Will Roger Federer's children follow him in pursuing a tennis career? All you need to know about the Swiss icon's parenting journey
Roger Federer is unarguably one of the most influential tennis players of all time. The Swiss superstar has encouraged a whole generation of upcoming players to take up the sport, largely due to his brilliance on-court, and it seems that his love for tennis has rubbed off on his children as well.
Roger Federer and his wife, Mirka are parents to two sets of twins. The two girls are named Myla and Charlene, while the two boys are called Leo and Lennart. With the girls now 15 years of age and the two boys entering their teens, Federer finds himself on the tennis court far too often, helping his children get better at the sport.
In the past, Roger Federer has acknowledged that he tries not to offer too much advice to his kids and functions more like a general manager than a coach. However, staying quiet about a sport which you've excelled in could be quite a challenge, and Federer too, finds himself struggling to hold back from giving his children some on-court advice.
While his children are still learning the game, they will not have a better person to guide them through the ups and downs of the sport than Federer. The Swiss star has seen the highs and the lows of tennis throughout his career and knows exactly what it takes to be a professional tennis player.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2022, Roger Federer revealed that his children have been attending tennis training camps across the world. Federer's twin daughters have visited John McEnroe's academy in East Hampton while his sons spent a couple of days in Mallorca at the Rafa Nadal academy.
Roger Federer was on tour for the better part of two decades during his playing career and thus didn't get to spend too much time with his kids. However, since his retirement in 2022, the Swiss has been able to spend much of his time with his family.
Roger Federer's approach towards fatherhood
While the kids are still young, the 42-year-old is enjoying the responsibility of parenting and is excited about the future as he helps his four children nurture their tennis abilities.
In an interview with NBC Bay Arena in 2024, Federer admitted that he always ensures that his children know that they are loved. The Swiss believes in giving his children space to grow while also providing guidance and support to help them move in the right direction.
"I think it is important to give them the love (so) that they know you were there when they were young. And then, of course, now as they’re growing older, we try to give them the right advice and guide them in the right direction, but we also got to let them fly on their own," Roger Federer said.
Now with all of his children entering an exciting age in their lives, Federer has admitted that he is looking forward towards the future. The Swiss maestro will hope that his children continue to develop their interest in tennis and keep training hard.
However, success for Roger Federer's children will be held in different regard as compared to any other player. The constant comparisons with their father from the fans could weigh heavy on the young shoulders.
The History of Father-Children duo in Tennis
Throughout its history, tennis has seen a fair amount of father-son duos playing professionally, with some notable names on the list.
Ben Shelton and Bryan Shelton have been in the limelight due to the American's great start to his career. Ben is coached by his father Bryan, and the duo are enjoying great success in their young partnership so far. Similarly,1998 Australian Open winner, Petr Korda has been coaching his son, Sebastian since the age of 9.
Even in women's tennis, there have been father-daughter duos in the past who have achieved on-court glory. Serena and Venus Williams were molded by their father Richard at the start of their careers. Similarly, Peter Graf played a big part in the career of his daughter Steffi. Caroline Wozniacki and her father Piotr Wozniacki also achieved great success in their partnership together.
It will be interesting to see if Roger Federer takes up such a role with his children in the coming years, as the likelihood of having another 'Federer' on the tennis court after Roger's retirement remains an exciting prospect for tennis fans all around the globe.