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\u201cYou can work harder than you thought possible and still lose.\u201d That\u2019s one of the many tough lessons that legendary tennis star Roger Federer just told the 2024 graduating class of Dartmouth College.<\/p>\n
Despite looking like a complete natural on the tennis court, the 20-time Grand Slam winner warned Gen Z grads that talent alone only gets you so far\u2014and even when you think you\u2019re at the top of your game, it can all come crumbling down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is I had to work very hard to make it look easy,\u201d Federer said in his commencement address while receiving a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the New Hampshire institution.<\/p>\n
\nRoger Federer\u2019s Commencement Address at Dartmouth yesterday might be the best speech he\u2019s ever given.<\/p>\n
Amazingly articulate, funny, full of wisdom. Made me laugh and tear up. I\u2019m so very proud to have had him as my idol for the past two decades.<\/p>\n
If you have 25 minutes to spare\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/qfd9io9kzV<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) June 10, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cI spent years whining, swearing, throwing my racket before I learned to keep my cool,\u201d he said, adding that the peers you envy who look like they\u2019re easily \u201cracking up A after A without even trying\u201d are probably putting the work in behind the scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ultimately, nothing is ever as easy as it looks\u2014not least the one-handed backhands that Federer is famous for\u2014and that\u2019s true for everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t get where I got on pure talent alone. I got there by trying to outwork my opponents,\u201d he added. \u201cMost of the time, it\u2019s not about having a gift. It\u2019s about having grit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t dwell on every shot<\/h2>\n
The 42-year-old spent 310 weeks ranked world No. 1 in his career and won Wimbledon eight times, before \u201cgraduating\u201d from tennis in 2022.<\/p>\n
In the two-plus decades of his professional career, Federer won nearly 80% of his matches. But when broken down by point-by-point, his percentage of wins drops down to 54%.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn other words, even top-ranked tennis players win barely more than half of the points they play,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why Gen Z grads need to get better at losing\u2014or rather, picking themselves up after setbacks\u2014because it\u2019s not a missed shot that\u2019ll cost you the game, but not being able to move past it to focus on your next win.<\/p>\n
Take Federer\u2019s 2008 final match against Rafael Nadal: Looking back, Federer admitted that, Nadal won the game from the \u201cvery first point of the match\u201d because he (having been \u201ccrushed\u201d by Nadal a few weeks earlier) still felt defeated by the prior loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is whatever game you play in life, sometimes you\u2019re going to lose a point, a match, a season, a job,\u201d he said. \u201cBut negative energy is wasted energy. You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That is to me the sign of a champion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best in the world are not the best because they win every point. It\u2019s because they know they\u2019ll lose again and again and have learned how to deal with it,\u201d he concluded. \u201cYou accept it, cry it out if you need to and then force a smile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t assume success will come easily thanks to your degree<\/h2>\n
Federer also warned those attending prestigious Ivy League schools not to expect automatic success thanks to their prestigious qualification.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people are going to assume that because you graduated from Dartmouth, it all is going to come easy for you, and you know what? Let them believe that as long as you don\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for those saddled with student debt, not even the best universities in the world come with the guarantee of a distinguished career off the back of it\u2014and Federer\u2019s not the first to warn grads that.\u00a0<\/p>\n