What does a 20-time Grand Slam winner actually do when he cannot take part in tournaments due to an injury with all his time? Well, in the case of Roger Federer, quite a lot. The tennis superstar will definitely not get bored. Because even in the “home office” Federer has to devote himself to some sponsorship obligations in addition to father duties and comeback hard work.
A technical glitch doesn’t bother Federer
So that wages can also flow into Federer’s fixed-term deposit account at the end of the month, the maestro will take part in a live event on the Chinese online trading portal “Tmall” last Saturday. Announced as a star guest, there are still technical problems with switching from Shanghai to Switzerland.
But when all of this works, a relaxed conversation ensues between the moderator and the number one Swiss export hit. “He’s finally here,” the moderator is completely euphoric when the connection finally works.
“The last time I was home for six weeks …”
How is rehabilitation progressing at Federer? “I’m fine, my family too. Rehabilitation is a long process. I feel the spirit and I feel the improvement, maybe not day after day, but week after week. I did a little training last week. In five days. I haven’t had that since February. I work as hard as I can. Or as hard as your knees allow. “
Until he is competitive again – he wants to be back on the court in January – Federer will of course also devote himself to his children. The father of four: “I am happy to be in Switzerland. We enjoy the autumn weather. It is wonderful. I’m also happy to be at home for so long. The last time I was home for more than six weeks I was around 16 years old. As a family, we enjoy being in one place. “
Chasing after the kids and homeschooling
How is life with the family? Federer: “Everything is much more comfortable now, without the stress of having to play soon. It’s great for the children, my wife and the team. And what’s also nice: Our Swiss friends are now getting more Federer time, although it wasn’t easy during the lockdown. “
How can he relax? “By chasing my kids. I sleep in, go to various restaurants with my family, go out with Mirka, meet friends, ”says Roger. The children are very important to him. You can tell from Federer’s shiny eyes when he talks about them: “The girls are now in homeschooling.” Myla Rose and Charlene Riva are now 11 years old.
Federer becomes a chauffeur
When asked what hobbies he has besides tennis, Federer immediately refers to his four offspring: “I probably don’t have any real ones right now. I used to like skiing and table tennis. Now I’m a full-time daddy. I take my children everywhere. Like a chauffeur. Believe me, this is a full-time job. ” The mood is cheerful and exuberant.
After about an hour, the conversation comes to an end. The final question: which Chinese food is his favorite? “I like the Peking duck and the dumplings. But sometimes I am a little afraid that I will get food poisoning. But that is the case all over the world. I play it safe there. I can still try the crazy things after I quit tennis. And that’s still far, far away. “
Federer laughs. At the end of the day, with the usual confident politeness, he says: “I’m really looking forward to coming to China soon. Stay healthy!” (leo)
With this conversation Roger Federer is promoting the release of a running shoe limited to 100 pieces called “Double11” – exclusively for the Chinese market. This is done via the Chinese online shipping portal “Tmall”, which is part of the huge Alibaba group. Alibaba from founder Jack Ma (56), currently the 12th richest person in the world. His fortune is estimated by “Forbes” at 65.3 billion US dollars. Alibaba was founded in Hangzhou in 1999 and today employs almost 120,000 people worldwide and has a turnover of around 72 billion US dollars.
