"I didn't get where I got on pure talent alone" - Roger Federer enlightens Dartmouth graduates on importance of hard work during commencement address
Roger Federer recently attended his honorary doctorate ceremony in Dartmouth. Owing to his philanthropic activities through the Roger Federer Foundation, he was honored with a degree of Doctor of Humane Letters at Dartmouth.
Intending to motivate his fellow graduates with his speech, Federer shed light on the importance of hard work.
Federer is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. His illustrious career boasts 20 Grand Slam titles, including a record eight Wimbledon titles, six Australian Opens, five US Opens, and one French Open. He also spent a then-record 310 weeks as World No. 1, 237 of which were consecutive.
However, Federer had to work extremely hard to achieve these feats. While addressing the graduates at his honorary doctorate ceremony in Dartmouth, Roger Federer claimed that "effortless" success is a myth.
The 42-year-old added that his success did not come through sheer genius, but rather through hard work and pushing past his limits several times during his career. He was quoted as saying:
"Hopefully like me you learned that effortless is a myth. I didn't get where I got them pure talent alone. I got there by trying to outwork my opponents. I believed in myself, but belief in yourself has to be earned."
Federer then recalled how his belief in himself increased despite facing tough opponents at the ATP Finals in 2003. He also revealed an important change that he made in terms of strategy: rather than avoiding the opponent's strengths, he decided to fight them.
"There was a moment in 2003 when my self-belief really kicked in. I was at the ATP Finals where only the best eight players qualify, and I beat some of the top players I really, really admired by aiming right at their strength. Before I would run away from their strength. If a guy had a strong forehand, I would try to hit his backhand but now I would try to go after his forehand. I tried to beat the baseliners from the baseline. I tried to beat the attackers by attacking," he said.
"I tried to beat the net rushers from the net. I took a chance by doing that. I said "why did I do it?", to amplify my game and expand my options you need a whole arsenal of strength. So if one of them breaks down, you've got something left. When your game is clicking like that, winning is easy- relatively," he added.
Roger Federer highlights how resilience in tough times can lead to success
While Federer's message was centred around motivating the graduates to work hard, he also emphasized the importance of dealing with hardships. The Swiss spoke about how athletes sometimes feel physically and mentally drained but still find a way to win.
According to Federer, those victories are the most rewarding ones because they demonstrate the ability to triumph even when not at one's best.
"Then there are days when you just feel broken, your back hurts, your knee hurts. Maybe you're a little sick or scared, but you still find a way to win. And those are the victories we can be most proud of, because they prove that you can win, not just when you're at your best, but especially when you aren't," Federer said. [9:05]
Federer further stated that while talent is an important factor, it isn't enough for someone to attain success.
"Yes talent is, yes talent matters. I am not going to stand here, and tell you it doesn't. But talent has a broad definition. Most of the time, it's not about having a gift, it's about having grit," he stated.
Federer also joked in his speech that this was "literally" the second time that he had stepped foot inside a college campus. For those who do not know, Roger Federer did not go to college because he became a professional tennis player at a young age.