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Arsenal Manager Taps Tennis Great Federer to Inspire Struggling Team
10 Oct
Summary
- Arsenal manager Renee Slegers uses Roger Federer videos to motivate players
- Arsenal winless in 4 games, 5 points behind Women's Super League leaders Chelsea
- Slegers says Federer's mentality of focusing on each point is key to Arsenal's recovery
In a bid to revive Arsenal's flagging fortunes, manager Renee Slegers has turned to an unlikely source of inspiration - tennis great Roger Federer. The Gunners have endured a difficult run of form, going winless in their last 4 matches across all competitions and falling 5 points behind Women's Super League leaders Chelsea.
Slegers revealed on Friday that she has been showing her players videos of Federer in an effort to help them rediscover their winning mentality. The Arsenal boss believes the Swiss maestro's approach to the game, focusing on each point rather than the overall record, can provide a valuable lesson for her struggling squad.
"We watched Roger Federer to see how you go from point to point," Slegers explained. "He talks about percentages of games and points won in his career, and how the point at that moment is the most important, then he moves onto the next one." Despite winning just 54% of points in his illustrious career, Federer is widely regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time - a fact Slegers hopes will inspire her players to bounce back from their recent disappointments.
Arsenal will look to put Federer's teachings into practice on Sunday when they host Brighton at the Emirates Stadium, seeking to end a run of 2 points from their last 3 league games.
