Roger Federer credits 'relaxed attitude' for 2017 success

World No. 2 Roger Federer has credited his new outlook towards tennis for his phenomenal success in 2017. The 36-year-old shattered expectations and records by clinching the Australian Open and the Wimbledon to increase his Grand Slam tally to 19.

Federer has no intention to slow down. The Swiss Master is currently in Australia preparing for the Hopman Cup in Perth. With uncertainty over the availability of Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, Federer has already been tipped as the pre-tournament favourite to repeat as Australian Open champion.

"It's kind of a surprise because I didn't expect to, at 36 or 37, to play as good as I am today. It's really about staying healthy and enjoying myself, and being very precise about how I practice and what tournaments I play," Federer was quoted as saying by the ABC.

Roger Federer has a new outlook towards tennis

Federer continued, "It was a bit of a reset for my mind, to take things more relaxed. Especially in the bigger moments, rather than always playing the percentages, it's more playing on my terms rather than thinking too much about my opponent. I think that's something we've really worked on in the off-season is to play aggressive, take control of the point on my serve."

Both Federer and Nadal shattered records in 2017. At 31, Nadal became the oldest player in ATP rankings history to finish a season at World No. 1. Federer, meanwhile, became the oldest player to win an ATP Masters 1000 title.

The 2018 Australian Open gets underway on Jan. 15. A year ago, Federer returned from a career-threatening knee injury to prevail at Melbourne Park when he beat Rafael Nadal in a classic five-setter. Federer skipped the entire claycourt season in 2017 to focus on the Wimbledon and US Open. According to several reports, Federer is expected to employ the similar pick-and-choose policy in 2018.