When Roger Federer sees pictures of himself playing tennis, he finds it hard to realise it’s him. “It’s incredible to think that I used to be there, on the biggest stages. It’s almost surreal to think that that was my life.”
During his 24-year career, he explains, he was “in a tunnel, surfing the beautiful wave, running around the world, running on the tennis court, fighting, always trying to be on your toes, ready for the next press conference, the next meet and greet, posing with a fan. Then, when you suddenly take off, it almost feels like it wasn’t me.”
Federer Federer retired in 2022 at the age of 41, having won 20 Grand Slams and shining in tennis with his elegance on and off the court. He remains a gentleman, and materialised with a smile on Zoom at the appointed minute for this interview. But, having retired, he can now reflect on the forces that made his career possible. His memories are supported by images from a stylish new photo-biography, which chronicles his journey from blond boy with a racket to shaggy-haired young pro and best player in the world, and his career-defining rivalry with Rafael Nadal. Federer has now achieved the distance needed to explain Federer.
“I didn’t grow up with people telling me I was going to be the best player in the world. When I was 14, gosh, I was still a long way from having that belief,” he says. He knew he had “some talent,” but his goal was simply to make it to the tour and be on the court with the stars.
His career began to take off at the age of 15, when he won his first international junior tournament in Lille in 1997. The next turning point was winning the prestigious Orange Bowl tournament in Florida in 1998, and finishing the year as the junior world number one. “I remember in Key Biscayne we were in this house and I made a joke [about] “On the door was written: ‘The world number one lives here.’ I remember secretly hoping that this could also happen one day on the professional circuit.”
He did, but not right away. He had to wait until early 2001 to even win his first senior title. Maturing as a player, Federer reflects, was “all about shot selection. When you have too many options, it can be super confusing because you don’t know which shot to pick. I think that’s why I had a rough start to my career. And because I’m a naturally offensive player, sometimes I played too hard, too early, instead of waiting for that shot more, or I played with 90 percent power instead of 95 percent.”
He likes watching young players because “they throw themselves into crazy things and sometimes they get rewarded, sometimes they don’t. As you get older, you play with percentages more and you figure out what works against which player and on which surface. You can’t explain it, it’s just deep inside you.”
In 2005, he was 23 years old and number one in the world, when Rafael NadalAged 19 years and two days, he won the French Open. The Mallorcan is almost as omnipresent in the book’s images as Federer’s wife, Mirka. More than any other opponent, he forced Federer to become his best version.
“Because of his unique style of play, his ability to play on the baseline, his ability to play on clay with bad bounces, his topspin that was stronger than any other player I’ve ever played against. He gave me a lot more problems than other players. He made me doubt myself, go back to the drawing board and come up with a new master plan, and also not overthink it. Sometimes it was maybe just about: work on my left-handed topspin backhand that no one else had like him. I need to face that ball more often.
“And I like to slice. The slice against Rafa was not a great play because he was running very easily around the slice and finding it with his forehand. So it puzzled me, but it was also the most beautiful challenge I have ever had. I am happy about that, even though at first I thought: ‘I’d rather not go that way, I’d rather keep playing my game.’”
Rivalries with Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic But Djokovic didn’t force Federer to come back. “It was just a matter of me having to play my best to beat him. It was a much simpler matter. When he was at his peak, it was very difficult to play against him because he was everywhere, he was tall, he was tall, he was fast, he had everything. So it was more of a mental challenge.”
When did Federer reach his peak potential? “Probably at the end of 2007. I remember I was training in December in Dubai and he was hitting really well. I thought: ‘God, he’s flowing.’” In 2008 he had health problems. Then the Australian Open final against Nadal in 2009 “was perhaps the best match we have ever played.”
After losing that match, Federer cried on court. “I just found out we were expecting twins,” he explains. “So maybe I was a little bit nervous too, with Mirka.”
What is one thing you realise about yourself now that you couldn’t do when you were playing? “I guess I could have always retired earlier. Because it almost doesn’t matter if you win a few more titles or if you stay a few more years on the circuit. However, in the moment, you can’t think that way. The most important thing is the next day, the next training session, the next point, the next match, the next week. I really enjoyed it, I loved it, I still love it. But I don’t have this internal anxiety, like I still want to be there.”
Still, he is pleased to have completed his career, like his fellow footballer. Lionel Messiwho won the World Cup at the age of 35. Federer observes: “He is probably very happy that he continued playing for Argentina and didn’t retire. It’s great to see how much he still enjoys the game.”
A famous image, which appears in the book, captures the end of Federer, sitting with Nadal in London after… one last doubles matchThe two of them, holding hands, crying. It is one of the framed images on the stairs of Federer’s house. What does it represent for him? “The match is over. For the first time, I feel like I’m sitting there and taking it all in.”
Since then, she hasn’t fallen into a black hole, like some retired athletes. On Zoom, she seems ageless. “The transition has been, as I expected, exciting and good. I’ve been feeling for a while that if tennis stops, I have to be okay, because you never know if you get hit by an injury and it’s all over. Life can’t just be tennis. I think that’s been one of my great strengths, thinking about tennis when I have to and then immediately after, when I get off the court, I’m somewhere else. I think that’s also kept my fire burning without getting tired of playing and thinking only about tennis all the time.”
I notice that he speaks like a man who has no regrets. He hesitates: “I think everyone has regrets and should regret something. Maybe I said the wrong things, made the wrong decision, played the wrong tournament, hit the wrong shot, whatever. But living with it in your head is not like that. I have always been able to get over it very quickly, especially after defeat.”
He seems like a mentally stable person. “Thanks,” he replies. “That’s what I think, anyway.”
‘Federer’, with text by Doris Henkel, is published by Assouline on 4 September for £100, £1,000 and £1,600 (the latter includes 200 signed limited edition copies). Part of the proceeds go to the Roger Federer Foundation
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