Federer to young players: "Leave all the tears in the locker room"

LONDON—Roger Federer advises young players to collect their emotions following tough defeats, like those experienced by Naomi Osaka, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of Wimbledon.

All three players, aged 22 or younger and among the top seeds at the tournament, appeared tearful and frustrated in their press conferences.

"It was a very emotional press," Federer said, noting he had been the same at the beginning of his career. "I understand. I was Mr. Emotional, so I come from that same side.  Some take it harder. Some take it more relaxed. Some take hours. Some take days. It really I think matters on what your personality is."

He suggested players take a little while to calm down before speaking. "Tournament like Wimbledon, it means the world to you, super important, you're so, so down, so sad, take two hours if you have to, take four hours, I don't care," he said. "Go back, come back. I don't know what you do. Take a super shower. Leave all the tears in the locker room. Once you come here, you feel like you get it done."

Federer also said the defeats of the young guys, which included No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem loss to Sam Querrey, were unusual.

"Yeah, surprising, of course. It's not like they are unseeded, you know," he said. "I don't care almost who the opponent is. It's almost always going to be a bit of a story."

Still, he added, "This first week really tests your, you know, different skill set and your nerves a little bit to that extent, too. Let's be honest, maybe also especially Sascha [Zverev] and Dominic, it's not their favorite surface. So that they can struggle maybe is a little bit normal. Dominic did have a tough draw."

Federer required four sets to win his opener against 22-year-old Lloyd Harris. He faces another young player, 20-year-old Jay Clarke, in the second round.