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Roger Federer made movement for the first time since his farewell at the 2022 Laver Cup. Everyone remembers the tears of the Swiss, hand in hand with Rafael Nadal, after the famous double, his last match in London. Since then, Roger has been very discreet and has said very little. He even refused to return to Basel to receive a tribute, judging that it was still too early. On Monday morning, the 41-year-old Swiss had given a sign of life, a few days before playing an exhibition match for Uniqlo in Tokyo this Saturday.
The “Maestro” had revealed himself on his account followed by more than 10 million people enjoying a Savoyard fondue, at home in Switzerland. And all this the day after the victory of his country in Billie Jean King Cup. The good life for this young retiree who played again this Saturday. Federer took out his racket for an exhibition in Japan, in the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, on the occasion of a day organized by his supplier Uniqlo, the “Uniqlo’s LifeWear Day Tokyo 2022”. It was the first major appearance of the man with twenty Grand Slam titles since his retirement. For his return to the court, the Swiss player hit the ball with a chair tennis player, local legend Shingo Kunieda, but also Kei Nishikori and Gordon Reid.
Naturally, the Maestro spoke to the media afterwards. “Now I see that players are trying to stay as long as possible on the circuit. What’s happened is that players have realized that sometimes it’s better to stop. You can go away for three, six months or a year and then come back. Sometimes you have to rest because the tour is so hard. It’s very complicated to stay on the tour and be constantly traveling, training and jet lag. No one can say I’m tired because it makes your opponent grow and makes you look weaker. That’s why players end their careers with mental problems, because you’re always supposed to be strong, but players aren’t machines, we’re human beings after all.”
Federer also mentioned the possibility of being a coach. While for now, the Swiss is not holding back on this option, he does not rule out taking this route in the future. The young Swiss will be lucky. “With my four kids going to school and everything else going on, I don’t see myself training right now. But you should never say never. If a young Swiss person comes along and needs support or advice, I’ll be happy to do it.”
