Roger Federer’s speech to Dartmouth College students viral: ‘Effortless is a myth’

The outgoing batch of students of the prestigious Dartmouth College in Hanover were treated to a special address by Roger Federer, who was the guest of honour at the graduation ceremony.

Federer’s speech, which lasted close to 30 minutes, has gone viral on social media, for all the right reasons. Drawing lessons from his decorated tennis career, Federer shared knowledge with the outing class, which overcame the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Roger Federer also received an Honorary Doctorate at Dartmouth College on Sunday after which he delivered a speech for the ages. Calling them tennis lessons’, Federer recalled learnings from his career and came up with one of the most entertaining graduation day speeches ever.

From highlighting that nothing can be earned without hard work and effort, Federer said he was frustrated whenever people called him an ‘effortless’ tennis star. Federer reminded the outgoing batch of students that ‘perfection is impossible’ by throwing up stats from his career. Federer said he won 80 percent of his singles matches, but only 54 percent of the points in those games.

“So I never went to college. But I did graduate recently. I graduated tennis,” Federer said, beginning his speech with a bang and making sure he had the attention of close to 11,000 audience who weathered a rain morning to meet and greet the tennis legend.

“I know the word is “retire.” “Roger Federer retired from tennis.” Retired… The word is awful. You wouldn’t say you retired from college, right? Sounds terrible.

“Like you, I’ve finished one big thing and I’m moving on to the next.

“Like you, I’m figuring out what that is. Graduates, I feel your pain,” he added.

Roger Federer retired from tennis in 2022 after winning as many as 20 Grand Slam crowns. The likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal may have overtaken Federer in terms of the Grand Slams won in men’s singles, but the Swiss great is regarded as the greatest ever by a large section of the tennis community.

More often than not, Federer did not grind down opponents like Djokovic or outmuscle and outpower his foes like Nadal. Federer was known for his silky touch and the grace with which he outclassed opponents. His tennis was often called ‘effortless’.

However, Federer said he was frustrated whenever someone called his game ‘effortless’.

“IT USED TO FRUSTRATE ME’
While explaining why, the legendary tennis player shared a personal anecdote and a great life lesson to the students at the gathering.

“Effortless is a myth. I mean it,” Federer said.

“I say that as someone who has heard that word a lot. “Effortless.”

“People would say my play was effortless. Most of the time, they meant it as a compliment. But it used to frustrate me when they would say, “He barely broke a sweat! “Or “Is he even trying?”

“The truth is, I had to work very hard… to make it look easy.

“I spent years whining, swearing, throwing my racket before I learned to keep my cool.

“The wakeup call came early in my career, when an opponent at the Italian Open publicly questioned my mental discipline. He said, “Roger will be the favorite for the first two hours, and then I’ll be the favorite after that.”

“I was puzzled at first. But eventually, I realised what he was trying to say. Everybody can play well the first two hours. You’re fit, you’re fast, you’re clear… and after two hours, your legs get wobbly, your mind starts wandering, and your discipline starts to fade.

It made me understand… I have so much work ahead of me, and I’m ready to go on this journey now. I get it. My parents, my coaches, my fitness coach, everyone had really been calling me out-and now even my rivals were doing it. Players!!! Thank you! I’m eternally grateful for what you did.

“So I started training harder. A lot harder.

“But then I realised that winning effortlessly is the ultimate achievement.

“I got that reputation because my warm-ups at the tournaments were so casual that people didn’t think I had been training hard. But I had been working hard… before the tournament, when nobody was watching. Maybe you’ve seen a version of this at Dartmouth.

“How many times did you feel like your classmates were racking up “A” after “A” without even tryingâ€æ while you were pulling all-nighters… loading up on caffeineâ€æ crying softly in a corner of Sanborn Library?

“Hopefully, like me, you learned that effortless is a myth.

“I didn’t get where I got on pure talent alone. I got there by trying to outwork my opponents.

“I believed in myself. But belief in yourself has to be earned,” he added.

TENNIS IS A TEAM SPORT: FEDERER
Federer stressed the importance of looking beyond boundaries, in his third lesson: ‘Life is bigger than the court’.

“Tennis has given me so many memories. But my off-court experiences are the ones I carry forward just as much… The places I’ve gotten to travel, the platform that lets me give back. and most of al the people I’ve met along the way.

“Tennis, like life, is a team sport. Yes, you stand alone on your side of the net. But your success depends on your team. Your coaches, your teammates, even your rivals… all these influences help to make you who you are.

“When I left tennis, I became a former tennis player. But you are not a former anything. You are future record-breakers and world travelersâ€æ future volunteers and philanthropists… future winners and future leaders. I am here to tell you from the other side of graduation that leaving a familiar world behind and finding new ones is incredibly, deeply, wonderfully exciting,” he said.

As expected, Federer was greeted by a huge round of cheers from the crowd after the entertaining and thought-provoking address. Like he did in tennis, he signed off in style, giving the audience a memory for a lifetime. The full speech by Roger Federer is available on the Dartmouth College website.