The recent announcement of Roger Federer’s retirement saddened me. It’s hard to believe that my tennis idol will hang up his racquet after such a long and prolific career.
For me, Federer is the greatest player in the history of tennis, period. Some will contradict me, pointing out that Nadal, with his 22 Grand Slam titles, or Djokovic, with his 21 titles, surpass Federer and his 20 titles. Others will say that Federer cannot be considered the GOAT (Greatest of All Times) when he registered more losses than wins against Nadal (16 wins – 24 losses) and Djokovic (23-27). In fact, I believe that Nadal is not very far behind Federer in the list of the greatest in the sport.
I base my judgment on the whole character that is Roger Federer and the overall impact he has had on the sport over the past two decades. I think not only of the way he played tennis, the unique grace, style, and creativity of his game, I also think of the way he behaved on and off the court throughout his career, and the extraordinary example he set for his fans and young tennis enthusiasts. Federer raised the image of tennis to an unparalleled level in its history.
Federer was not just a tennis idol for me. I have always considered him an example to follow in life and… in investing. In fact, in a 2015 blog, I wrote that Federer was the “cosmic twin” of Warren Buffett!
In my opinion, Federer has several of the qualities necessary to succeed on the stock market in the long term: among others, his passion for the sport, his respect for its history and its great past champions, his humility, his “fair play”, his longevity, his ability to adapt to changing conditions and his desire to win.
If Federer turns his attention to stock market investing from now on, trust me that he will do very well there over the next few decades.
To succeed in any field, it is important to have exceptional mentors who will guide us in our actions and our decisions. Even though I’ve never met him, Federer is one of my mentors.
Thanks Roger.
