Roger Federer in an interview about the decision to resign

Roger Federer, you seem to be fine.

Yes. Better. I’ve had butterflies in my stomach for the past two or three weeks. I pushed the resignation letter in front of me. Writing and publishing it took a lot of emotional energy from me, especially the day and morning before when I started telling people. They were all very happy to hear it from me personally. That’s when I realized how touching and moving everything is, especially for my wife and parents. The big step – I knew it was coming at some point, but I didn’t know how the moment I pressed the button would feel. I didn’t think I’d be able to talk about everything so relaxed today. I feared it would be very difficult.

Was the moment of announcement more difficult than the resignation decision itself?

There was no doubt. I found it difficult not to tell too many people after making my decision in July, a few days after Wimbledon. When I said there at the 100-year celebration on center court that I hope to return as a player next year, I really thought so. But soon after that, I felt that the condition of my knee just wasn’t improving anymore. I had it examined again – and had to realize that I had come to a fork again where the question was in the room: What else? I was already walking on very thin ice. The decision was emotional, but I knew it was the only right one. And then weeks went by when I didn’t think about it that much.

They announced the decision last Thursday via Instagram. You read the letter, but no one saw you, only heard you.

If everyone was to find out at the same time, it had to be via social media. You can think of what you want. I didn’t want to see a video of myself in a year or so and possibly be like, oh god, what was that? So I wrote a letter, it got really long. I went through every word umpteen times, by the end there were probably 25 versions, it went back and forth for about two weeks. I am very satisfied with the result.

And when the button was pressed, you looked at the screen and eagerly awaited reactions?

Nothing came for the first few minutes because everyone had to listen to the four-minute audio message first. So far I’ve only been on social media a bit, I haven’t read the newspapers or watched any programs. After the Laver Cup, I definitely want to do that again.

Is there a specific date when you decided – or was it a gradual process?

There is a date, but I can’t remember. We did a conference call, I said I’m going to play it safe, it’s fine now. At the beginning of the summer I was still willing to do jumps again, more athletic things. I ran at 15 km/h on the treadmill. Eventually everything became too much for the knee, but that’s normal, sooner or later you have to push and see what it takes. It was the ultimate challenge to listen to my body and explore with the team what else it allows me to do.

How did you feel about carrying the decision around with you for two months?

During the holidays I was able to suppress it, I hardly spoke about it with my wife Mirka either. Neither of us really wanted to think about the whole organization. After the holidays everything came at once. For my parents, for those closest to me who knew how I was doing, it was difficult when they were asked how I was doing. They then said that the whole story was going a little slower. They already knew that they couldn’t go on any longer. Above all, I’m happy for those around me that it’s outside now.

Why didn’t you announce the decision in July?

I had to let everything sink in once. I thought I’d just see how I’m doing after the holidays. The knee deserved a break, over time I couldn’t hear the question how he was doing anymore. I was so tired from rehab, from training, from always being positive. I couldn’t get up at 6 a.m. anymore. I realized how much I gave for a comeback. After the holidays, getting up was easy again. When the decision was made, I felt what a burden was lifted from me.

How’s the knee now?

I reduced the load more and more – and still tried to stay in good shape as much as possible. But without choking. I said to myself I don’t do that anymore. In everyday life it feels good now, my great hope remains that I will be able to do everything again: skiing, playing football. But I have to keep at it. When you see what Lindsey Vonn still has to invest a few years after retiring in order to get through everyday life well. . .

Can you talk about your knee in a little more detail? The public has not yet learned the exact diagnosis.

This is a private matter. I don’t know everything myself. I just want to know what rehab I need to do. How long does it go, what are the steps? Last year’s comeback was extremely difficult, I couldn’t present myself normally anymore, I was so far from 100 percent. That’s why it was actually unbelievable for me that I even reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. I then lost to Hubert Hurkacz, the last set was one of the worst hours of my career. I realized that nothing works anymore. It’s over. The disappointment felt like fireworks in my head. I didn’t know how to proceed with this knee. At the press conference nobody asked how the knee was doing. I thought: Hey, am I such a good actor that nobody noticed?

At the anniversary ceremony on July 3rd at Wimbledon, did you think that this might be the last time you step onto this center court?

I carried the uncertainty of whether I could compete there again somewhere within me. But the thought was not present. I had been unsure whether I should even come for this occasion. I had made a video in advance for Frank Sedgman, who had won 70 years ago in singles, doubles and mixed, which no one else at Wimbledon managed to do in the same year. His daughter told me he would love to come to the party, but he’s a bit older now. That’s when I said to myself: Okay, if Sedgman would love to come here from Melbourne at the age of 94 – and I’m in Switzerland and could be there in no time. So I opened the agenda and saw that this Sunday it says: RF free. Let’s go!

The Laver Cup starts on Friday. You’ve trained with Stefanos Tsitsipas twice here in London. What are your plans for the weekend?

I’m happy and surprised at how good my shots are. But I won’t be able to play singles, that was pretty clear beforehand. That’s why it was no longer an option to compete at the Swiss Indoors at the end of October. I guess I’ll play doubles here on Friday night and that’s it. I asked our Captain Björn Borg if that was okay. He said I could do whatever I wanted, just to see myself on the pitch again would be a dream for everyone.

London is a special place for you.

I love the city. And to have someone like Björn Borg on the bench and to be surrounded by a lot of other players makes me very happy. Usually a career ends in defeat, you play alone, there’s something sad about it. It would have been okay if I couldn’t play here at all, but now I can say goodbye to the fans on the pitch, as a player.

You accept that your farewell will be more important than the Laver Cup itself, which you helped found.

That’s why I announced my resignation last week. Now it’s about the Laver Cup. I tried to include everything, including the Queen’s death. I wondered if I can announce this during the ten day mourning period or if I have to wait until after the funeral.

You said years ago that after such a glittering career you didn’t need a cheesy ending. And yet, after the third operation, you probably had an idea of ​​what the end might look like. Did you have Wimbledon in mind?

I never thought of a specific tournament. My primary concern was to play in front of an audience again. At some point I realized that it was probably no longer enough for Grand Slam tournaments. But one can dream. I ended up in 250 and 500 tournaments, I still liked to train for that too, that would have been enough for me. Until it became clear: Even that is no longer possible.

They have announced they will continue to play tennis, albeit no longer on tour. Tens of thousands of people would probably continue to come if you were to compete in an exhibition match. Is that an option?

As sad as it may be for my fans, I don’t want to take away their hope by saying: I’ll just disappear from the scene now. I always think it’s a shame when you don’t see former super players after they retire. Björn Borg did not return to Wimbledon for 25 years. To each his own, but I think that’s such a shame. That’s not me, I like this sport too much, I want to continue to be close to tennis, I just don’t know in what form. But I would very much like to continue playing exhibition matches. I still have the opportunity to fill stadiums. If I was able to play in front of 52,000 people in Cape Town, maybe someday later I can easily play in front of 10,000. My big wish would be to play an exhibition somewhere in the next six to nine months and invite all of my companions to say thank you.

Do you already have an idea of ​​what you want to do in tennis in the future? Coach, Mentor, Davis Cup Captain, Laver Cup Captain?

No, not specifically. I was recently busy with rehab and training for about half the day. That may be gone now, but I want to stay in shape and it will be on my priority list to keep training, I want to play exhibitions. I didn’t think I would ever say that: But about six months ago I suddenly thought: Commenting on tennis – who knows? I had always said: never in life, forget it. When that came to my mind, I thought: Am I completely crazy now?

You have always said that after your career, your wife will be the focus. Is the resignation a relief for you?

The last few years were probably even harder for Mirka than for me. She didn’t enjoy watching me play anymore with all the injury issues. I felt sorry for her. So I think it’s actually a relief for them.

How did your children react?

They were already sad, three of the four had to cry. But they always said: stop playing tennis, we want to go skiing with you.