IIt’s not often that you learn the trade secrets of the world’s biggest sporting icons, but we got a glimpse into the world of Serena Williams and Roger Federer on the Served with the Andy Roddick Podcast.

Tennis fans around the world are still fascinated by the legacy of Williams And Federeralthough legends who won a remarkable 43 Grand Slam titles between them are now among the veteran players.

We’ve all seen the end result of Williams and Federer’s preparation, but the preparation that enabled their brilliance on court was meticulous and we got a glimpse of it thanks to Ron Rocchi, Wilson’s head of racquet innovation .

Former world number 1 Roddick asked all the right questions as he detailed how the two icons worked with him to find the perfect racquet, with Williams taking a very different approach to Federer.

Rocchi used to spend a day with Williams at her home in Florida the first week of December as they tested a line of Wilson racquets, with her instructions always clear.

“She told me if you gave me a racket with all the power in the world, I would learn to control it,” Rocchi said of Williams.

“It stunned me because I had never heard that before. This was true because I was moving her up the power ladder and she, as an athlete, could adapt.

“Looking at the way she played, power was such an integral part of the way she played, her power had to be big, she had to start with this big power play.

“I put a traditional, very thin, low-power racket in her hand, and in about seven minutes she adapted to it.

“She didn’t miss a ball for about half an hour but she hated it. She said I can’t hit that opening before my opponent gets there, it’s just that the ball isn’t going. I was like yeah but you didn’t miss a ball for 30 minutes. She was like it wasn’t for me.

“Serena could always feel the slightest differences in the racquets. If she needed more help with control she would change racquets and that’s not normal for many players.

Federer’s approach was more of a long-term view, as he was always looking for a new racket that he would use later in his career.

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“What struck me about Roger was that he was always thinking far ahead,” Rocchi said. “He wasn’t looking for the racket he would play with next year. He was always looking two or three years from now.

“Every time he changed, this process started two before he changed.

“Working with Roger, he was very sensitive to his equipment, but he wanted to understand the ‘why’, but also what the result was.

“He didn’t need to get into the technology of a racquet, but he just wanted to feel it.”

Rocchi went on to suggest that a trend in the modern game is seeing players move to smaller grip sizes, with the responsiveness of modern string and racket technology giving players more opportunities to try other variations of the frames they use.

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