Roger Federer: ‘It was a dream to ski with my kids’

Roger Federer signs autographs at the inauguration of the "Roger-Federer-Allee" in Biel/Bienne, in 2016. The Swiss Tennis Association has its headquarters there. © Keystone / Peter Schneider

The Basel-born tennis legend talks about life in retirement and Novak Djokovic’s 23rd grand slam title.

Having taken a break from tennis after his tearful farewell at the Laver Cup last September, Roger Federer last week made his first appearance on the tennis circuit at the grass court tournament in Halle, Germany, where the ten-time tournament winner was being honoured. Speaking to the media, the 41-year-old spoke about his “life as a retiree”, among other things.

Since his retirement, Federer has never been bored. Whether he’s popping up at a Formula 1 race in Miami, playing basketball with the New York Knicks at the glamorous Met Gala, visiting Disneyland with wife Mirka and their four children, or skiing for the first time in 15 years, the winner of 20 grand slam titles is certainly enjoying his retirement to the fullest.

But the skiing was clearly one of the highlights. “The last time I was on skis was in 2008. Then the kids appeared on the scene and they’ve never seen me ski. So it was really a dream come true for me to hit the slopes with them,” he said.

GOAT issue

Federer claims that the fact that his former grand slam record has now been surpassed by Djokovic doesn’t annoy him at all. “What he has done is of course absolutely gigantic,” Federer said of his Serbian former rival, who recently won his 23rd major title at the French Open. “It’s a great time to be a tennis fan, but also a player,” the Swiss added.

SWI swissinfo.ch journalist Thomas Stephens tried to answer the question of the tennis GOAT (greatest of all time):

But when asked whether Djokovic was now the greatest male tennis player in history, Federer was cagey. “It’s difficult to say. The whole discussion is tough to answer. I asked a friend, what’s harder: winning Wimbledon at 17 like Boris Becker or the French Open at 36 like Novak? I don’t know.”