As midnight approached, Roger Federer approached.
---From the "first sentence"

Federer is undoubtedly talented, but what sets him apart from other great talents of his generation is his unwavering love of the game and his desire to push himself further.
He believed that maintaining the same level of play in professional tennis was essentially a regression, a belief that influenced his younger rivals.

--- pp.23~24

Federer's backhand was still long, but it was developing.
“He never missed or mishit his backhand again.
I thought the hand-eye coordination was amazing.
He hit a backhand, and that became his backhand shot today.
He's improved his stride, but occasionally he takes a big step with his right foot towards his backhand and hits it really hard.
Then you start to think, “Where does that power come from? How do I hit it?”
--- pp.89~90

The odds of winning a Grand Slam are always slim, but for Federer, it didn't seem so far off.
Unlike Sampras, he continued to win on clay.
He dreamed of a Grand Slam, possessing the skills and competitive edge to handle every surface of the court.

--- p.263

Unlike when playing against other players, Federer felt pressure when playing against Nadal.
Federer was still ranked No. 1 and was still the back-to-back champion of Wimbledon and the US Open, the most prestigious tournaments in the world.
But Nadal re-evaluated Federer and made him sensitive.
This may seem like an exaggeration, considering that Federer won three of the four major singles titles in 2006 and 2007 and held the No. 1 ranking for 237 consecutive weeks.
But despite a season of high achievement, it was difficult to shake off the image of Nadal repeatedly beating him on clay, and Federer's confidence dwindling as that pattern repeated itself.
If he had lost to multiple players in the same match, the ripple effect would have been less.
But the impact and public attention grew as he continued to lose to a player five years younger than him.

--- pp.299~300

This wasn't a problem for Federer, who had a booming voice, jokes, small talk and the ability to change his demeanor when it was time to walk onto the court.
“Roger unlocked the door and let people in.
On the other hand, when I go into the locker room, I go to my locker and stay away.
Roger comes into the locker room and greets everyone, being friendly.
Basically, it's more friendly.
--- p.376

When Federer came along, the previous generation of top players, like Agassi and Sampras, were either getting older or declining.
But Djokovic emerged during the prime of Federer and Nadal.
He became their rival and often outdid himself.
Including dominance in Grand Slam events, where players' reputations and legacies are more evident than ever before.

--- p.461

Federer's earnings continued to grow, and surprisingly, in 2018, after his contract with Nike fell through, he signed a 10-year apparel deal with Japan's Uniqlo.
Reports suggest Federer is contractually paid $30 million annually, but some other agents in the industry believe the guaranteed figure is even lower.
Either way, that sum was far more than Nike was willing to pay the aging superstar, no matter how clean his image was.

--- p.580

It was clear that Federer intended to focus more on his foundation after retirement.
“There hasn’t been much time so far.
My dream for the future is to become as famous for my foundation as I am for tennis.
Really.

--- pp.626~627