Roger Federer Reveals Family's Role In Retirement Plans, Justifies Playing Limited Schedule

The thought of retiring from tennis is yet to cross Roger Federer’s mind but the Swiss tennis legend revealed that family will play a key role in deciding when he hangs up his racket.

Federer is currently on 20 men’s singles Grand Slam titles and still going strong. He spent six months on the sidelines with a knee injury in 2016, he was 35-year-old then, and there were some questions raised about his future in the game.

Soon-to-be 37, the Swiss ace answered his doubters in the best way possible by returning to the top of the game. Federer is playing some of his best tennis despite recently admitting that the end is closer than ever.

He has won 10 titles in the last 17 months, while also returning to the top of the ATP men’s singles ranking on three occasions. He was recently usurped by long-time rival Rafael Nadal, but still remains in contention to finish the year as the top-ranked player in the world.

Federer is contracted to play the Basel Open until 2019 and is yet to rule out playing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But, he made it clear that family always comes first and the slightest indication that his children or wife is unhappy will see him call time on his career.

“My family will essentially decide how much longer we can do this. If I sense my children are unhappy, if I am injured, if my wife, who is very supportive, is not happy, it will have an impact and the tour will be over very quickly,” Federer said, as quoted on Tennis World USA.

The world number two has also played a limited schedule since his return from injury at the start of the 2017 season. Fitness is Federer’s main priority at the moment rather than overloading his calendar with multiple tournaments.

The Swiss maestro revealed that he wants to ensure he is at his best in every tournament he plays rather than just make up the numbers. Apart from one event this year – the Miami Open - Federer has either won or made the final in every tournament he played.

“The most important thing is not to overplay. It becomes monotonous. Right now we have a good balance. I did 17 years of brutal play on tour from January to November,” the 20-time Grand Slam winner added. “Now I want to maintain my level of play for the ticket holders who pay their money and feel 'Roger gave it everything'. I'm not going to be a ghost out there playing.”

Federer is currently preparing for the Wimbledon Championships beginning on July 2. The Swiss star is looking to win his ninth title on the hallowed grass courts of SW19 and is the overwhelming favorite to do so.