Robert and Lynette Federer: "Roger is living his dream"
Roger Federer's parents did the honors for their son's birthday in Schweizer Blick.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Aug 10, 2021, 11:00 am
At 17, when Roger Federer became the number 1 junior and won Wimbledon - Lynette and Robert Federer first really believed that their son "could actually do great things on the ATP tour," said Lynette Federer in an interview with the Swiss view . "So we said to ourselves: Now we can let it run smoothly," said Robert Federer.
Federer was "funny, active" as a child, always had many colleagues, "there always had to be something going". The great urge to move, that probably came from her, says Lynette. Whether skateboarding, cycling, table tennis or squash. "But it wasn't a must, he just loved it. As soon as he could run, he always had to have a ball with him and he was playing soccer somewhere."
Others explained early on how great his talent was, how well he could handle the ball. But, according to Robert: "We didn't see him as the star in the sky and lived accordingly. No, we just waited a long time to see how it would come."
Robert Federer: "It's great how he still lives for tennis"
That Federer, even now at the age of 40, still plays tennis - that was not expected, according to Lynette. "But he certainly follows his instinct and his love of the sport. In addition, his body has coped with this relatively well at a high level over the past 25 years." The question arises to what extent the 20-time major champion can continue, in the end he again had to cope with a setback in terms of knees. "It's just great how he still lives for tennis," said Robert Federer. "And you can see what he's taking on, all the efforts of rebuilding after his injury - that's admirable. Roger is living his dream. We accept that and don't talk him into it." And the subject of resignation? Lynette Federer has a clear message here: "These are personal things that stay within the family."
Federer had last canceled the tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati after the Olympic Games. Whether Federer can and will play again at the US Open (from August 30th) seems open.