Roger Federer is still active, but in other jobs outside of the tennis courts, of course. Although he does not completely disassociate himself from what is the sport of his life, rather he intends to follow in the footsteps of other tennis players such as René Lacoste or Stan Smith. The Swiss has launched a fashion collection for UNIQLO inspired by sportswear.
The former number 1 presented the collection that will be released next September and was chatting with The New York Times about the project. In addition, he also had time to comment on how he values the time and place of his withdrawal. Was it as he expected? On the other hand, Roger Federer is the man who will be linked to eternity with Wimbledon, although the All England Club no longer has a presence on the track. What was it like not attending this year?
Leaving a historical mark on fashion
“We have a great history of style in tennis. René Lacoste and Stan Smith were wonderful tennis players. I feel it’s important to remember where we came from. And if I can make tennis look classy, I think I should.”
Were you worried about retiring?
“I always feel like I’ve hit a high point and then move on. Life without the game, life without the fans, and life without the schedule that has dominated my life for 25 years has definitely been something I didn’t know how I would take. I tried for a long time to go back and give it one more chance and leave the game healthy, but it just wasn’t doable.
But the good/bad thing about Covid and with my knee surgery is that everything started to slow down in the last three years, so it wasn’t like I came from playing 100 games and then boom, it’s over. In the end I was relieved and happy to retire. It ended in the most perfect way in the Laver Cup. I was surrounded by my biggest rivals and my family and friends were there. For me it was like, ‘Okay, I’m good now. I no longer need to pursue that longing.’”
Spectator at Wimbledon
“Last year I went out to Center Court for the 100th anniversary celebration. It was beautiful but painful. I was hurt. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play again, so it was a very emotional moment. But this year was totally different. My father whispered to me, ‘Don’t you wish you were playing on the court instead of sitting and watching?’ and I was like, ‘No. I feel happy watching and enjoying the game.’”
His good relationship with the Princess of Wales
It was great fun being with Princess Catherine. I know her pretty well. She is an avid tennis fan and she plays alone. Sometimes we have to be careful not to talk too much. You can talk, then it’s super quiet, and then you have to clap your hands.”
From top to bottom with his family after hanging up the racket
“I started doing more trips that are fun with the family. I took my children to Lesotho for my foundation’s trip to Africa, we went to the Met Gala and rode the Orient Express with my parents. These are things that just weren’t doable when I was playing because they took up too much of my game time. So I get different kinds of photos, and it’s nice to realize that people are still happy to see me.”
2023-08-03 22:13:32
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