"It was as special as walking out on a centre court at Wimbledon": Federer enjoying travelling again in first year away from sport

Roger Federer was in London these days opening some tennis courts and it was a special moment for him as he gets to give back to tennis after the sport gave him 'everything'.

Roger Federer is undoubtedly the biggest tennis icon. No player ever was or likely ever will be as popular as the Swiss ace and in some ways he's the most important player in recent memory. He doesn't have all the records or the most grand slams but his impact on the game and resurrecting interest globally in it is well noted.

As a true tennis icon, Federer travelled ot London to open some tennis courts in South London and it was a very nice occasion for him:

"Being retired puts me on different courts nowadays. You don’t need to have a 20,000-seater stadium so I’m very happy to be here today. Just weeks away from Wimbledon starting. I was just in Africa in Lesotho on a court and it was as special as pretty much walking out on a centre court in Wimbledon. I’m back out travelling again which has been so much fun."

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Giving back

Being retired from the sport allows Federer to focus on other things and one thing he always found very important was charity work. This occasion marked just one of many planned 'giving back' activities as he highlighted the importance of it:

"I think this is one of the most special, most beautiful courts in the world to be honest. We’ve seen courts like this coming out of basketball, but in tennis we’re very traditional, the whites at Wimbledon, so I think seeing a court like this is something totally different. I really hope this is a place people love to come and create memories for a lifetime. It’s important to give back to the community, and also as you get older, I’m not the youngest anymore, what makes me most happy is being able to give back. So being here today really makes me super super happy. It’s so different to what I used to do all the time. It’s my time to give back."

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