Staying focused when thousands are cheering against you

I love tennis and I've been watching the French Open. Like many tennis fans, I am truly amazed by Roger Federer and his amazing tennis talent. What I find to be perhaps even more amazing is his ability to manage his emotions. Today he played a Frenchman in the semi-finals and, not surprisingly, the crowd was behind the Frenchman. I could feel myself getting upset for Federer yet he remained calm and focused.

The other thing I notice about Federer is that in his post-match interviews, he is able to give incredibly accurate analysis of the match. He is unafraid to say where he struggled and he is not ashamed to say where he played great. And, he does this without any sort of arrogance; it's just a matter-of-fact analysis of the match. I've seen other players who have played a great match and yet in their post-match interview, they say that they "got lucky" or "managed to put some points together." I wonder: do they really believe that or are they afraid that they might come across as arrogant? There is nothing wrong with luck; however, if we think that we only win or do well when we are lucky, we are mentally chipping away at our own optimism and confidence. I am sure that Federer will accept all the luck he can get while he plays Nadal in the final; however, he is not relying solely on luck. It seems as though Federer has an exceptional ability to assess the game dispassionately and analyze what he has done that works, that hasn't worked, and what he simply needs to next.