Roger Federer would ‘often throw his racket and cry’ as former coach details sessions

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A former coach of Roger Federer has described how the tennis legend used to “throw his racket and cry” when he was a junior player in Switzerland. Federer turned 40 years old on Sunday and currently sits ninth in the ATP world rankings.

Madeleine Bärlocher, who coached a very young Federer at Basel Old Boys Tennis Club in the late 1980s and early 1990s, spoke to We Love Tennis about what it was like training the future star. Bärlochere remarked candidly about Federer’s temperament while he was going through the junior ranks.

While he was never too petulant under her tutelage, he did develop a penchant for angry outbursts as he grew slightly older and found upwards progression to be more challenging.

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When asked if he was a capricious child, Bärlocher said: “No, not at my place, he didn’t dare act like that. On the other hand, subsequently, as a teenager, and especially when he left for the Ecublens study center, he started to cry a lot and become capricious.

“In Basel, he progressed very quickly. Suddenly, he was satisfied. Then, when he started the big tournaments, he didn’t progress as fast. Suddenly, he got frustrated on the ground and often threw his racket. Otherwise, he always swore, but, well, that’s the lot of all young people.”

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Bärlocher credits Federer’s wife Mirka with helping the 20-time grand slam winner become more collected on the court. The pair have been married since 2009 having met as team-mates at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Bärlocher said of Mirka’s influence: “How do you explain that when he was younger, he was so agitated on the court, but now he seems so calm- it’s all thanks to Mirka.”

The interview with Bärlocher also showed the drive and competitive nature which made Federer such an outstanding champion for so long.

Asked about whether or not his parents were pushy with the prodigy, the former coach said: “No, his parents never pushed him. It is always Roger and Roger alone who said he wanted to become professional. At barely eight, he was already talking about becoming number one.”

Federer’s long and illustrious career may finally be slowing to a halt as injury has plagued his 2021 season- although the all-time great has been written off as a contender for Grand Slams before only to return in glorious fashion.

A knee injury has been troubling him all season and forced him to withdraw from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as well as upcoming events in Cincinnati and Toronto, meaning that he has participated in just five tournaments this year. 

The US Open starts on August 30, and Federer may well be biding his time in order to recover and compete at the highest level next year rather than risk aggravating his maladies by rushing back for the event at Flushing Meadows.

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