In winter, Roger Federer was finally back on skis. Federer had not been able to do what is actually commonplace for a Swiss for years for fear of his health.
Now, after the end of his tennis career, the 41-year-old enjoyed his time in the snow to the fullest. “I was last on skis in 2008. Then the children were born and they never saw me skiing, so it was really a dream for me to go on the slopes with them,” Federer said on Wednesday a small media round at the tennis tournament in Halle, Westphalia.
Federer has always had a very special relationship with the grass tournament in the East Westphalian province. “It was always a special place for me,” said Federer, who has won the event ten times. Nowhere else has the long-standing number one in the world been so successful. “So it’s very nice to be back and meeting friends.”
First appearance after retirement
It is the maestro’s first appearance at a tournament since ending his impressive career at the Laver Cup in September last year. After that, Federer withdrew a bit from the public, although there were numerous inquiries from sponsors, tournaments and the media. Federer reported that his foundation alone received 1,200 inquiries within six months. “Maybe I made a bit of a mistake, too. Because I told a lot of people, let me know when I stopped, and now the wave is coming in,” said the longtime number one in the world with a smile.
Federer presented himself in a good mood, relaxed and relaxed nine months after the end of his career. The step into retirement was not particularly difficult for him, said Federer, who was repeatedly thrown back by knee injuries in the last few years of his career. He had to have an operation on his knee three times, and even today his body is not completely restored.
“Of course you might like to experience that again, but as long as you know that the body can’t do it at this level, you don’t feel the need to be out on the pitch,” said Federer, who is currently self-employed wouldn’t feel ready for a show fight.
Instead, other things take center stage, such as skiing with his family, traveling or time for his own foundation. “There are just a lot of things that you can’t do on tour every day because there’s no time and everything is somehow predetermined.” Most recently, the entire Federer family moved to Lesotho, for example, where the Roger Federer Foundation takes care of disadvantaged primary school children. “It was very touching to meet the children myself,” said Federer.
Current events are kept in view
The 20-time Grand Slam tournament winner will not be bored. “It’s fun because no two days are the same.” He still keeps an eye on the current tennis events. “I’m surprised how much the results mean to me,” said Federer, who has won 103 tournaments in his career. “I don’t watch whole matches, only highlights. But I’m always there four or five times a day and check the results. I never thought that I would be so interested.”
Federer also noticed Novak Djokovic’s French Open victory so naturally. It was “almost unbelievable” what the Serb had achieved. Federer didn’t want to go as far as saying that Djokovic, with 23 titles as a record Grand Slam champion, is now the best player in history. “It’s difficult to say. The whole discussion is difficult to answer. I said to a friend: What’s more difficult: winning Wimbledon at 17 like Boris Becker or the French Open at 36 like Novak? I don’t know,” said Federer, who has shaped tennis himself with his lightness and elegance like no other – and is therefore also a candidate for the title “Best Player in History”.
