15 Years After Mono Ruined His Dream, 41-Year-Old Roger Federer Relishes Inexplicable Moment Spent With His Kids: ‘They Had Never Seen Me..’

Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer was honored at the Halle Open, where he was crowned the Terra Wortmann Open champion an impressive 10 times. “I always feel once you’ve retired you need a proper purpose to come back,” said the 103-time tour-level champion. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the tournament, there couldn’t have been a better present than a visit by the ATP Tour greatness.

Soon after, Federer sat for an extensive interview to talk about the dream that took him 15 long years of patience. Now that he has more time to spend with his family, Roger shared the one thing he always wanted to do with his family, and that was skiing.

Roger Federer shares his dream of skiing with his kids after being honored at Halle

The illustrious career of tennis legend Roger Federer is one that has left an indelible mark on the history of the sport. With countless titles and a record-breaking number of Grand Slam wins, Federer’s dedication to tennis has been unwavering. However, as with any athlete, life beyond the court is just as important. In an interview, when asked about what he enjoyed most after his career, Roger’s response was revealing and heart-warming: skiing.

He spoke in the interview with Tages-Anzeiger, “Skiing was a big thing for me. The last time I skied was in 2008, after which I got mono. The following year, the children were born. They had never seen me ski. It was a dream for me to go on the slopes with them.” Spoken as a true Swiss, Roger’s inclination toward skiing comes from the sports culture that values skiing equally to tennis, if not more.

The last time he skied was in 2008, but his love for skiing never waned. Unfortunately, after contracting mononucleosis (mono) that year, Federer had to put his skiing adventures on hold. Little did he know that it would be over a decade before he could return to the slopes.

Apart from skiing, tennis is an interest that does not cease to exist for Roger

Further in the interview, Roger was asked if he still plays tennis. To which responded that he only plays it with children now. He never books a court now for training. He just does it for the fun of it. And he loves to play with children.

However, he added that he is still interested in tennis match results. He said, “What surprises me is how interested I am in the results. I don’t watch many matches, but the highlights interest me enormously. I check the scores three or four times a day. I’m glad that tennis still interests me so much.” He is surprised that the tournament results still make him excited.

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