Leaders.com
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Wealth
  • Master Classes
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Executives
    • Marketing and Sales
    • Social Media
    • Innovation
    • Women in Business
  • Leadership
    • Personal Growth
    • Company Culture
    • Public Speaking
    • Productivity
    • Hiring
    • Social Issues
    • Leaders
  • Wealth
    • Investing
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Retirement
    • Venture Capital
    • Loans and Borrowing
    • Taxes
    • Markets
    • Real Estate
  • Master Classes
Leadership

After Mikaela Shiffrin’s rough time in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, a lunch with tennis great Roger Federer helped her regain confidence (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

By Savannah Young Leaders Staff

Savannah Young

News Writer

Savannah Young is a news writer for Leaders Media. Previously, she was a digital reporter for WATE Channel 6 (ABC)...

Full bio


Learn about our editorial policy

Jan 25, 2023

Three Winning Tips From One Star Athlete To Another

After Mikaela Shiffrin’s rough time in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, a lunch with tennis great Roger Federer helped her regain confidence.

Key Details

  • Mikaela Shiffrin had a rough time at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, in which she failed to win a medal, causing her to lose confidence.
  • Roger Federer, the all-time Wimbledon men’s singles title winner and skiing fan, invited her and her mother for lunch to discuss her career and give encouragement.
  • Federer advised her on how to enjoy a long career and take in every moment, which Shiffrin said spoke to her in a low time.
  • “For the first time since the Olympics, I kind of got rid of that yucky feeling that I had there,” she says.

Why it’s important

Even the world’s greatest athletes lose confidence, and that’s exactly what happened to Mikaela Shiffrin after the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Shiffrin is an American two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and World Cup alpine skier. She has more World Cup wins than any other female alpine skier in history, but the 2022 Beijing Olympics were the most challenging two weeks of her career.

It was highly possible that she would leave the games with gold medals, but she failed to finish in three of the six events she was in, crashing out after only five gates in both the giant slalom and slalom, leaving her going home without a medal.

Roger Federer, the all-time Wimbledon men’s singles title winner and skiing fan, invited Shiffrin and her mom to lunch which turned out to be just what she needed. 

Federer is a 20-time major champion who knows how to create a lasting career and enjoy the long years and tired days that come along with that, and thought that Shiffrin could use some positivity. Shiffrin says the lunch helped her come back after a low point in her life and go on to win the overall title that season.

“I feel like that lunch happened at a time when I really needed a reason to be positive and excited,” Shiffrin says.

Federer discussed Shiffrin’s career with her and her approach to the sport. He gave her three winning bits of advice: 

  1. Appreciate where you are
  2. Don’t let mishaps define you
  3. Enjoy the incredible moments of the sport.

“He was saying, In order to preserve the longevity of your career, you need to take the moments to look around, appreciate where you are, breathe it in,” Shiffrin says. “As he got more into the depths of his career, when it gets harder to kind of look up and around you and appreciate everything right in that moment, is when it’s the most important to do it.”

Shiffrin says that Federer told her to look past the mishaps that happened at the Olympic games and look at her career as a whole. He reminded her it was necessary not to let that one bad time define the rest of her life and career and to enjoy the incredible moments because what she does is incredible. 

Shiffrin recalled leaving Federer’s house feeling good and not feeling down about the Olympics for the first time since it happened. 

Home / News / Three Winning Tips From One Star Athlete To Another
Share
FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Related Stories

Wall Street Makes $100 Billion Bet on Weight Loss Pills

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
Investing

Oct 25, 2023

Ozempic

Investor optimism around a potential blockbuster obesity drug by Structure Therapeutics led to soaring share prices across the weight-loss pharma sector.

Key Details

  • Structure Therapeutics' stock jumped 35% after reporting positive results from early clinical trials of a once-daily weight-loss pill.
  • The experimental drug helped participants lose about 5% of their body weight over one month without side effects, although there are concerns with Ozempic.
  • Analysts predict the global anti-obesity medication market could reach sales of $100 billion by 2030, up from $71 billion currently.
  • With promising growth prospects, investors are betting on companies developing new weight loss drugs like Structure, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Pfizer.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Parent’s Wealth Tip The Scales In SAT Scores and College Admissions

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
Wealth

Oct 25, 2023

Parent's wealth tips the scales for SAT numbers

New data shows a strong correlation between family income and SAT scores, indicating the exam may act as a “wealth test” that advantages higher-income students.

Key Details

  • Students from wealthier families tend to score higher on the SAT than lower-income peers due to advantages like well-funded schools, tutors, and extracurricular activities.
  • The pandemic has exacerbated SAT score disparities, with average scores dropping the most among disadvantaged groups.
  • Addressing the gap requires increased funding for lower-income school districts and expanding access to test prep resources.
  • Children from the top 1% of families are twice as likely to attend an Ivy-Plus college (Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Chicago) compared to middle-class families with similar SAT/ACT scores.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Seattle Takes The Crown For Advanced Tech Talent

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
Tech

Oct 24, 2023

Seattle tech talent

Seattle has emerged as the metro area with the most advanced tech talent, beating out tech hubs like San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

Key Details

  • According to a new ranking by the Burning Glass Institute, Seattle has the highest proportion of advanced tech workers compared to other cities with similarly sized tech workforces.
  • The ranking evaluated 60 million high-paying, in-demand tech job postings and histories to identify cities with cutting-edge roles like AI and cybersecurity rather than legacy tech positions.
  • With tech giants Amazon and Microsoft headquartered in Seattle, the city edged out the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Austin, and Raleigh on the list.
  • The report found that demand for software developers and IT support specialists has declined over the past five years as companies seek more specialized tech talent.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn
car loans, used cars
Loans and Borrowing

Oct 23, 2023

More Americans Can’t Keep Up With Car Payments

by Colin Baker Leaders Staff
nike logo
Company Culture

Oct 20, 2023

Nike to Require More In-Office Days From Employees

by Colin Baker Leaders Staff
blue collar workers
Retirement

Oct 20, 2023

Explaining The ‘C+ Grade’ Retirement Ecosystem in The United States

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff

Recent Articles

Hiring

Nov 1, 2023

Learn the Winning Answers to the Most Common Phone Interview Questions

Come to your next phone interview fully prepared

Personal Growth

Oct 30, 2023

85 Quotes on Self-Love to Boost Your Self-Esteem

Don’t fall into the trap of harsh self-criticism

Company Culture

Oct 27, 2023

What is a Sabbatical? Your Ticket to Restful Growth and Meaning

Sabbaticals can benefits both employees and businesses

  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Wealth
Join the Leaders Community

Get exclusive tools and resources you need to grow as a leader and scale a purpose-driven business.

Subscribing indicates your consent to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Leaders.com
  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Careers
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Member Login

© 2025 Leaders.com - All rights reserved.

Search Leaders.com