Roger Federer says coming out of retirement is 'not even a thought'

October 14, 2023

ATP Tennis Players, Roger Federer, Tennis News

Roger Federer reveals coming out of retirement is ‘not even a thought’

Roger Federer has revealed that his mind ‘doesn’t even go’ to thinking about a return to professional tennis, as the 20-time Grand Slam champion was honoured in a ceremony at the Shanghai Masters.

Federer has been retired since the 2022 Laver Cup, where he competed in a doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal, with the Swiss being forced to end his career due to a series of issues with his knee.

When speaking to the ATP in Shanghai, where the two-time former champion was awarded with the ‘Icon Athlete Award’, Federer revealed the process that lead to the decision to end his career.

“I didn’t have any plans per se as I was always trying to come back and then all of a sudden I realised that was it,” said the 42-year-old.

He continued, “And then I was just ‘okay, it is over, what now?’ I think now I feel I am more in control of my schedule as before I was just… the afterburn of having just retired, so it has been good, honestly.

“I have to be careful I don’t do too many things, but at the same time I’m really happy to be busy, I like being with other people, love being with my family, I love to travel. But I guess sometimes you just have to make sure to find the right balance and I feel like I have that, so it’s great.”

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Despite not participating on court as much as he used to, Federer spoke about how he still tries to keep fit as he hopes to play exhibition matches in the future.

“I am trying to go to the gym four times a week and I can’t believe I am actually doing that. I rent the space at home and put the machines in and I got it the week after the Laver Cup in London, so it was like, after my career I finally had a gym,” explained the former No.1.

“[It was] A little bit weird once I had retired, so now I have to use it, so I do that well, and I don’t play so much tennis anymore so I have to be a little bit more careful with what I eat and stuff. I would still like to play some exhibitions down the road so I want to stay in shape and try to look good a little bit.”

With Federer being such a popular figure, fans often speculate about whether he could potentially make a U-turn on his decision to retire.

However, he has completely shut down any chances of that, “When you know the knee doesn’t allow you to play at this level, the mind doesn’t even go there that I could be on court right now. So you just enjoy tennis for what it is, and I follow results almost daily, I like to see what is going on out there.”

Federer concluded, “It’s not even a thought. I had a great time but I dive back in, I have come here to Shanghai and I feel really happy. I go with the flow and I like that no day is ever the same so it is great.”

Inside the baseline…

Due to the nature of his retirement, it will not come as a surprise to many that Federer has no plans to return to the professional matchcourt. However, fans will be encouraged by the fact that he is planning to play exhibition matches at some point in the future, giving them a chance to see one of the greatest tennis players in history compete once again.