He dropped out of the ATP rankings after 25 years. But he plans to return in the fall. In an interview with the Dutch website Algemeen Dagblad, the 40-year-old Swiss tennis player Roger Federer admitted that he no longer needs the courts to live at any cost.
It’s been more than a year since the Swiss veteran played in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He has since retired from the tennis world due to knee problems. Although he will be 41 in August, he plans to return. He would like to return to the Laver Cup in September and then play a tournament in his native Basel.
Although he lamented at the recent celebration of 100 years since the opening of the center court at the All England Club that he would like to win Wimbledon one more time, he is not in any way determined to return to the absolute top.
“I love winning, but if I’m not competitive, it’s better to quit. It’s not like I need tennis to be happy, I’m happy,” he said in a recent interview with the Dutch website Algemeen Dagblad.
After a long time, Federer enjoyed all four children and his wife Mirka for a whole year. Season after season, he had an itinerary full of flights around the world, and now he misses traveling.
“I haven’t seen my friends in New York or Melbourne for a long time. I lived life on the road, but now it’s a lot for me to try to arrange an event with them maybe three weeks in advance and I don’t have to worry that I won’t make it. I find that life at home is also great,” admitted the twenty-time Grand Slam champion.
But that does not mean that he is not serious about his return. He is currently planning tournaments for next year as well.
“I want to be and remain successful, I want to put a lot of energy into it. Sometimes maybe more than I should. On the other hand, I know that a professional career cannot last forever,” he declared.
He does not take tennis as a dogma, but only as part of his life, yet during Wimbledon he felt strange when he came to the center court in only a suit to celebrate the anniversary of this tabernacle.
“It was strange, because I played here every time since 1998. Now I just watched on TV. However, life is not only tennis, other things also make me happy, for example, when my daughter brings a good grade from school,” added the Swiss.
