Click here to load reader
Upload
vuduong
View
212
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Federer Anger Outburst. From: http://sportige.com/
“Hothead” Federer Learns to Control Temper
Throughout his youth, Rodger Federer struggled to
control his temper; a problem that shadowed his games
for many years. On court he would often erupt in bursts of
anger (smashing his racket against the court or launching
it into the fence) after poor shots. Parents, Robert and
Lynette, struggled to understand the transformation of
their son during a game. Bottling his rage after games
irritated Federer; however he was never rude to umpires,
lines men or the opposing player.
At the age of 10, Federer met a man who would change
his game completely, his name was Peter Carter. Over
the next four years, Carter came to spend more time with
Federer than his own parents, not only improving his
technique and game plan but also advising him in the
mental side of the game. Psychology played a major role
in Federer becoming a polite player who had control over
his dominating emotions. Over time, Carter was able to
demonstrate to Federer the consequences of his
outbursts and the amount of energy he wasted through
these actions.
Swedish man, Peter Lundgren, joined Federer’s support team in 1997, to help Carter drill in his methods of
controlling Federer’s temper outbursts. 2002 was the year that Federer finally made it into the Top 10
however he was still struggling. Thought to be lacking mental toughness, after losing games by 4 to 5 sets,
Federer would often return to the locker room in tears. Crying wasn’t the only way Federer dealt with his anger.
After losing a first round match in Toronto, Federer turned to the more social aspect of the tournament –
partying at night instead of focusing on his double matches.
Unbeknown to Federer, during one of his nights out an event would happen, changing him into the player he is
today. His coach tried calling him numerous times on his mobile but Federer ignored his calls. When he did
finally get through, the news wasn’t good… Peter Carter was dead. His vehicle had veered off the road on a
South African safari and fallen into a ravine, killing him and the driver instantly. Federer returned to
Switzerland to help organise Carter’s funeral arrangement and honour his dearest friend. Carter’s body arrived
in Switzerland on Federer’s 21st birthday.
Carter’s passing had a huge impact on Federer, forcing him to focus on his life, his game and his relationships.
In his youth, Federer ignored a majority of Carter’s lessons about being a good player and a good man but
now he wanted to prove more than ever that he was. As with all good things, it took time.
In April 2005 at the Nasdaq-100 Open finals at Key Biscayne, Federer found himself in trouble. Having lost
the first two sets to archrival, Rafael Nadal, the third set wasn’t looking much better. Federer missed a break-
point opportunity. Resulting in an outburst he slammed his racket to the ground. “I was really angry, so I threw
it out,” Federer said later. “I was very disappointed. I was missing one opportunity after the other. I really felt
like I’m climbing uphill all the time, and I had an opportunity and I missed it again, and I just had enough. Who
knows, maybe it did me good, and I kind of woke up.” This has been thought to be the moment where Federer
was no longer a slave to his anger. Using his outburst as a wake-up call Federer then he went on to win the
match.
Today Federer’s reputation is nothing short of the best. A recent poll created by the Reputation Institute,
surveyed over 50,00 people in 25 countries, where they were asked to rate a list of attributes to which they
liked, respected, trusted and admired public figures on a scale from 0 – 100. According to this poll, Federer
ranks in at number 2, just behind the former South Australian president, Nelson Mandela. Federer finished
ahead of big names such as Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Bono and also beat other sporting legends such as
Derek Jeter (no.16), David Beckham (no.24) and Tiger Woods (no.47).
“The results of Reputation Institute’s study confirm that people respect leaders that participate in philanthropic
activities outside of their own celebrity,” said Reputation Institute Chairman, Dr. Charles Fombrun. “The
public’s top two on our list, Mandela and Federer, have emotional ties to South Africa, and donate both time
and money to the betterment of the region and its people. They get praise for their efforts.”
Even with the time and effort required to win 16 grand slam titles, Federer has been actively involved in charity causes
such as Rally For Relief to support the Queensland flood victims and also through his very own foundation (Rodger
Federer Foundation) helping with education and sporting projections in South Africa, Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania,
Zimbabwe and Switzerland. As well as being involved in these admirable philanthropic activities, Federer has
learnt to control his emotions on court and has developed a reputation as a polite, respectful player among his
peers and the rest of the tennis viewing world.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2011/09/Features/Federer-Mandela-Most-Respected.aspx
http://thomaszweifel.blogspot.com/2010/06/roger-federer-and-anger-management.html
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1270865,00.html