"I remember thinking, will I be a good tennis player?" - Roger Federer looks back fondly on childhood train rides across Switzerland
Roger Federer recently featured in a commercial promoting Swiss Tourism. The tennis legend was seen alongside comedian Trevor Noah as they took on a hilarious train journey through the Swiss landscape - called “The Grand Train Tour of Switzerland."
Born to a Swiss-German father and a South African mother in Basel, Switzerland, Roger Federer has spent his lifetime in the Alpine country. In a recent conversation with FT Globetrotter regarding his latest commercial, the Swiss maestro revisited the multiple train rides he took through his homeland as a child.
“It’s been wonderful. Doing this commercial today with Trevor really brought me back to my childhood a little bit because I was always on trains,” he said.
The 41-year-old recalled traveling through beautiful surroundings but pondering over his career as a tennis player.
“I remember leaving home, looking out of the window and seeing the trees and the fields go by and thinking, you know, will I be a good tennis player? Will I not? Will I win? Will I not?” he confessed.
Having lifted 103 tour titles, including 20 Grand Slams, and having created numerous records throughout his tennis career, one can say that things certainly turned out well for the young boy on the train.
"When I came down, my knees were shaking" - Roger Federer shares memory of his time in Switzerland with family
Despite his busy tennis schedule over the years, Roger Federer has always found time to spend time with his family and create unforgettable memories.
The 41-year-old, who is married to wife Mirka and is a father to two sets of twins – Myla & Charlene and Lenny & Leo, opened up about one such memory with his family in Switzerland. The former player also stated that he wished to be in better shape in order to hike with his children, having had a not-so-good experience in the past.
“I hope I can do it as well as my children. I’ve taken them on some ‘monster hikes’ we call them in the family. I remember, when I came down, my knees were shaking because I was actually rehabbing back in ’16 and ’17 and was not ready for such a huge hike. I underestimated the hike. As I was coming down, we were all like, ‘Oh my God! This was too far,’” he recalled.
Nonetheless, the former World No. 1 proudly endorsed the hiking culture of Switzerland.
“Here in Switzerland, you take your backpack, you take your sausage, you make your fire, then you grill the sausage. It’s a total cultural thing and it’s so much fun,” he said.