Life goals at 40: Roger Federer keeps an eye on the saxophone and cherry trees
Roger Federer celebrated his 40th birthday by necessity, but happily. And chatted about his future prospects.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit:
Aug 14, 2021, 12:20 pm
Because actually Federer would have been in Toronto on his 40th birthday , or on the way to Cincinnati. But the knee went on strike again, after Wimbledon the maestro had to cancel the Olympic Games and then the preparation for the US Open. And whether Federer will hit New York is currently uncertain and unlikely.
The positive side effect: Federer was able to celebrate his birthday, the round with the big four at the beginning. They rented a house in Ibiza and had a good time - Mirka, the children, his parents, friends ... "It was very relaxed," the 20-time Grand Slam champ told Schweizer Illustrierte . And just completely different than at a tournament. "You wake up in the morning and realize, oh yes, it's my birthday. This time it was different. We slowly slipped into the special day, we celebrated nicely."
Sampras, Borg and Edberg congratulate Federer
In terms of gifts, he received handicrafts and paintings from his kids, plus "time" from friends, invitations to dinner or a hike. "The anticipation is very, very valuable to me," said Federer.
Something different compared to normal tennis players were special congratulations from Pete Sampras, Björn Borg and Stefan Edberg. "And then I look at the phone, and all three of them answered practically at the same time and congratulated me. It's almost surreal for me because those were my idols and favorite players when I was young." He was already curious to see how many well-wishers there would be, whether more than after a Grand Slam victory. Then there were very many. "It shows me that I have a lot of real friends around the world who are close to me. I'm sure I'm still 50 messages behind with replies today."
Federer on the day before his 40th birthday: "As with the Millennium"
The 40? Trigger the feeling in him, "Somehow [you] should behave even better. When you were a child you had the feeling that forty-year-olds are already quite old. I don't feel that way by far. But when I hear the number, I'm shocked I almost a little every time. " Ultimately, however, the morning was as usual. "It reminded me a little of the threshold of the millennium, when you thought that all computer networks would collapse now, the big bang. And then the new day begins and nothing has happened." Forty is "a cool age".
But someone like Federer also has a bucket list. He would like to experience everything again, "without the stress, without all the obligations". For example, looking at the cherry trees in Tokyo or the season finals of the NBA, NHL, NFL, "Without always having to ask me, is the long flight possible, does that fit into my training plans?"
Federer already has a plan for the time after his active career: learn a new instrument. "I played a little piano, now I would like to play the saxophone." In addition, skiing in deep snow, which he has not done since his mononucleosis illness.
All in all, however, Federer feels comfortable. His son Lenny had just asked him what the best age was. "I told him: seven! Wherever you are, it's right!"
You can read Roger Federer's birthday interview in full here!