Roger Federer figured out one very important "hack" in tennis, which Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal eventually learned, claims Jim Courier

Four-time Major champion Jim Courier spoke about the longevity of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's careers in a recent interview. The former World No. 1 in the 1990s, who is now a well-known tennis broadcaster, was asked how the three legends were able to prolong their careers in a way the greats of his era were unable to.

Courier was talking to Chris O'Gorman for the Questions For Cancer YouTube channel in a segment entitled Questions For Cancer Research. Courier encountered cancer in his playing days. He met Pete Sampras in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 1995, shortly after the latter's coach and friend Tim Gullikson had been diagnosed with brain cancer. Sampras notably cried during that match.

In the interview, Courier was asked about the 14-time Grand Slam champion's relatively short career in comparison to the modern greats. Sampras played for 15 years, from 1988 to 2003, whereas Federer played for 24 years, from 1998 to 2022 and Novak Djokovic is in the 22nd year of his career.

Courier laments the fact that in his day, and the tennis era immediately before his, the Tour was something of a grind, and players had no choice but to meet the demands of the organizers, saying:

"I know Pete was really mentally fatigued at the end of his career, as was I. It was a grind. It's a good grind, but it's a grind. With the never ending calendar and tennis events, and it's hard to know if Pete would have been able to extend his career."

Courier attributes Roger Federer as the first top player to work out how to adjust his playing schedule to avoid burnout and prolong his time at the top.

"Federer in particular set the bar for how to schedule for longevity. We didn't do that. Lendl didn't do that, McEnroe didn't do that. Connors didn't do that. We all pushed and pushed and pushed as hard as we could, and eventually either your body hits a breaking point or your mind hits a breaking point," he said.

"Federer figured out a hack which was even though I'm required to play these tournaments, I'm not going to. And they'll just have to deal with my absence because I want to have a long run here, and he did and I think that's what Nadal and then Djokovic learned to do as well. To manage their careers for longevity in a way that prior generations didn't," Courier added.

Nadal played on the Tour for 23 years, from 2001 to 2024. The three modern tennis icons were able to pocket 20+ Majors directly as a result of their longevity.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic used better scheduling to prolong their careers

2024 Shanghai Rolex Masters - Day 12 - Source: Getty

Roger Federer won 20 Major singles titles, and Rafael Nadal won 22. Novak Djokovic is still playing at age 37 and is chasing his 25th Major singles title. All three are regarded as the greatest players of their era, but their Major haul stands out from any other player or era in the history of tennis.

Courier suggests that Sampras, who won 14 Majors during his career, may have been able to match Federer's Major wins if his scheduling was the same as the Swiss, who often took a month off during a season.

"I think if Pete would have scheduled the way that Federer did, where Federer would take gaps in the season and take a month off, just decompress and then come back ready to go," Courier sad.

Roger Federer and Pete Sampras did manage to have one encounter, which came in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2001, with the Swiss winning.