As most tennis fans know, top seed Roger Federer defeated Tommy Robredo in the fourth round of the U.S. open today to advance to the quarterfinals and move one step closer to a potential sixth consecutive U.S. Open title.

In the post game interview, Federer was asked how he advanced past Robredo, who had won several games in the first set. I don’t remember the exact words he used, but Federer said something that surprised me. He said that at the beginning of a match, before he gets out on the court and especially after a bad practice, he sometimes questions himself, his abilities and even wonders whether he still knows how to play the game.

He then went on to say that, in this game, once he started to play, loosened up a bit and got to know the quirks of his opponent, he found that not only did he remember how to play, he played great.

I’m sure Federer was being overly-humble in the afterglow of his decisive win. But on some level it’s comforting to know that the number one seed in men’s tennis today, the man who has won the past five U.S. opens and who is arguably one of the greatest men’s tennis players of all time, sometimes wonders whether he still remembers how to play the game.

As the summer comes to an end and the new season begins – a season that has been ingrained in our collective memory as time to go back to school, aka “back to work” – some of us may be wondering “do I remember how to play the game?” The answer: Sure you do. Just relax and let the game come to you. And so you know you’re not alone, remember Federer’s words: “It happens to me too.”