Roger Federer & Michael Schumacher (Photo : REUTERS)
At the age of 34-years old, Roger Federer is still running like well-oiled Ferrari engine running over 200 miles per hour. Fitness trainer Pierre Paganini believed the Maestro's ability to take care of his body is simply astonishing to the point that he compared Federer's greatness to arguably the greatest Formula One driver of all time, Michael Schumacher.
According to Pierre, Federer's longevity in the sport would never be possible if he didn't how to listen to his body and the suggestions of the people around him. The trainer lauded the Swiss' dedication in his craft, but his knack at knowing when to turn it on in training and when to turn it off to take some rest is simply unbelievable.
Pierre went on to compare Federer's attention to minutest details and planning to that of Schumacher, who carved out a legendary Formula One career through preparation and regular testing of his machines before the actual race.
"It's important to have times when you work hard and also times when you are resting and recovering, and of course there are going to be lots of times when you are playing. Roger can see the difference between what is important now and what is important in the long term. He is great at planning."
Michael Schumacher was great at listening the car, Roger is great at feeling his body.... that's probably why both have been so successful.
Both Federer and Schumacher are widely regarded the best in their respective sports discipline, with the former capturing 17 Grand Slam titles and breaking all kinds of records and the latter winning a record seven Formula One world titles and also smashing myriad of records in the process.
Federer is coming off another finals appearance at Wimbledon, succumbing for the second consecutive year to rival Novak Djokovic in yet another entertaining championship match.
In his latest duel with the Serbian, the Federer appeared to change the course of the match after tying it up at one set apiece but he seemed to have gassed out in the succeeding sets, allowing the world's no.1 netter to bag his third Wimbledon Crown.
Although Federer insisted his Wimbledon collapse had nothing to do with his fitness, he made a tactical decision weeks heading into the US hard-court season to withdraw from the Rogers Cup in Montreal, giving his body more time to recover before the US Open championship in Flushing Meadows.
Schumacher, on the other hand, is reportedly showing signs of gradual recovery roughly two years after suffering head injuries in a French Alps skiing accident in December of 2013, according to Express.co.uk.
