'We take the virus very seriously' - Roger Federer on how he has been dealing with the pandemic
The last six months of life have been quite bittersweet for the legendary Swiss Roger Federer. On one hand, he found himself sidelined from tennis due to a knee injury but on the other, he got to spend time with his wife and kids after a very long time.
Tennis coming to a complete halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic has benefited the Swiss maestro in a way, as he hasn't missed any tournaments so far despite being injured. But it has also proved to be a dampener as it has kept him away from his parents.
In a recent interview with SRFsport, opened up about the impact of the pandemic on his family life as well as his children’s excitement for the 2021 Olympics.
We take the virus very seriously: Roger Federer
While the rehabilitation period has ensured that Roger Federer gets to spend more time with his family, the pandemic has limited that time to just his wife Mirka and his four children. The Swiss maestro has revealed that he has been keeping a distance from the rest of his family - including his parents - during this period:
“I have never seen my parents and friends. We take the virus very seriously and had to explain it to the kids.”
Roger Federer is father to two sets of twins. His daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose were born in 2009 whereas his boys Leo and Lenny were born in 2014. Federer also talked about how his children reacted to the ongoing pandemic:
“The two girls are eleven now and understood it immediately. The boys forgot it at some point.”
One of my daughters wanted to learn Japanese: Roger Federer
Federer continued on the topic of his children by discussing their excitement for the Tokyo Olympics. While the Swiss has himself yet to begin preparing for the 2021 Olympics, his children seem extremely excited by the event.
His daughters were not born when Federer won gold for Switzerland at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and were just three years old when he won silver at the 2012 London Olympics.
Roger Federer then missed the 2016 Rio Olympics due to injury, and his children were denied a chance to watch their legendary father in action on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
Federer spoke of their enthusiasm about the Games and said they are even planning to learn a new language:
“The children would have liked to come too. You are still talking about it. One of my daughters even wanted to learn Japanese,” Federer said.
That said, there are still doubts regarding the Olympics taking place next year as the pandemic hasn't shown any signs of easing up yet. With health and safety being of paramount importance, Roger Federer will probably look to assess the overall situation before taking a final decision next year.