"I want to be that normal man" - Roger Federer details dealing with fame

Roger Federer is a very famous man; wherever he goes, chances are somebody will recognise him and then all hell would break loose.

Yes, the name Roger Federer is known to many people, even those outside of tennis. It's pretty natural when you're quite literally one of the best ever to play a popular sport. It's the same with Lionel Messi or Michael Jordan. However, that level of fame has many drawbacks and Federer always tried to maintain a healthy balance.

In a recent interview Federer spoke on that balance:

"I can put on my cape and be a superhero when I walk on the track, but when I'm done I like to take the cape off again. Then I want to be that normal man. I think I'm good at seeing that difference and maintaining that balance. That made me happy on the tour. I love the intensity, experiencing that feeling and being completely focused. But when it's done, I ask, "What's for dinner tonight?" "What do the kids want to do?" I can separate those two worlds."

Separating those two worlds is vital for anybody dealing with an excessive amount of fame. It's necessary to keep a level of sanity and many public figures spoke about the difficulty of doing that. Roger, like many, struggled with that:

"No, I had trouble with that, especially from the age of 18 to 20. So many people have an opinion and tell you what to do. And I thought I knew it all myself. But it's hard to make the right decisions at that age. Just who your friends are, who are really there to help you and who isn't. That was tricky. But I tried never to forget where my roots were and to invite my friends from back then on the tour too."