Roger Federer Live Practice
The tennis world has been in somewhat of a lull since Roger Federers’ absence. Earlier in the 2016 ATP season, Federer suffered a knee injury just after the 2016 Australian Open, which required surgery, rehabilitation, and rest. Now that he’s had all of that, he’s ready to get back into the swing of things for the 2017 ATP season.
Some of you may know, Roger Federer spends most of his off season in Dubai with his family, Mirka, Lenny, Myla, Charlene, and Leo, where he trains and leads a fairly relaxing time.
Shortly after his rehab and relaxation, Federer has come out to the practice courts to brush off some of that rust and get back into the swing of things (pun fully intended)! Incredibly, by way of Periscope, we are able to witness a Roger Federer live practice.
This isn’t just your regular Roger Federer live practice; this practice session, with Lucas Pouille, generously gives you insight to how the coach-player relationship is all about. In the video, you can hear Federer talk to Ivan Ljubicic (Federer’s coach since the beginning of 2016) about the drills he put together (Inside-out forehand, running backhand, approach forehand, and volley finish).
What’s really interesting about this is that Roger Federer has a microphone that picks up everything, even his breathing.
Worrisome Roger Federer Live Practice
Because you are able to hear everything that Roger says and how he breathes, I’m a little troubled by his seemingly labored breathing during his warm-up. Particularly when he’s doing the drill; I’m not one to be a coach for Federer, but it doesn’t seem all that of an intense drill. It’s just a few balls and not a ton of movement. Federer’s had longer points than that with Murray, Djokovic, Nadal, and several other pros.
On the other hand, since I have never heard him so clearly through a microphone outside of charity event (Hit for Haiti, AO Kids Day), so it’s likely that is his normal breathing during a normal practice and we’ve never been able to hear it so clearly.
Another observation that has the tennis world buzzing is the additional weight Roger Federer put on. Granted he’s been out for over 6 months and has been doing a lot of nothing since his injury, so some extra padding is inevitable. It’s troubling because the extra weight is likely to slow him down a bit. I’m sure once he’s back to his normal routine, he’ll drop the weight and find his ballerina-like footwork in no time.
Roger Federer Live Practice Form
Looking at his form, it’s pretty darn impressive even though he’s not done a lot of racquet swinging. His backhand looks pretty sharp and his forehand seems to be on point. Surely the timing is a little off but not by a lot – it’s like riding a bike, right?
His serve looked sharp even if he wasn’t hitting to win. He’s just out there finding his groove. Surely, come 2017 Australian Open time, Federer will dial that in to hit the lines as he says the balls tend to skid a bit more.
All in all, Roger Federer live practice was an incredible view into the life of the, arguably, greatest tennis player of all time. I can safely say that, like many others, are relieved that he’s on the mend and headed back to competition in 2017.
I’m looking forward to seeing him player competitively.
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