Roger Federer shares the advice he gave Alexander Zverev that he finally listened to in 2026
Roger Federer might have retired in 2022, but he’s remained very much with his focus on tennis after he hung up his racket.
The star has appeared at several tournaments throughout the 2026 season, including at the Australian Open and most recently the Shanghai Masters.
As well as playing high-profile exhibition matches at some of the biggest events on the tennis calendar, Federer was also inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Even when Federer is not in the public eye, he is watching with a keen eye on the events across the year in the sport.
In a new interview with Sports Illustrated Germany, Federer said: “I just love watching tennis. That will never change for the rest of my life. I almost never miss a Grand Slam match; I really enjoy watching the new generation play tennis.”
One of those ‘new generation’ of players he enjoys watching is Alexander Zverev, who became a two-time Grand Slam champion by winning Roland Garros and the US Open in 2026.
Federer is delighted to see Zverev become a Grand Slam champion at long last and he’s shared the advice he gave him to help him get over that hump.
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“Zverev dared, playing courageously even in important matches. Many others, myself included, had advised him for years to be more aggressive from the baseline and dictate the pace of the game more,” explained Federer.
“In the moments that mattered, he often tended to become too passive,” continued the 20-time Grand Slam champion. “Given his ability, these two Slam titles were long overdue. For this reason, I was incredibly happy for him.”
Federer watched on during Zverev’s victory over Jiri Lehecka at Wimbledon too, during his run to the final of the Grand Slam for the first time.
Federer knows all about the talent that Zverev possesses on a tennis court, as they played each other seven times before the Swiss star retired.
Zverev won four of his seven matches against Federer, although they most definitely played each other at differing times in their careers.
Federer’s career was coming to an end when they played seven times between 2016 and 2019, he was dealing with several injury issues, and he was not the force he was when he was playing at the peak of his powers.
Nevertheless, Zverev was able to pick up victories against Federer at the Shanghai Masters, the ATP Finals, the Canadian Open, and the Halle Open.
Federer’s victories, meanwhile, came at the ATP Finals, the Halle Open, and the Italian Open, but his last victory against Zverev came in the 2017 season, five years before he retired from the sport.
