5 Reasons why Roger Federer, even at the age of 35, is able to play like he's 25

Roger FedererIn 2013, Roger Federer was struggling to get into the ATP World Tour Finals where only the top 8 players in the world are allowed to play. Even after he qualified for it, many thought that this would possibly be the last time Federer would contest the year-end tournament. Well, they were wrong.Federer became the third player – after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – to qualify for the World Tour Finals in 2014. He also quickly went up to the World No. 2 rank that year, and remained in the top three for the better part of the next two years.In 2016 Federer took a six-month break to nurse his knee injury, but now he has returned dramatically to the top 10 after dropping to – and entering the 2017 Australian Open – at 17th.The phenomenal resurgence of the maestro has surprised many. And why wouldn’t it? He is 35, had been recovering from a recurrent and is playing in arguably the “Golden Era” of tennis.And his win at the Australian Open – a whopping 18th Major title, the highest of any man in the history of the sport – proved that even at 35 years of age, Federer's game is good enough to match his decades-younger counterparts.So what exactly makes him play like a man 10 years younger than he is? Let's have a look:

#1 Light upper body

Body structure plays an imortant role in tennis. Athletes mould their bodies according to their needs, especially their upper bodies. Federer, who focuses on strength and agility, has a light upper body.

By light upper body, I mean that he does fewer chest workouts and more core and shoulder-back training. Such an upper-body frame gives stability, balance and agility and prevents the lower body from having to bear more weight.

When leg muscles have less weight to hold, the body moves easily without much strain. Federer’s lean body frame has enabled him to stay injury-free through much of his career, and to move (or glide?) freely. It is also one of the reasons for his strong performances even at an older age.

#2 Strong lower body

Continuing with the body structures, another important element of a tennis player is his leg muscles. The quads, hamstring and calves form the source of power for a tennis player, who has to constantly run, jump and bend throughout his matches.

Federer’s strong leg muscles and light upper body give him extra ammunition to run around the court in this age of baseline play, without exhausting his energy reserves significantly.

Mammoth five-setters at Wimbledon last year, and the Australian Open this year (2017), prove that Federer is able to remain aggressive even in a four-hour plus match. And that wouldn’t be possible if the Swiss didn’t have incredible strength in his lower body to do all the heavy lifting.

#3 Old school tennis tactics

Thanks to Federer, the old school of tennis is still alive and kicking. The Swiss, who came from the era of serve-and-volley and fast courts, is full of old-school play: slices, drop shots, taking the ball early and from inside the baseline, chip-and-charge, and of course, serve and volley.

Federer’s throwback style helps him to cut short rallies and play aggressively, which in turn keeps his body from taking on too much stress. Moreover, his all-court play perplexes not just the new guys but also the elite ones who more or less play the defensive, baseline game.

The 2012 Wimbledon final asked plenty of questions to Andy Murray, and the Scot’s failure to answer them cost him the match.

Among the very few other players to play serve-and-volley in the modern tennis scene is Mischa Zverev, who used the technique to outfox World No. 1 and 2016 finalist Andy Murray from the 2017 Australian Open in four sets.

In an age where the vast majority of players play from the baseline, Federer's versatile game has been another integral tool in his all-round excellence.

#4 Flexibility of mind

Federer is one of the smartest players on tour right now. And his tennis IQ lies not just in what he does on-court, but also what he does off-court.

Understanding that his 90-inch racquet was failling against the bigger racquet frames of top players, Federer decided to move to a larger frame in 2014. He also makes crucial changes to his team at specific junctures, including the appointment of Stefan Edberg as coach to hone his volleying skills a few years ago and Ivan Ljubicic last year to help him with his baseline play; these decisions have helped him add the few missing pieces in his game from time to time.

Given that Federer had been using a 90 inch racquet for 10 years and has traditionally not been very comfortable in appointing new coaches, these decisons proved that Federer is ready to move out of his comfort zone and adapt to changing conditions. And for sure, the tough decisions have reaped terrific results.

#5 He is, after all, special

You have to admit it.

No matter how many reasons I come up with to understand Federer’s upsurge at 35, there has to be something beyond reason for Federer’s rise. While the lean upper body, strong lower body and larger racquet frame are tangible factors in Federer’s strong performances at such an advanced age, they do not completely justify the level at which he is playing.

As John McEnroe once said, "He (Federer) is the most gifted player that I've ever seen in my lifetime.”

It’s hard to argue otherwise.