Federer shares thoughts on player- media relations

Leave it to Roger Federer to speak into the lives of his sum of peers. The GOAT's got thoughts and game—he’s through to the Australian Open semifinals. He commented on players' relationships with the media, and his perception that the stars in the spotlight have a penchant for bottling up in settings where his coworkers should engage at will.

Federer's memo to his fellow independent contractors, in short: Don't seize up live. Be yourself. Let it happen. Of course, this was before the social media blowup surrounding Tennys Sandgren, but that's a whole other story.

It's true that Federer has at times tweaked the statements, more so the conduct, of his ATP brethren. Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic come to mind, among others from Federer's past decade of winning often and opening up in front of a good many microphones. But it seems he has always been fair, also rightly allowing the likes of Kyrgios, Tomic and pros of their generation the grace and the chance they deserve to grow up on the world stage on their own unique timelines.

"You'd rather see that than robots left, right and center," said Federer.

An early example of Federer's most current perspective playing out live: one Naomi Osaka, she of the candid, adorably awkward Q&A on court after facing down great Aussie hope, Ashleigh Barty. What could have been a tense situation, speaking to a sea of predominantly local fans, quickly became a winsome exchange that surprised and delighted. Based on the crowd's response, Osaka realized she had a rapt audience and proceeded to wrap them further around her finger.

If a less seasoned 20-year-old firmly gets it, more players should follow suit. It's those surprise-and-delight factors that slay, as they say. Well-oiled media machines such as Federer will tell you that. Now it's time for their coworkers to believe it and live it.

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.

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