It has been almost two long years since Roger Federer bid farewell to the tennis world. His upcoming documentary on Amazon Prime has increased hope of being able to fill the void, even temporarily, with the several stories that it will cover. Federer’s legendary dominance on the grass will be a prime topic in the documentary, as each of his wins has a story behind it. Although many stories are glorious, he recently narrated a hilarious and saddening one from his first Wimbledon win.

Roger Federer started to unleash immense action on the grass courts back in 2003. While it was the year when the world received a new Wimbledon champion, little did the fans know that he was there to create history. Undoubtedly an achievement to be proud of, the Swiss tennis maestro recently shared his father’s lackluster reaction to it.

In a recent interview with Ringier, Roger Federer came up without filters. Mentioning the fact that his father was not present in the arena while he attained immense glory, the former pro revealed how his family ensured he understood his career wasn’t everything. “Roger Federer telling funny anecdote that at his first Wimbledon Final his father Robert was not present, because he had some things to do. His career was important to his parents, on the other side, they also did let him know, that it’s not everything,” wrote a fan account on ‘X’.

It has been nearly 23 years since Roger Federer made his name known to the world. While the Swiss tennis maestro was dominating the courts, his father Robert was back in Switzerland with their pets Moggie and Ginger. “I had to feed the cat at home,” his father said, giving a response that raised many eyebrows.

As Federer recalls his father’s excuses, he can laugh about it now. Although busy feeding the cats, Robert did have some positive comments about his son’s achievement on the grass slam.

Roger Federer’s dad explains how he saw his son’s sporting career

The statement that Roger Federer’s father gave for not being around during his first Wimbledon win was not taken positively. “Is this the lamest excuse in the history of lame excuses?” BBC wrote in 2003. However, everyone was intrigued to know more about his thoughts on the Swiss tennis maestro’s massive rise. In the same interview where he revealed his preference for looking after his cat over his son, Robert explained what his son’s career means to him.

“Obviously I am very proud – although we are not a tennis family, we never told him to play. He just grew into it,” he told The Sun, after mentioning how he invited friends to watch the match live from home. Although he tried to do damage control for not being present, the media did not take it lightly.

He would travel with his son more often in his later years and supported him for many matches henceforth. However, this incident will likely live in infamy, not to be forgotten by Roger Federer and his fans.