Roger Federer's 4 kids sign up for tennis training camp
Roger Federer is known as arguably the greatest tennis player of all time. The Swiss is an absolute legend of the game, with over 100 career titles and 20 Grand Slams to his name.
At home, however, the picture is considerably different - as it should be. Federer is an exemplary family man who shows great love and dedication to his wife, parents and children.
During his recent trip to Verbier, Roger Federer presented his fans with a rare opportunity to see him purely as a father. He enrolled his four kids at a tennis training camp, and also spent quality time with all the others present there.
The camp is run by Roger Federer’s former doubles partner Yves Allegro, who in an interview with lematin.ch described the experience of having the legendary Swiss at his camp. Allegro also spoke a few words about his first impression of the sporting potential in Federer’s four kids.
Roger Federer was generous with his time, talked to the coaches and the kids every morning: Yves Allegro
Roger Federer is father to two sets of twins. His daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose are currently 11 years of age, whereas his boys Leo and Lenny are 6. While not much is known about the private life of Federer and his family, we do get to see his children cheering for their father when he plays.
Roger Federer had previously admitted that he would like his kids to follow in his footsteps and pursue tennis, but that it had been a difficult journey so far. The Swiss star clearly hasn’t stopped trying, as the enrollment of the children in the advanced training camp conducted by Yves Allegro shows.
Roger Federer is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a knee injury, and expects to be back on tour in 2021. But he seems to be making excellent use of the extended break from tennis by giving some much-needed time to his family and their needs.
Everyone at the training camp, including other children, their parents and coaches, were in shock and awe when Roger Federer walked in with his family. However, as per Allegro, the celebrated Swiss did all he could to make everyone feel comfortable.
The Swiss indulged in a host of activities to make everyone happy and also provided ‘special motivation’ to the coaches.
“Roger brought them (his kids) in the morning. He attended the trainings; he exchanged a few words with the participants. A dad like any other. He also played the photo game. For the camp, for the resort, it's just great. For the coaches, it was also a very special motivation,” Allegro said.
Roger Federer showed his down-to-earth nature by not putting any undue pressure on the staff or coaches to give his family preferential treatment. The Swiss was extremely humble in his behavior, as Allegro attested.
“Roger was generous with his time, talked to the coaches and the kids," Allegro added. "He did it every morning, gave us total confidence and didn't ask for any special treatment.”
Allegro also discussed the potential of Roger Federer’s children with respect to their sporting. The two sets of twins displayed enough quality to be tipped as future athletes, but in Allegro's overall assessment they are unlikely to take up a career in tennis.
In a comment that might be a bit disappointing to the fans of the eight-time Wimbledon champion, Allegro said the four kids look at tennis merely as a pastime.
“That's really not their goal," Allegro said. "For them, it was above all about having a good time and playing sports with friends. But the girls are pretty skilled in their kicking skills and the boys already have good coordination. We feel that they are sportsmen."