think you hit the first 15 serves to my forehand and I looked at Peter and I’m like, you told me backhand! And he’s like “I’m sorry!," Federer went on to tell Kuerten.
The serve to the backhand: Roger Federer's Achilles' heel?
Though this incident might have become a quirky memory in Roger Federer's rich collection of anecdotes now, the serve to the backhand has actually been an area where his opponents have attacked him in the past.
Rafael Nadal, Federer's biggest rival for years, has frequently attacked the Swiss' backhand side with his lefty groundstrokes and serve. Federer himself once admitted that his backhand was his weakness when he first arrived in the tour.
However, the legend has really improved on the shot over the years, and it has ceased to be a liability now. It has transformed from a mere thing of beauty into a weapon that can be used to hit ferocious passing shots and impeccable drop volleys with equal elan.