Editor’s Note: This story is a part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.

One day last June, during a steady rain on a chilly morning in New Hampshire, Roger Federer told a story about failure.

Over the course of two decades, he emerged as one of the greatest tennis players who ever lived. He played 1,526 singles matches in his career and won almost 80 percent. He hoisted 20 Grand Slam trophies, including Wimbledon a record eight times.

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“Now, I have a question for you,” Federer said, looking out across a sea of umbrellas at the commencement ceremony for Dartmouth College. “What percentage of points do you think I won in those matches?”

He paused.

“Only 54 percent,” he said.

It was one of those statistics that at first seemed incorrect. Federer was one of the most dominant athletic forces of this century. That guy lost nearly half of his points?

“When you lose every second point, on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot,” he told the crowd. “You teach yourself to think, ‘OK, I double-faulted. It’s only a point.’ When you’re playing a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world, and it is. 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 point after that, with intensity, clarity and focus.”

By the next day, the speech was everywhere, viewed by millions. Its message struck a chord with people from all walks of life, transcending the annual inspirational platitudes that define commencement season.

Originally the province of valedictorians and honors graduates, the graduation speech has long been a platform for politicians, thinkers and CEOs. But in the last two decades, another popular category has emerged: star athletes. Just this year, former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter spoke at the University of Michigan, former NBA stars Grant Hill and Carmelo Anthony delivered addresses at their alma maters — Duke and Syracuse, respectively — and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles gave the speech at Washington University in St. Louis.

The American humorist Art Buchwald once mused that a commencement speech had an afterlife of 15 minutes. If you can even remember who spoke at your graduation, you probably don’t remember much of what they said.

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Or, as former Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put it at Drew University in 2016: “Lilacs are in bloom, love is in the air, and colleges and universities invite success stories like me to stand behind fancy podiums to convince parents and graduates that your education was worth the outrageous price.”

But Federer’s commencement address was something different — sincere, gracious, indelible — the sporting equivalent to Steve Jobs’ famed commencement address at Stanford in 2005 or David Foster Wallace’s speech, “This is Water,” at Kenyon College the same year. When I mentioned the address to a colleague last month, he responded: “I have referenced that speech like 20 times.”

Ahead of the first anniversary of Federer’s speech, I set out to answer a simple question: Why did it connect?

Federer summed up his motivation for speaking at Dartmouth in two words: beer pong.

The actual reason was more personal; his agent Tony Godsick is a Dartmouth alum and Godsick’s daughter was a member of the 2024 class. But Federer understood that nearly every commencement speech features a few local shoutouts, in this case a mention of the EBA’s chicken sandwich from Lou’s and the local pastime, Pong, a drinking game said to have been invented by Dartmouth students.

Federer’s speech, which was 3,200 words and lasted 25 minutes, was structured to share three lessons — “tennis lessons,” as Federer explained — all of which emanated from his long career and his own recent “graduation” from tennis.

The first lesson: Effortless is a myth.

For as long as Federer dominated on court, commentators had remarked upon how easy he made it look. He glided around in balletic fashion, ripping one-handed backhands. He never seemed to sweat. But there was only one way, Federer explained, to make something look that easy.

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“It’s not about having a gift,” he said. “It’s about having grit.”

Federer’s point was embodied in the address itself. He and his team spent six months working on the speech, sifting through drafts and making revisions. His delivery was tender and rehearsed.

“As many interviews as he’s done, and as much as he’s been in the public eye, you could tell he practiced,” said Vinay Reddy, a former chief speech writer for President Joe Biden. “He put the time into not just going up there and reading something.”

Reddy has written speeches for presidents and world leaders. He also played Division I tennis at Miami University of Ohio. As a kid, he would attend the ATP event in Cincinnati, camping out on the practice courts to watch Andre Agassi, Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl. Their talent was mesmerizing. But when Reddy listened to Federer speak about effortlessness, he thought about the deliberate practice — the drills, the reps, the hours — he witnessed on that practice court in Cincinnati.

“It’s the things we tell ourselves growing up,” Reddy said. “No matter what you do, just keep practicing, keep working, keep learning. There are just some things that are very enduring about discipline.”

The structure of the speech was clear and clever, and the storytelling was compelling, Reddy said. Federer had something to say, and his earnest vulnerability allowed the message to break through. But there was another reason the address felt authentic: Federer opened up, sharing himself with the audience, at one point even jokingly referring to himself as “Dr. Roger” instead of “Dr. Federer.”

“One of the strategies that Federer uses that good leaders use is to crack the door,” said Steven D. Cohen, a professor of business communication at Johns Hopkins. “I always tell people, ‘Don’t feel like you have to swing the door wide open and feel like you have to share your deepest, darkest secrets. Your goal is to crack the door. To share a little piece of yourself.’”

Federer’s second lesson: It’s only a point.

It was here that he shared the story of his five-set loss to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final, a match widely considered by many as one of the greatest of all time. Seeking his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title, Federer had lost the first two sets, clawed back into the match by winning tie-breaks in the third and fourth sets, only to lose 9-7 in an epic fifth, the match ending in the evening dusk.

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“You can work harder than you thought possible and still lose,” Federer said, before adding: “Perfection is impossible.”

It was at this moment that Federer referenced his career record and his percentage of points won: 54 percent.

“Negative energy is wasted energy,” Federer said. “You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments.”

If you lose one point, there’s no use in wallowing, because there might be another point — a break point, a set point — that means more. The match is long. There’s always time to come back. In classical rhetoric terms, the anecdote was an example of logos, or using a compelling statistic to appeal to logic.

“Because it’s counterintuitive, those stats become noteworthy and set up the rest of his argument,” said James Holtje, a professional speech writer and adjunct professor at Columbia.

In tennis, a small, consistent edge over your opponent can translate into big margins in the long run. Nadal, for instance, also won exactly 54 percent of his points. And when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner on Sunday in the French Open final — in one of the greatest matches since the 2008 Wimbledon final — Alcaraz, the champion, actually won one fewer point than Sinner.

It’s an easy concept to apply to almost any field. In 2022, Ronald van Loon, a portfolio manager at BlackRock, authored a paper on the percentage of investment decisions that need to be correct to beat market benchmarks for returns. He researched markets, crunched the numbers and came up with a number: As low as 53 percent.

Michael Kosta, a rotating host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central and a former professional tennis player, viewed the clip through the lens of a standup comedian. Federer may have only won 54 percent of his points, Kosta said, but he always seemed to win the points that mattered most.

“He always brought his best at the right time,” Kosta said. “And that’s an important part of comedy, too. You can have a rough five minutes in your set. You can lose the audience. But as long as you get them back by the end, I think that’s kind of most important.”

One of the most important parts of any speech or presentation is connecting with the audience. Cohen, the professor at Johns Hopkins, said Federer utilized a strategy he teaches: What’s in it for them — or WIIFT.

“What Federer does here that is so powerful is he captures the moment and he understands what’s keeping these students up at night,” Cohen said. “It’s the fact they’re transitioning from one part of their life to another, just like Federer is transitioning from being a tennis pro and he has to figure out what comes next.”

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Which set up Federer’s final lesson: Life is bigger than the court.

In an interview with ESPN’s Chris McKendry last summer at Wimbledon, Federer explained he had two goals. He wanted to have fun and keep the audience awake.

“That’s also my take on life,” he said. “It’s like, ‘We got to have fun along the way.’ ”

When Federer was 14, he left home in Basel to attend a school in the French part of Switzerland. He was homesick at first, but he came to appreciate the act of exploration, of traveling the world, experiencing new cultures and undertaking what he called “life on the move.”

He also had a realization: “I knew that tennis could show me the world. But tennis could never be the world.”

The graduates before him would be record-breakers and world travelers, leaders and philanthropists. In other words, they were going places, and if they ever saw him in the future, he said, they should say hi.

As Federer concluded his speech in the rain, he finished up his “tennis lessons” and pivoted to something fun — a real tennis lesson. He stood on stage and clutched a racket in his hand, suggested an Eastern grip and showcased the proper placement for your knuckles, which, he said, should allow for easy switching from forehand to backhand.

He extolled the paramount importance of footwork on the court, same with the takeback and the follow through. He flashed a grin.

“No, this is not a metaphor,” he said. “It’s just good technique.”

Rustin Dodd is a senior writer for Peak. He last wrote about his experience a secret to workplace happiness. Follow Peak here.

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)

Carlos Alcaraz is busy taking the tennis world by storm — and his family couldn’t be prouder.

The Spanish prodigy won the US Open in 2022, shooting him from No. 32 at the start of the year to the No. 1 tennis player in the world by that September. Just 19 years old at the time, he became the youngest men’s player ever to hold the top spot. He followed that up with back-to-back wins at Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024, and a victory at the 2024 French Open.

Alcaraz defended his title at the 2025 French Open — defeating Jannik Sinner in the final match, which lasted a grueling five and a half hours.

Watching Alcaraz realize his dreams is his supportive family, which includes his parents, Carlos Alcaraz González and Virginia Garfia Escandon, and his three brothers, Álvaro, Sergio and Jaime.

The Alcaraz clan has been a tennis family for generations: His grandfather helped convert a hunting club in their hometown of El Palmar, Spain, into a tennis and swimming club, and his father has been the tennis director there for decades after his own brief professional career.

“In my family, I think we have the sport in our blood,” Alcaraz told The New York Times about his family’s history with tennis. “We all played from the time we were young.”

And as Alcaraz has experienced his meteoric rise in the tennis world, he credits his success to those around him — including his family.

“My family, my friends are nice persons,” he told Tennis Channel International in July 2023. “For me, it’s really, really important. As I said, doing great in tennis because of the people that I have around.”

In April 2025, Netflix released the docuseries Carlos Alcaraz: My Way — a deep dive into the tennis star’s life off the court as he strives to stay at the top of his game without losing sight of what matters most: family.

So, who are Carlos Alcaraz’s parents and siblings? Here’s everything to know about the Spanish tennis star’s family.

His father, Carlos Alcaraz González, was also a professional tennis player

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain poses with the winner’s trophy alongside father, Carlos Snr. after victory durring the Men’s Singles Final match on Day Seven of the cinch Championships in 2023. Luke Walker/Getty

Alcaraz told Vogue in 2023 that he was born “with tennis in my blood” — and that is thanks to his father, Alcaraz González.

According to The New York Times, Alcaraz González was a nationally-ranked tennis player in Spain as a teenager. He broke into the global standings in 1990 when he was ranked 963rd in the world, per the Association of Tennis Professionals.

But while Alcaraz’s career is just getting started, his father stopped playing professionally when he couldn’t afford to continue.

His father was the tennis director at their local club — which was built by Alcaraz’s grandfather

About four decades ago, Alcaraz’s grandfather (who is also named Carlos) built tennis courts and a swimming pool in the village of El Palmar in Spain, according to The New York Times. The duo decided to put red clay courts in the development (though hardcourts would have been cheaper), and the club became known for having the best clay courts in the region.

Alcaraz González became the tennis director at the club after giving up his professional career, Vogue reported. Alcaraz picked up his first racket at the age of 4 and trained at the club as a child.

“I loved tennis since the beginning,” Alcaraz told Sports Illustrated in 2022. “I mean my father brought me my first racket and the first time that I played tennis I fell in love.”

One of Alcaraz’s early coaches, Kiko Navarro, spotted his talent from a young age at the club in El Palmar.

“He began to play with his dad, and one day [his father] asked me to watch him. This kid, at four, five years old, was spectacular,” Navarro told The Guardian in May 2023. “I knew from very young that he was incredible.”

His younger brother Jaime is a rising tennis star

Carlos Alcaraz’s Brother Jaime Alcaraz, and Father Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez listen to Carlos Alcaraz’s winning interview at The Championships Wimbledon 2023. Clive Brunskill/Getty

Alcaraz’s siblings — older brother Álvaro and two younger brothers, Sergio and Jaime — also play tennis.

Álvaro played competitive doubles, according to his ATP profile, with his most recent match being in February 2020. Sergio and Jaime also play the sport — and the youngest Alcaraz brother is already making a name for himself on the competitive tennis circuit.

In July 2023, Jaime won a Rafa Nadal Tour event in Madrid in the under-12 division. Out of 48 players, Jaime finished on top at the junior tennis tournament and will play at a year-end Masters event at Nadal’s tennis academy in Mallorca, according to Tennis.com. Alcaraz played in the same tournament seven years prior, winning the under-12 division in 2015 and the under-14 division in 2016.

Jaime has also been invited to the IMG Future Stars Invitational Tournament twice, an invitation-only event featuring the 48 best under-12 male and female tennis players worldwide. Jaime was also spotted on the Wimbledon practice courts with Alcaraz in 2023.

His brother Álvaro is one of his biggest supporters

Carlos Alcaraz and his brother, Álvaro Alcaraz, at the Rio Open in 2022. Carlos Alcaraz Instagram

Though Álvaro no longer plays competitive tennis, he’s been by his younger brother’s side as he competes at the highest level. Álvaro often accompanies Alcaraz as he travels: The two shared a hotel room at the US Open, according to Vogue, and reportedly watched the movie 300 before Alcaraz’s victory over Casper Ruud.

And while Álvaro has been there for his younger brother’s big wins — including at Wimbledon and the US Open — he has also been by his side during his losses. At the 2023 Cincinnati Masters final, Álvaro was in the stands as his brother lost in an intense match against Djokovic. The two shared an emotional exchange (that was captured on X , formerly known as Twitter) during Alcaraz’s speech at the post-match trophy ceremony.

“I have my brother here as well,” Alcaraz said with tears in his eyes. “It’s great to have you here, supporting me every day, to make me be a better person every day, learning from you as well, so thank you very much for being with me.”

His mother previously worked at IKEA

Carlos Alcaraz’s father Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez and mother Virginia Garfia are seen in the player’s box on day fourteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2023. Clive Brunskill/Getty

According to Vogue, Alcaraz’s mother, Virginia Garfia Escandon, worked as a shop assistant at IKEA.

She’s also made appearances at some of Alcaraz’s biggest competitions. She was seen celebrating in the stands when he won the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2023, alongside Alcaraz’s father and younger brother.

After winning the 2023 Madrid Open, Alcaraz wrote a sweet message for his mother on the camera: “Por ti, Mama” (or “For you, Mom”). He explained his message in an on-court interview following the winning match — which fell on the same weekend as Mother’s Day in Spain.

“I couldn’t buy a gift for her, so I hope she enjoyed the words,” Alcaraz said. “I’m gonna give her a really big hug after… She’s always supporting me at home. For me it’s really nice to see her here and enjoying her support.”

He enjoys going home to see his family

Carlos Alcaraz poses with his winners trophy in the locker room alongside Father, Carlos Snr. after the Men’s Singles Final match on Day Seven of the cinch Championships in 2023. Clive Brunskill/Getty

Though Alcaraz is frequently on the road for his tennis career, he looks forward to being home with his family and friends. After winning Wimbledon in July 2023, he revealed to El Pais that was how he planned to celebrate his victory.

“Honestly, to go back home and be with my family, to be with them again and eat with them,” he told the Spanish newspaper when asked what he wanted to do most. “I miss it. I miss those routines of being in my village and with my friends, being at home; not doing much, you know? Just enjoy having that feeling of being at ease with them and having a few laughs.”

He gave his parents a shout-out at the French Open

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain poses with his brother Alvaro Alcaraz Garfia and his parents Virginia Garfia Escandon and Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez after beating Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men’s final on Day 15 of the 2024 French Open on June 9, 2024. Jean Catuffe/Getty

Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev at the French Open in June 2024. During his victory speech, he paid tribute to his parents who were sitting in the audience.

“For me, it’s amazing to have you here supporting me,” Alcaraz said. “Since I was a little kid, as I said many times, I was running from school to put the TV on to watch this tournament on the TV, now I am lifting the trophy in front of all of you.”

Alcaraz’s family appeared in his Netflix docuseries

Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, a three-episode docuseries for Netflix, premiered in April 2025. The show gave fans an intimate look at the tennis star’s modest lifestyle, revealing that he still lives at home with his parents in Spain and sleeps in a twin-size bed next to a display of his many trophies.

Cameras captured several sweet moments between Alcaraz and his family, including meals cooked by his mother.

“There’s no food like my mother’s anywhere in the world. That’s for sure,” he said as Virginia laughed.

New Delhi

: Coming into the French Open final, the one question that had not been answered in the bubbling rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner was how would they hold up with a major title on the line.

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They had showcased their class progressionally in the Round of 16, the quarters and the semi-finals.

On Sunday, they took that up multifold with a five-hour 29-minute classic that became the longest Roland Garros final in the Open Era. A running forehand down the line winner later, it was Alcaraz who kept his flawless record in major finals alive.

The Spaniard came from two sets down to win 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 to stage a comeback for the history books.

In what transpired as the second-longest Grand Slam final since 1968, when the Open Era began, Alcaraz saved three championship points while serving at 3-5 (0-40) in the fourth set.

In the decider, Alcaraz led 5-3, got broken, and needed a super tie-break to become only the third man this century – after Gustavo Kuerten and Rafael Nadal – to defend the

title. He also became just the third man in the Open Era – after Gaston Gaudio and Novak Djokovic – to save a championship point enroute to a Grand Slam title.

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The match of extremely small, razor thin margins had Sinner win 193 of the 385 total points while Alcaraz, who won his fifth Grand Slam title, had one less.

“This was the most exciting match that I’ve played so far without a doubt,” said Alcaraz. “I think the match had everything.”

“Today was all about believing in myself. Never doubted myself today and I tried to go for it,” he said. “Real champions are made in those situations,” he added.

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After two hours and 12 minutes, Sinner led the match by two sets and the points breakdown by nine (82-73).

As the match progressed, ticking past the four-hour mark, another powerful stat emerged. Sinner had never won a match that went past four hours (0-5). At the other end, Alcaraz had never won after losing the first two sets (0-8). One of the two were primed to end that drought with blows from the back getting fiercer and touches at the net getting silkier.

You could not put this past Alcaraz who has had bad starts in major finals before only to win the tournament anyway. He trailed Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon final and Alexander Zverev here last year.

And that streak continued in Paris on Sunday as the 22-year-old banked on the crowd and his typical never-say-die attitude to reel off four straight games in the third set to relegate Sinner to his first set dropped in the tournament.

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Then, again, standing a point away from defeat, Alcaraz polished off five straight points to hold serve at 3-5 in the fourth set. He then broke Sinner’s serve with the Italian attempting to clinch his third straight major title.

The crowd vehemently supported Alcaraz as he bagged the tiebreak in the fourth set and forced a decisive fifth set. The Spaniard’s racket, masquerading as a magic wand, started to produce astounding drop shots from deep with cross-court forehands landing in with plenty of zip and accuracy.

In a match of unending twists, it was Sinner’s turn to add some drama to the mix with Alcaraz broken at 5-4 when serving for the title. The World No. 1 picked three games in a row to overturn a 3-5 deficit into a 6-5 lead.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz (right) and second placed Jannik Sinner of Italy pose with trophies after the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025 (Image via AP /Thibault Camus)

In the 10-point tiebreak that followed, Alcaraz showed the three C’s that have been passed on from his grandfather – cabeza (head), corazon (heart) and cojones (balls). He didn’t shy away from referring to all three in the aftermath.

“To put it to words was just happened is really difficult honestly. Two sets down against the World No. 1, with the level that he was playing. I just put my heart into it and tried to keep it going. Never gave up. I was just fighting. Point after point. In the end it was all heart,” he said on Eurosport.

“I played with my grandfather’s three Cs. My grandfather is proud. After the match I played, I think I can say that (cojones),” he added.

Two weeks ago, it was Nadal who was feted on Court Philippe-Chatrier. For his 14 titles here and a jaw-dropping 112-4 win-loss record. Alcaraz was one of the thousands in attendance then, beaming, all smiles as his idol was celebrated.

In a full circle moment, a fortnight later it was another Spaniard who was celebrated and feted for a trophy run. It was Alcaraz who stood atop the podium with the Coupe des Mousquetaires in tow.

His trophy count in Paris may only read two, dwarfed by Nadal’s superhuman tally, but the signs of a legend are there. At 22 years, 1 month and 3 days, Alcaraz has won his fifth Grand Slam title – the EXACT same age as Nadal when he achieved the same feat.

Alcaraz vs Sinner or Federer vs Nadal?

There have been only 12 matches in this Alcaraz vs Sinner rivalry with the Spaniard leading by 8-4 having polished off the last five matches. The duel between them is eerily similar to that of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s historic tussles.

Federer, who had a positive head-to-head record against much of the tour during his prime, only struggled to fend off Nadal with their rivalry finishing off at 24-16 in favour of the Spaniard.

Sinner can relate with that stat. Since 2024, his win-loss record stands at 91-8. Remove Alcaraz out of that equation and it gets refreshed to 91-3. The last time the 23-year-old had a win over Alcaraz was back in September 2023.

Even if the rivalry looks skewed on paper, on court, where it all matters, the margins, like on Sunday, is just a point. And we’re here for it – and Carlos agrees.

“This is the first match in a Grand Slam final. Hopefully not the last time,” said Alcaraz.

“Because I mean, as I said many times, every time that we face against each other, we raise our level to the top.”