Federer quit school at 16. As a result, fans are treated to moments like this, from
an interview in 2006:
Q. How did you learn not to panic? Was it just getting the experience?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I guess just losing, winning a lot of matches, just playing against all sorts of different players. You always have the fast runners, the big servers, the serve-and-volleyers, the aggressive baseliners, the counterpunchers. I think at the beginning of your career all you're really trying to get is a feel for how to play each and every one of them. It's obvious that you like one style of play. But to beat all the different styles, I think that's the hard part.
That's obviously what we have in my group, for instance. We have David who's a great counterpuncher, an incredibly good baseliner. Then you have the big servers. So you have to overcome all these different obstacles if you want to be a great player.
It took me a long time, but eventually I got ahold of myself and ahold of their games. It turned out to be a great career.
Q. The experience comes from yourself or some experts like Dr. Freud?
ROGER FEDERER: Don't know him. Who is he?
Q. He was an expert from psychology.
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know.
Q. He was a Swiss, too.
ROGER FEDERER: Is that right? Nope, never needed him.