Roger Federer insisted his decorated tennis career was "about having grit" as he dismissed the theory that his style of play was "effortless".
Federer is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, with his tally of 20 grand slam men's singles titles only bettered by Novak Djokovic (24) and Rafael Nadal (22).
The Swiss, who also won a record eight times at Wimbledon before retiring from the sport in 2022, was one of the most popular sportsmen of his generation with his classy brand of tennis earning him adulation around the globe.
But Federer rejected claims his ability was "pure talent alone" while delivering a graduation speech at Dartmouth College, where he received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the New Hampshire institution.
"People would say my play was effortless. Most of the time, they meant it as a compliment," he said during the ceremony. "But it used to frustrate me when they would say: 'He barely broke a sweat', or: 'Is he even trying?'.
"The truth is, I had to work very hard to make it look easy. I didn't get where I got on pure talent alone. I got there by trying to outwork my opponents. Most of the time, it's not about having a gift. It's about having grit."
Federer shared the lessons he felt served him well during his glittering career, including the way he dealt with adversity during matches.
"When you lose every second point, on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot," he continued. "When you're playing a point, it is the most important thing in the world.
"But when it's behind you, it's behind you. This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point and the next one after that with intensity, clarity and focus.
"You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That to me is the sign of a champion."
Play suspended in Berlin as Pegula and Gauff vie for final place
Jessica Pegula's all-American Berlin Open semi-final clash with Coco Gauff has been suspended overnight, as the duo vie for a spot in the final against Anna Kalinskaya.
Pegula led Gauff 7-5 6-6 (3-1) when rain in the German capital halted play on Saturday, with a later announcement confirming the match will not resume until Sunday.
Both players had already taken to the court once on Saturday, as Gauff's last-eight opponent Ons Jabeur retired due to illness after losing a 68-minute opening set 7-6 (11-9).
Pegula, meanwhile, wrapped up a two-day quarter-final victory over Katerina Siniakova by a 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-3 scoreline.
The winner of the pair's match will also have to play twice on Sunday, with Kalinskaya lying in wait in the final after she beat former world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-1.
Data Debrief: Kalinskaya primed for an upset?
Whoever emerges victorious on Sunday morning, Kalinskaya will face a top-five player, with Gauff currently second in the world rankings and Pegula fifth.
Kalinskaya has already recorded three top-five victories this year. She lost her only previous meeting with Pegula in Washington D.C. in 2019 but won her first clash with Gauff in Dubai earlier this year.
Musetti to face Paul in Queen's Championship final
Lorenzo Musetti will play Tommy Paul in the final of the Queen's Championship following an exceptional day of action in West Kensington.
In the first game of the afternoon, Italian Musetti edged a three-set encounter 3-6, 6-3, 3-6 against Jordan Thompson to be the first to book his place in Sunday's final.
Having won the opening set, Thompson fought back to take the game to a decider. Despite saving five break points in the eighth game, the Australian was eventually beaten as Musetti booked his place in his first grass final.
Later that afternoon, Paul came through an all-American contest in straight sets, emerging a 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) victor over Sebastian Korda to set up a maiden encounter with the Italian.
27-year-old Paul quickly found a break in the second game against his opponent and despite Korda replying with a break of his own in the seventh game, was unable to recover from his slow start.
The second set flowed with both players trading break points, but an error-strewn display from Korda allowed Paul to see out the contest with relative ease to become the first American finalist at Queen's since 2010
Data Debrief: Musetti faces
Musetti maintained his unbeaten record against his Australian opponent, having won their previous encounter in straight sets in Adelaide back in January. The Italian also won 45 of his 62 first-serve points, a success rate of 73%.
After three consecutive defeats against Korda, Paul has now won two of his last three meetings with his compatriot. However, his opponent bettered him on first-serve points, winning 74% compared to Paul's 62%.
Sinner reaches maiden grass final, will face Hurkacz as Zverev crashes out
Jannik Sinner will face Hubert Hurkacz in his first ATP Tour-level grass final after overcoming Zhang Zhizhen 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in the last four at the Halle Open.
The world number one entered Saturday's clash with Zhang, ranked 42nd in the world, on a 35-match winning streak against players outside the ATP's top 20.
There was to be no upset in North Rhine-Westphalia, though Zhang pushed him close in a match that featured just one break – Sinner doing the honours in the ninth game of the opening set.
Zhang failed to convert the lone break point generated in the second set as both players served confidently, the Chinese number one winning 79% of first-serve points to Sinner's 75%.
However, the Italian's quality shone through in the tie-break, the Australian Open champion converting his third match point to advance.
Hurkacz will be his final opponent after he pulled off an upset of Zverev earlier on Saturday, the fifth-seeded Pole producing a big-serving display in a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 win.
Sinner and Hurkacz played doubles together earlier this week, saving two match points in a thrilling win over Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow before going out to French duo Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul the following day.
Data Debrief: Sinner matches Federer and Medvedev
Sinner will have a chance to capture his first title on grass on Sunday, which would represent the best possible preparation for a tilt at Wimbledon.
He is just the third player to reach the Halle Open final while top of the world rankings, after Roger Federer (in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2018) and Daniil Medvedev (2022).
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