8 - Roger the businessman - Christopher Clarey on Roger Federer’s journey

Chris speaks about how people were talking about Roger’s potential when he was just 13 or 14. He speaks about how Regis Brunet saw Roger in action in Florida and then immediately ran to the payphone to get hold of Roger’s parents back in Switzerland.

Chris discusses Robert and Lynette’s parenting style on Roger. Not putting the child on a pedestal given his precocity, having goals to de-risk the path, handing out consequences when the child crosses the line and so on. He speaks about how they emphasized as much on raising a good human being as being committed to his growth as a tennis player.

Chris speaks about Roger’s curiosity and empathy when he met somebody. He speaks about how he would always be curious about where the other person was coming from before getting into tactical matters of business.

Chris speaks about Roger’s curiosity and empathy when he met somebody. He speaks about how he would always be curious about where the other person was coming from before getting into tactical matters of business.

Chris speaks about Roger’s ability to context switch instantaneously from one situation to another. He also speaks about how Roger decided to declutter his plate by choosing to play fewer tournaments when he knew that he could get the ATP points he needed by doing will in lesser number of tournaments.

Chris speaks about how Roger thought about his Coaches at various points in time and how he moved from Peter Carter to Peter Lundgren to Tony Roche to Paul Annacone to Stefan Edberg to Ivan Lubicic while having Severin Luthi as a constant in his team. He speaks about his judgment on some of these

Chris speaks about how Roger came back from different phases of his career when he was having a rough patch. He speaks about how, at each of those inflection points, his career could have taken a nosedive.

Chris discusses how Roger earned about USD 125 Million in prize money but more than USD 1 Billion in earnings. He says that this multiple is quite rare in Sporting elite circles. Chris speaks about some of Roger’s traits as a businessman.

Chris speaks about how Roger thought about success at various points in time but at the same time was sowing the seeds for his next innings of his life (e.g., the connect with Bill Gates in the context of his Foundation).