Sportive thoughts

Quest for Perfection :
Roger Federer

His unusual attitude towards perfection had a positive side effect in that he did not consider his opponents as rivals who wanted to rob the butter from his bread, as the sometimes reclusive Jimmy Connors used to say. His opponents were more companions on a common path. This attitude made him a popular and well-liked person in the locker room. He was social and someone you could joke around with. For Federer, tennis was not an individual sport with opponents who needed to be intimidated, but a common leisure activity with like-minded colleagues who, as part of a big team, were pursuing the same goal.

Federer has won 15 Grand slam singles titles, more than any other male player. He is the last of six male players to have captured the career grand slam. Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 20 career Grand Slam finals, and as of July 2009, has reached the semi-finals or better of the last 21 Grand Slam tournaments, a streak spanning over five years and more than doubling the previous record. Federer also holds the record of reaching 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals and has appeared in 16 of the last 17. As a result of his successes in tennis, Federer was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for four consecutive years (2005–2008).