Roger Federer has just turned 40, and with so much success, he knows very well what is dangerous for a young player.
The Swiss sensation had an interesting interview with GQ. Talking about Emma Raducanu, her incredible US Open title and the career prospects, Roger Federer stressed that Emma needs to have a proper mentorship. Nowadays, young players are heavily affected by pressure that is also intensified by social media.
Federer said that the 18-year-old should be helped not end up in a similar situation to Naomi Osaka’s. The Japanese sensation admitted that she has been struggling with mental health issues for some time because of the enormous pressure.
Roger commented:
“I was following Emma Raducanu’s incredible run in Wimbledon and also Naomi Osaka these last few years, it’s been amazing, both of their stories.
But it hurts when you see what happens and when they don’t feel well. The stress is so great. And I think a lot has to be down to social media: the first ten years of my life there was no social media, maybe I had just a website, then the next ten years social media was everywhere.”
Federer admitted that young players need to be mentored. Furthermore, he admitted that he doesn’t know why he would have reacted if he had to face social media at the beginning of his incredible career.
Roger commented:
“We need a revolution. Or at least an evolution of where we are today. I think we do need to help, coach and mentor the younger generation more. I can’t imagine going through the beginning of my career with social media; I have no clue how I would have handled it.
For every ten nice comments, there’s always one negative comment and, of course, that is the one you focus on. It’s a horrible situation. Even when I am feeling down I know I need to act a certain way in front of the world’s press.”
Emma Raducanu in 2021
Now ranked no.22 (career-high), the Brit played her last match on the 11th of September when she defeated world no.29 Leylah Annie Fernandez 6-4 6-3 in the final in US Open to win her 1st career title.
At the moment, during this season Raducanu owns a compiled 23-6 win-loss record. Emma conquered 1 title at the US Open. Emma was the finalist in Chicago.
Naomi Osaka in 2021
Now the world no.7, Osaka played her last match on the 3rd of September when she lost to world no.29 Leylah Annie Fernandez 5-7 7-6(2) 6-4 in the 3rd round in US Open (draw).
This season Osaka has a compiled 18-6 match record. The Japanese conquered 1 title at the Australian Open.
Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka have never played each other.
Roger Federer in 2021
Ranked world no.9, Federer played his last match on the 7th of July when he surrendered to world no.12 Hubert Hurkacz 6-3 7-6(4) 6-0 in the quarter in Wimbledon (draw).
Currently, during this year Roger has a 9-4 win-loss record.
