Roger Federer's 11-word claim puts tennis world on notice

22 June 2024 , 09:13

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Roger Federer, pictured at a special screening of 'Federer: Twelve Final Days', a documentary about the last days of his tennis career, has revealed one of his children is getting into tennis

Roger Federer has put the tennis world on notice by revealing one of his children is seriously getting into the sport.

Regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, Federer, 42, is now enjoying life in retirement. The Swiss legend is relishing spending extra time with his wife Mirka and their four children, twin girls Charlene and Myla, 15, and twin boys Leo and Lenny, 10.

With Mirka, 46, also a former tennis, the quartet certainly have a head-start should they opt to take up the sport. However, Federer has vowed not to become a pushy parent, just a supportive one.

"No, I never pushed my kids into it [tennis]," he told People. “They do play tennis, and we ski, and we’re all learning to golf. We recently tried scuba diving. But the girls were never passionate about tennis, and I was relieved about it.”

However, one of his sons is showing a keen interest in tennis. He added: “The boys love their soccer. Leo is starting to show interest in getting serious about tennis.

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“Lenny is much more creative, he’s very into drawing, reading. I’ll jump on the court with them whenever they want.”

Federer is embracing life after competitive tennis, including early starts rather than later finishes. He said: “I used to have to sleep in in the mornings because of late matches. It’s completely different now.

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It's almost two years since Roger Federer retired from tennis (Getty)

“I get to wake up when the kids do and help get them ready. Then [after school] I get to connect with the kids again over their sports and homework.

“It’s a very vital time for me to be around them, to help them and guide them and obviously let them fly on their own as well. They have their friends and need their playdates. We’re making sure their social aspect is a given."

However, they already appear to have developed a passion for Wimbledon, where their dad was so dominant. He revealed: “The other day they were asking if we could go to Wimbledon because they wanted to walk the courts,” he says. “I’m just happy their life on the road was such a good memory.”

Mark Whiley