The Roger Federer Effect by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0000000000000
Published: 2022-12-16T08:45:00+00:00

Jarkko Nieminen, friend and victim

A night to remember, thanks to Roger

Jarkko Nieminen enjoyed practising with Roger Federer and did so frequently. The two have known each other since they were 14 and became instant friends as talented teenagers on the junior tour. As one of the best left-handed players, the Finn has been an ideal training partner for Federer over the years to get him ready for the ultimate challenge, Rafael Nadal. They once practised at the tournament in Shanghai, and Nieminen can still remember what happened afterwards. ‘Roger asked me if I wanted a ride back to the hotel with him. I always took the tournament shuttle, but the top players got a ride in a car. Of course, I gladly agreed.’

When he left the grounds with Federer and the fans caught sight of the Swiss, there was a massive buzz around him. They shrieked and tore around him; everyone wanted to take a selfie with him or get an autograph. ‘You can’t imagine what was going on around Roger,’ Nieminen said. ‘But he stayed completely calm and fulfilled all the requests. Even though everyone would probably have understood if he had cut short. When we finally got into the car and drove away, people almost climbed on top of the car. They were so excited. Those were unbelievable scenes.’

Only two weeks older than Federer, Nieminen was up close and personal with Federer’s career until his retirement at the end of 2015. ‘From the age of 14 or 15, I followed his career from those years on, winning everything, breaking records, playing the same tournaments as me for 20 years and becoming one of the biggest superstars in sports globally. And I still saw him as the same guy who I met in junior tournaments. He had the same great sense of humour and was still so much a down-to-earth guy. Everybody respects his achievements or takes them for granted. But I respect him even more as a person. It’s awe-inspiring how he hasn’t changed at all.’

How does Nieminen explain that? ‘It comes down to his extremely nice parents from his values at home. I think he never valued himself based on how much he succeeded in tennis. The losses or the wins. Even though you would imagine it would be easy to do that when you are a global superstar. But he’s still the same Roger, and it doesn’t matter if he wins five Wimbledons or loses in the first round.’

In this respect, he was similar to Federer, said Nieminen. ‘I am not comparing my career to his. But it also helped me never to measure myself as Jarkko, the tennis player. I was always the same guy, and it didn’t matter if I won or lost. Of course, my confidence as a tennis player went hand in hand with how I played. But my confidence on the court is not who I am.’ It’s something that every psychologist today advises young tennis players: not to make their self-worth dependent on winning or losing.

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