Roger Federer has revealed that the hardest part of ending his career was the months prior to his retirement when he was figuring out how to tell people.
The Swiss player had a hugely successful career, winning 20 Grand Slam titles and 103
ATP titles, as well as spending 310 weeks as World No. 1. In September 2022, Federer played his final match at the Laver Cup before retiring from the sport.
In a recent interview with GQ, the 42-year-old opened up on the pros and cons of retirement and the hardest part about leaving the sport to which he had devoted so much of his life.
Federer says he misses friends
Federer disclosed that he enjoys having more time to spend with his family and explore new hobbies, but that he misses his friends from the Tour.
"You first have to get used to this new everyday life, after all everything is different and the focus of your professional life has shifted. But I suddenly love having so much time for other great things.
"What I miss are the friends that I always automatically saw through playing tennis, like my classmates at school. That was great. You now have to actively arrange appointments with them, which is of course a change. But I enjoy the time with my family even more," he said.
Federer also shared that the most difficult aspect of retiring was the time beforehand when he had to tell those around him.
"The hardest part about ending a career is actually the weeks and months beforehand when you're thinking about how and where to best communicate that decision," he continued.
