OWNER’S PROFILE GAME,
OWNER’S PROFILE GAME, SET , MATCH: FEDERER In one of his first wide-ranging interviews since stepping away from the tennis court, the former world No 1 and 20-time major winner reflects on the final chapter of his storied career, how his last match came about, and what he has in store for the future // By Farhad Heydari HIS ON-COURT PRESENCE has been likened to a master class in artistry – what with his effortless balletic footwork, his aerial superiority, his ageless one-handed backhand, his fluid dexterity, speed and power. And, oh, that brutal forehand, described as a “great liquid whip” by the novelist David Foster Wallace in an appreciative New York Times essay. It was a 25-year presence (an omnipresence, really) that first caught our attention and imagination in the summer of 2001 and lasted right up until he stepped away from the game in the autumn of 2022. So, what has the 41-year-old, eight-time Wimbledon men’s singles champion been up to since that fateful day when he said goodbye to the game? In a wide-ranging conversation ahead of a breakfast with NetJets Owners at New York’s Rainbow Room, Federer – whose ethereal play, boundless sportsmanship, conscientious ethos and unwavering decency will live in legend and lore as one of the greatest to ever grace a court – talked to NetJets, The Magazine about his plans and priorities as well as his winning formula and his thoughts on everything from parenting to pickleball. DO YOU MISS IT? Honestly, I don’t. Certainly, not the whole package. I do miss some aspects of it: the winning feeling, for example. And, looking back, I do miss some of the regular travel – getting to see and hang out with all my friends on the road. And connecting with the fans. These are things I obviously do miss. So, I had to recalibrate my life a little bit, which has PICTURE ALLIANCE / PHOTOSHOT 38 NetJets
TRUE CHAMPION Among his 20 major titles, Federer won eight times at Wimbledon NetJets 39
