What on earth motivates Roger Federer to keep going? He’s been the king of this sport for so long, maybe he should quit while he’s ahead. Admittedly, that moment may have passed.

The question of what motivates Federer is an easy one to answer; there’s always more to be done. Yes, even Roger Federer would look to win more.

Sure, he’s been the World No.1 for a lot longer than any other man in history, but he STILL hasn’t achieved everything. The most notable absence from his trophy cabinet is the French Open; Federer has made the last two finals, losing both to Rafael Nadal. Surely this is the thing that keeps him going more than anything else. Clay has conquered many great champions, and if Roger Federer is going to be the best ever, he has to win at Roland Garros. Federer will be making his tenth appearance at the Parisian tournament this year, and the best way to silence the critics who think he should retire would be to win the only Grand Slam that eludes him.

'If he could do the Grand Slam in one year, that would be something truly amazing'


OK, but then what? If he does that; surely it’s time to go. Well, if that’s what you think you don’t know professional sportsmen - you do it again. If he could do the Grand Slam in one year, that would be something truly amazing. Only five people have done it in the past. So then what do you do? Well, you do it again. It took Rod Laver seven years to do the second Grand Slam, so this one is immensely unlikely for Federer but it’s something to spur him on.

Then there’s Pete Sampras. With 14 career Grand Slam titles, he is top of the pops in that statistic for the men. Roger Federer’s 12 is an amazing achievement by an amazing player; surely he’d love to get the two he needs to equal Sampras. Interestingly, had he won his two French Open finals he’d be there already. The overall record of 24 by Margaret Court seems fairly unlikely - Federer would have to be around for quite a while longer, and remain the world’s best for just as long if he is to double his tally.

There’s always more to do. If he’s able to get that record he might feel tempted to see how high he can get on the most career singles titles list. Jimmy Connors seems much too far away at 109, especially given that’s more than double Federer’s 53, but there’s no reason to see why he can’t climb up that table, Sampras sits at fourth with 64 and that’s definitely achievable for Federer.

Federer is a quality tennis player and he definitely is one of the best. But there’s one thing that motivates him and any other sportsperson. TThe motivaation Thehere’s always something more to be done.