“Federer full of ‘excuses’ after Wimbledon loss”
That was the headline of the NBC sports story that my friend emailed me. In a nutshell, Roger Federer’s opponent, Tomas Berdych, didn’t buy Federer’s claim that he was playing injured in their quarter final match. Berdych didn’t think Federer was hurt, and he found it a little too convenient that Federer’s revelation came after he lost.
To be fair to Federer, it would be foolish to announce to your opponent before a match that you’re injured. The last thing you want to do is give him time to plot how best to take advantage of your weakness. If the injury is severe enough, he’ll figure it out on his own during the match. But at least you didn’t give him time –in advance– to plan your demise.
That said, Federer could have been more gracious in defeat. Injured or not, the fact of the matter is that Berdych outplayed him. Yet according to published reports, Federer never congratulated Berdych after the match. No question that Federer should have. It wouldn’t have cost him anything and fans would have respected him for it. (So would his sponsors. No one wants their athlete getting publicity for being a sore loser.)
Roger, if you were my client, my media training advice would be to congratulate your opponent after this tough loss.
I want to thank the fans for coming out and supporting me year after year. I had hoped to give you a better game today. And I certainly had hoped for a different outcome. But Tomas Berdych played near flawless tennis, and he deserved to win.
I’ve been battling some nagging injuries and they have taken their toll on my game–physically and mentally. Today’s loss is a wakeup call for me. It’s time for me to rest and heal. As an added bonus– I’ll be able to spend more time at home with my wife and children.
Again– I thank you for your continued support. And I congratulate Tomas Berdych– for a match well played.
It is short, sweet and to the point. And most importantly it’s classy–something that sponsors, fans and the media will appreciate.
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