Inside Roger Federer’s retirement, from Wimbledon return to travelling the world
Roger Federer has confirmed he will be returning to Wimbledon this year as part of a wide-ranging chat about what life’s been like since his retirement last year.
Federer was in Bostall Gardens, Greenwich, to open a colourfully-designed new tennis court created by artists Low Bros as a part of Federer’s Neon Legacy project with Mercedes-Benz. Federer is putting his name behind the restoration of hundreds of tennis courts across the world, using money from a Lawn Tennis Association grant and a further £182,000 raised by auctioning a one-off Mercedes sports car.
“Being retired puts me onto different courts nowadays,” he said. “You don’t need to have a 20,000 seater stadium so I’m very happy to be here today. Just weeks away from Wimbledon starting.”
Federer joked that he could now wear grey on court, going against the traditional Wimbledon style guide of only white, and looked smart in business-casual chinos and a caramel tee. At the opening ceremony for the court, which has neon tulip and tennis ball designs to echo the culture of the local park, Federer spoke about his love for travel since retirement.
“I was just in Africa in Lesotho on a court and it was as special as pretty much walking out on a centre court in Wimbledon,” he said. “I’m back out travelling again which has been so much fun.”
Federer was in Africa with his family, his four children and his wife, which was “absolutely beautiful, one of the most magical trips I’ve ever done so that was wonderful.” He said that a key part of his retired lifestyle was making more time to “go on vacation with everybody, with the children.”
As you get older, what makes me most happy is being able to give back. It’s so different to what I used to do all the time.
Roger Federer
Federer will also return to Wimbledon this year for a few days “to see how it is as a retired player,” and hinted he’d be playing tennis into his old age in a discussion about picking up tennis later in life. “The great thing is I feel like you can play until you’re quite old. It is a great sport also for the community, for everyone getting together and seeing each other and just hanging out.”
Hitting balls back and forth across the new net with local schoolchildren, the tennis legend was primarily in Greenwich to promote his community-focused work, but he did comment on Novak Djokovic’s recent world breaking 23rd Grand Slam win. Federer said: “I thought what Novak did was incredible. It’s great for tennis, great for sports, when tennis writes its own history. It keeps on adding to it like we’ve seen with Serena Williams, Rafa, myself, and now with Novak – it’s a great time for tennis to be honest. To be a fan as well but also a player.”
Federer seemed comfortable giving the children hitting advice, telling him he wanted to see their shoulders and for them to stand sideways when hitting the ball. Standing in the middle of the newly-opened court, Federer added: “I think this is one of the most special, most beautiful courts in the world to be honest. We’ve seen courts like this coming out of basketball, but in tennis we’re very traditional, the whites at Wimbledon, so I think seeing a court like this is something totally different. I really hope this is a place people love to come and create memories for a lifetime.”
“It’s important to give back to the community, and also as you get older, I’m not the youngest anymore, what makes me most happy is being able to give back. So being here today really makes me super super happy. It’s so different to what I used to do all the time. It’s my time to give back.”
Read more: Roger Federer responds to Novak Djokovic breaking record for most Grand Slams won