Roger Federer vows to "do everything he can to get back to the top", says he hasn't set a retirement date
Roger Federer recently claimed that he will leave no stone unturned in his bid to return to the pinnacle of the sport.
Federer made his long-awaited comeback at the Qatar Open in March. The 39-year-old defeated Dan Evans in his first match, but fell to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarterfinals.
After his early exit in Doha, Roger Federer announced that he would go back to the practice courts and keep working on his fitness and game. After having worked himself into decent shape, the 20-time Major champion recently confirmed his participation at the upcoming Geneva Open and French Open.
Now, in an interview with Schweizer Familie, Roger Federer has claimed that he is committed to putting in the hard yards to regain his form of old. The Swiss legend also reiterated that he will continue playing as long as he is 'happy and healthy', and that he hasn't set any date for his retirement.
"I will do everything I can to get back to the top after my surgery and the long pause due to that," Roger Federer said. "As long as I am happy and healthy I will continue to play. Now, before you even ask me for how long, I must tell you, I don't know, honestly."
Homework was torture in school: Roger Federer
During the interview Roger Federer also recalled his school days, and admitted that he was never fond of doing homework. Federer claimed that his attention span was very poor, which is why his mother would often play softball with him in the kitchen to restore his focus.
The Swiss played several ball sports during his childhood but was particularly enamored by football and tennis, before ultimately deciding to pursue the latter full-time.
"Back in school homework was torture, I couldn’t concentrate for too long," Federer revealed. "Therefore my mother regularly needed to play a match of softball with me in the kitchen to distract me and get me moving again."
Roger Federer also spoke about South Africa, a country that he has very deep-rooted ties with. His mother Lynette hails from there, which is why the 39-year-old has focused most of his charity work in that region.
Federer claimed that visiting South Africa is always a very humbling experience for him, because over there he is looked at as an ordinary person rather than as a global sporting icon.
"From my visits to Africa I always travel home with the motivation to do even more," Federer added. "Down there I'm not a tennis star, I'm just Roger."