Roger Federer's ex-coach Paul Annacone revealed one of the Swiss' intangible traits of being unperturbed by minor things beyond his control.
Annacone famously worked with Federer for a period of three years between 2010 and 2013. Under Annacone's watch, Federer returned to World No. 1 briefly in 2012 after winning his 17th Grand Slam at Wimbledon that year.
But Annacone's spell in charge of Federer's camp coincided with the Swiss' major slump in 2013, in which he failed to reach a single Grand Slam final for the first time since 2002. Federer also slipped to his worst ATP ranking since he won a maiden major title at the 2003 Wimbledon.
Federer, however, reflected on their time together with pride and a feeling of fulfillment in their three-year plan. Annacone has previously worked with some high-profile names in the sport including 14-time major winner Pete Sampras and former British No. 1 Pete Sampras.
The 60-year-old is currently splitting his time coaching American Top 10 player Taylor Fritz and working as a pundit for Tennis Channel. In a recent episode of Baseline Intelligence with Jonathan Stokke's podcast, the veteran coach learned one key trait of Federer while he served as his coach.
Annaconce reveals that Federer was unflustered when it came to handling situations that were beyond his overall control. The Swiss always took a great deal of care by living in the present moment and not winding down to external noise.
"One of the things I’ve learned about Roger is, how important it is to be able to let go of things you can’t control and how important it is to be able to really stay in the moment and to be content with trying to execute your game plan even if it’s not successful."
"What I mean by that is he’s one of the best people that I’ve ever seen at not sweating the small stuff and not sweating things that he can’t control."
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