Saturday, February 9, 2008

Federer's Secret Weapon

Fedex Express - Ever wondered why Federer has been so successful even without a coach? That's because he has a longtime friend, the guy in the middle of the picture, who has been sitting at court side giving him sound advice. Remember in the third set of Wimbledon 2004 final, Federer found himself tied at one set all but down 2-4 to an in-the-zone Andy Roddick, rain started to fall and forced the players off court. Roddick huddled with his coach, Brad Gilbert while Federer seeked out a proprietary trader at Credit Suisse named Reto Staubli who's advice was: Start charging the net. It was a turning point and Federer won in four sets. You bet, a banker helped save Federer's ass that day and as a matter of fact, he has been his informal advisor for the last four years. Federer hired Tony Roche as a part time advisor in 2005 but has been coachless since the two split last May. Staubli has been travelling to watch Federer's match and discuss his opponents. But one thing that amazed me was that he mentioned that Federer could have a second career as a coach because he knows all about the players, why certain grips and techniques might be wrong and all the strategies. That's definitely something Federer can consider after he end his career as a player but in the meantime, its those discussions with Staubli that counts to help Federer break the record of amount of Grand Slams to be won.

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