Tennis legend Roger Federer is loving life off the court.
The former world No. 1 ranked player, who hung up his racquet in 2022, has had a “smooth” transition into retirement and is happy to be a doting dad to his four children with his wife, Mirka.
“Retirement is great. It was smooth,” Federer, 42, said in an interview with Extra at the Monday, June 10, premiere of his new documentary, Federer: Twelve Final Days.
“It’s been really smooth. Super happy in my life. We have four beautiful children. There are twin boys that are 10, twin girls that are 14, and then my wife,” he continued. “We’ve just been traveling around the world, having the best time, and obviously helping them with school, and then having projects like this one. So, I’m keeping busy with that and it’s been wonderful.”
Though Federer officially retired following the Laver Cup in September 2022, he was already preparing for life after tennis after undergoing two knee surgeries in 2020 and 2021, which kept him on the shelf for much of his final years as a pro.
“I had a little bit of luck — unfortunate luck — with my knee. My knee was getting worse and worse, so I think I got a feeling and a taste of how life was going to be once I’m retired, being home more and so forth,” said the Swiss player.
In his new documentary, which charts the end of Federer’s glittering career, the star gets “choked up” when contemplating life after the sport, according to Extra.
“I always felt that career could always end with any injury — and it’s only tennis, I always tried to remind myself,” Federer explained at the premiere.
“Every time I won a match or a tournament, especially a tournament, I knew it could be my last, and so you always have to live it in a life where one day you’ll be home and then you will not be a tennis play anymore,” he added. “You will only be a former tennis player. And I think that mindset has helped me not being, like, too worried about the afterlife of tennis. It’s been a great transition. I’m very happy and I’m happy it was the way it was supposed to be for me.”
