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What You Can Learn From Watching Roger Federer

Watching Roger Federer play indoors is always excitingand educationalbecause he displays his all-court game a lot more in these controlled conditions. 

The indoor conditions, like those at the Barclays ATP World Tour finals held in November 2012, really suit his game.

So what are some things you can learn from Roger?

1. Good Technique Gives You Options

A lot of Federer's success is based on the fact that he has pretty much flawless technique. He can do a lot more things well on the tennis court than his competitors.

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Federer can play offense, defensive, he can come to the net, he can hit short slice shots or even drop shots and he can pretty much rely on all of these options at any time in a match. The main reason for that is his flawless technique, coupled with lots of talent, of course.

When you have good technique your shots become reliable even under pressure and Federer's game really proves that fact.

It's also a lot more fun when you have more options. You can change your game up whenever you want and experiment with certain shots. That will lead to more long-term enjoyment of the game.

2. Keep Things In Perspective

If you've ever watched Federer, it's obvious how much fun he has on the court when he is playing well. Even when he is not playing well, Federer does a good job of keeping his performance in perspective.

He often says tennis is just a game and he doesn't expect himself to win all the time.

The bar is, of course, set incredibly high for him. In recent years, he's had to deal with the media and other experts speculating about whether he can still play at the top and how much longer he will play.

More: How to Control Your Emotions on the Court

Federer hasn't been phased by this. He knows exactly why he's still playing the game and has also managed his expectations well.

Federer had stretch where he didn't reach a Grand Slam final for awhile. During that time, he kept saying it was a perfectly normal occurance. And he was right. 

The competition has gotten tougher over the years. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are playing unbelievable and other players like Juan Martin Del Potro and Tomas Berdych can beat the top guys in Grand Slams as well.

More: How to Return Like Agassi
 

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About the Author

Florian Meier

Florian Meier is a USPTA Certified Tennis Professional working in Hamburg, Germany. Find more tennis tips and learn how to play your best tennis at OnlineTennisInstruction.com.

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