"Roger could be an ambassador, or maybe president" - Martina Navratilova on Roger Federer's post-retirement future
Martina Navratilova has an interesting potential future career in mind for Roger Federer, now that the Swiss great has bid farewell to tennis. The American tennis great shared post-retirement advice for the 20-time Grand Slam champion, who she believes could benefit from having something new to focus on, floating the idea of seeing the Swiss legend take up a leadership role on an even bigger scale.
Speaking from her own experiences post-retirement, Navratilova said that she welcomed a sense of freedom after she was relieved of the stresses that accompany a pro tennis career. In light of the same, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion opened up about the future lives of the recently-retired Federer and Serena Williams.
After having a legendary tennis career, whatever Federer pursues next is a "bonus" for him, and probably even for the world, believes Navratilova. She feels that the Swiss maestro would be successful as an ambassador or maybe even as president, and that is not limited to his native Switzerland.
"Roger could be an ambassador, or maybe president. And it might not be Switzerland, either!" Martina Navratilova wrote in a recent column for The Wall Street Journal.
Federer retired from tennis at the Laver Cup in September after a 24-year-long professional career. He concluded that his body would not be able to handle the rigors of the pro tour going forward, and the decision was particularly prompted by his prevalent knee issues over the last few seasons. Navratilova feels that if the Swiss legend was not hindered by serious injuries late in his career, he would have "undoubtedly" prolonged his career even beyond the age of 41.
"Roger would no doubt still play if he could do it physically," Navaratilova expressed.
Martina Navratilova believes timing of the pandemic "couldn't have been worse" for Roger Federer and Serena Williams
Martina Navratilova feels the restrictions in tournaments played on tour as a result of the coronavirus pandemic came at the worst possible time for players approaching the end of their careers, such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams.
Players nearing retirement "live for the competition," and being denied regular tournaments during the break hampered them in a huge way, Navratilova opined. She feels that Federer and Williams would have been extremely frustrated during that phase.
"For players like Roger and Serena, it was a real blow. When you get older, you live for the competition. You live to put it all out there. You’re fine-tuning a little bit here and there, but you’re not working on anything big anymore. You’re just focusing on trying to peak for the for the big events. Without that goal, you have no goal," Navratilova explained.
Future president or not, the Swiss tennis legend's popularity knows no bounds. At the Swiss Sports Awards last week, he received a standing ovation when he was called on stage to accept an honorary award in recognition of his outstanding achievements.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion also had a 19-year-long streak as the winner of the ATP Fan Favorite Award, which was broken by Rafael Nadal this year.