Roger Federer's ex-coach discloses the Swiss legend's pre-match routine
Paul Annacone, the former coach of Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer, has revealed the routine that the 20-time Grand Slam winner followed - and presumably still follows - before every match.
During his appearance on the Tennis Haus Online Tips YouTube channel, Paul Annacone spoke at length about his coaching stint with Roger Federer. He talked about Federer's pre-match routine, the things that differentiated him from the others, and whether he taught anything new to the Swiss player.
Roger Federer knows there is no magic formula to success: Paul Annacone
Roger Federer is a part of the Big 3 group of tennis, along with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Even though his rivals have improved a lot in the last few years while he has gotten into his late 30s, Federer continues to be one of the toughest players to beat on the tour.
Paul Annacone worked with the Swiss for almost four seasons mid-way through the last decade. But after Roger Federer failed to make it to a single Grand Slam final in 2013, he split with his American coach.
During his recent interview, Annacone was asked if Roger Federer had a 'magic formula' to success - to which he replied in the negative.
"I think the great players, the ones I've been around, realize there isn't a magic formula. They tick all the professionalism boxes. Roger was very systematic about the pre-season. His strength and conditioning coach Pierre Paganini is a genius. Pierre would coordinate with me," Annacone said.
Roger Federer spent two of the four weeks in the pre-season for strength and conditioning alone, according to the American. The third week would feature on-court training along with strength and conditioning, while in the last week the 20-time Slam champion would focus majorly on tennis.
Paul Annacone also outlined the pre-match schedule of Roger Federer, which involved a lot of discussions with the coach.
"He has his routines," Annacaone said. "When I was with him, we usually the night before would have a brief talk for 5-10 minutes about what tomorrow's match looked like strategy-wise. We had just to make sure we were on the same page."
"Then on the day of the match, he'd wake up, he'd do this treatment, then he'd do his warm-up on the court hitting some balls. After the warm-up, he'll have his meal and usually between warm-up and when he plays, we go over again what we talked about the night before for the match," he added.
Lastly, Annacone was asked if he taught any new skills to Roger Federer during their time together. The American said that the eight-time Wimbledon winner's game was put together well, but they still had conversations to discuss how he could make his game more effective.
The 57-year-old signed off by highlighting that the 2009 French Open winner always tried to improve his game, a trait that has helped him be relevant even as he approaches the 40s.