Roger Federer on becoming a full-time coach: ‘I don’t see myself coaching, but never say never’
Roger Federer is happy to do day clinics for kids and provide support and advice for a junior, but you won’t see him become a full-time coach in the near future.
Following 24 years on the ATP Tour, Federer retired from the sport in September after failing to recover from a long-standing knee injury.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner has admitted that for now he is enjoying life away from the professional tour and is feeling lighter since hanging up his tennis racket.
“I don’t think I was that much aware of it, how much that thought is always there, and it rides with you, until you retire and then you realise that stress all drops away,” he said in a recent interview.
“Once that all drops away you actually feel lighter, relieved that you can actually live normally again after 25 years.”
His fans, though, all want to know what comes next and whether or not they will see him return to the ATP Tour as a coach as several former players like Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Goran Ivanisevic have successfully transitioned from player to top-level coach.
Although the Swiss maestro admits you can never say never, he is not too keen on becoming a full-time mentor for a player just yet as he wants to be around for his four children Myla Rose and Charlene (13), and Lennart and Leo Federer (8).
“I’m the product of Swiss tennis, of the federation. I will always have that with me, which is why it’s hard to create my own academy, because I feel like that would potentially go against the federation who I am too close to,” the tennis great said during a tennis clinic in Tokyo.
“I think with the Next Gen development programme here at UNIQLO I will be doing more mentorship and inspirational kids day clinics for the moment.
“Coaching… I mean, never say never. Stefan Edberg said the same, he will never coach, until he got the phone call from me and I invited him over for practice and he said ‘ok, let me try for a year’.
“At the moment with my four children going to school and everything going on, I don’t see myself coaching at the moment. If a junior comes around and he needs some support or advice I’m happy to do that.”
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