After dropping out of the world rankings for the first time since he was a teenager, Roger Federer has spoken warmly of home life and offered a broad hint that his days in tennis may be numbered.
Federer has not struck a ball in anger since last summer, when he was beaten by Hubert Hurkacz in the Wimbledon quarter-finals shortly before undergoing surgery on his right knee for the third time in 18 months.
The 40-year-old plans to play at the fifth edition of the Laver Cup, which will be held in London in late September, before returning to competitive action the following month at his hometown tournament in Basel, where he will be unranked at a tour event for the first time in a quarter of a century. That is because the standings are determined by the number of points accumulated over the previous 52 weeks, and Federer has now been away from the game for more than a year. The 20-time grand slam winner is therefore without points for the first time since September 1997, when he made his debut in the rankings as a 16-year-old.
The absence of a ranking is unlikely to affect Federer’s schedule, however – and not only because his legendary status in the game means he will be able to pick and choose his events regardless. His prolonged rehabilitation has enabled him to spend more time at home with his wife, Mirka, and their four young children, affording him the space to enjoy family life more fully and entertain thoughts of a life beyond the court.
“I love winning,” Federer told the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, “but if you’re not competitive any more, it’s better to stop. I don’t think I need the tennis. I am happy with the little things, like when my son does something right and when my daughter comes home with a good grade.
“Tennis is part of, but not my entire identity. I want to be and remain successful, and put a lot of energy into business.
“I know a professional career can’t last forever, and that’s okay.”
Federer made a surprise appearance at the Centre Court centenary celebrations on Wimbledon’s middle Sunday, and said it felt strange not to be playing at the tournament for the first time since 1998. But he also welcomed the respite from the eternal merry-go-round of life on tour, saying it had given him the time to catch up with friends
“I’ve been on the road for so long that it was nice to experience a little more peace and to be in one place more often, which already happened due to the coronavirus. It gave me the opportunity to selectively sort out my travels and give something back. Many friends always came to see me, now I could turn it around. The tennis itinerary was sometimes excessive, especially with having to organise that for the children too.
“I can honestly say that I am very happy at home, and that it is a great advantage that I can now make an appointment for a Tuesday morning in three weeks. And that I can actually do it without reality overtaking me.
“At times we miss travelling the world, and of course I also miss the sport. But I also feel life at home – in a, let’s say, normal way – is also good.”