Roger Federer plays tennis in Rome: the reason is wonderful

Roger Federer came back to play tennis in Rome, at the Foro Italico, home of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

But the reason is not (unfortunately!) an official return to competitions, but the wedding of one of his best friends, who is getting married in the Italian capital.

The guests played a mini tennis tournament on courts 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the Foro Italico, in a space created specifically for the guests (over a hundred) who, divided into four groups, played a mini tennis tournament.

Roger was seen playing still showing an enviable physical shape even for the youngest, while his tennis… well that is still as wonderful as twenty years ago! Simply amazing, as always.

The Swiss Maestro talks about his life after retirement

His best friend’s wedding, his hobbies, his passions, his commitments such as his Roger Federer Foundation (here you can read our exclusive interview). After retirement, Roger is making up for lost time during his glorious career.

In a recent interview with GQ Sport, Federer talked about many topics. The retirement, his feelings, his opponents, his family.

Simply iconic.@rogerfederer for @GQMagazine 🤝 @GQSports 🎾

📸: Lachlan Bailey pic.twitter.com/3dDVpIbvol

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 15, 2024

“The last few years had been tough because of the condition of my knee. Now I feel relieved. I could feel the end of my career near. When you officially retire, you take a deep breath and say: Okay, that was good! At that moment I suffered, because I knew it would be hard: the moment of the retreat in London and everything that preceded that event.

It was super exciting. Something that has always been a part of your life will be gone forever and you can’t get it back. The train leaves the station.
And that’s fine, but obviously you can’t just go from one day to the next and say, No problem, it’s easy. I got the ending I wanted, maybe it went even better,” said the Swiss.

“Tennis was my identity, but I didn’t just do that every day. I’m a father, a husband and a son. Playing tennis was my hobby and then it turned into my job. But I always tried not to identify myself only as a tennis player. I think this mentality has been a strong point of mine throughout my career. I knew that one day I would have to live without playing tennis. I don’t actually miss tennis.

I feel really at peace, maybe because I know that my knee and my mind don’t allow me to be on the pitch. I gave it everything I had and I feel at peace now. I love playing tennis with my children. I always thought about what it would be like to play without having the goal of improving.

Who cares if I miss a forehand anymore? I think it was quite easy to dive into life after tennis. I actually don’t have enough time in the day. I love being surrounded by people and friends, and I’m very sociable. I think it helped that I wasn’t sitting alone in a room,” added Roger.

Roger Federer on which current stars he can see winning as many Grand Slams as he did:

“Of course you have the players that you think are going to win multiple Slams… they’re going to be the ones carrying the game and become the superstars of our sports, which some are already… pic.twitter.com/u3JRA1E0qa

— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) March 14, 2024

On his rivals Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, Federer revealed what he told them when he retired.

“I watch highlights. It’s hard for me to watch a whole match because I’m too busy with the kids and running around. I may have only watched one entire game last year. But other than that, I check the scores every day. I’m surprised actually. I thought I wouldn’t care that much, but I think I still know too many players and I want to see how they do.

I know when they reach the final, when Rafa returns or when Novak breaks another record. But everything’s fine. I’m not going to change my plans and say, I have to see this game. But of course I follow them and I like to see them, especially Novak gets stronger and stronger and keeps moving forward.

Obviously I was disappointed that Rafa hasn’t been able to play much lately. I hope he can do what he wants this summer. Even though he has retired from Doha and Indian Wells, I am still confident that he can get back on the train. When I retired to London I said: It’s right that I’m the first to leave tennis.

I spent some time without them around the Tour; now it’s their turn. It wouldn’t have felt right to see Murray or Nadal retire before me. So I’m happy I was the first. I hope they can continue for a long time like me. I’m proud and happy with what I achieved, I’ll never forget when I broke Pete Sampras’ record,” he analyzed.

Regarding future generations and the young champions who are taking the center tennis stage today, the Swiss Maestro highlighted how it is not right to put too much pressure on them.

“I don’t like to put pressure on these players, because Novak, Rafa and I didn’t initially set ourselves the goal of winning 20 Slams. Obviously there are players who you think will win more Slams.

Someone has to win them and, of course, they will be those who will win the Slams and become the superstars of our sport. Which some are already doing: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and so on. There’s a lot of interest right now to see who’s next.

So I think in the next two or three years we will have a clearer idea. I think there are good players right now, but I still think they’re perfecting their game to figure out how to beat the best on their favorite surfaces,” said Federer.