Roger Federer Reveals Post-Retirement Priority After Match For Africa 5

Roger Federer plans to devote a considerable amount of his time to the Roger Federer Foundation once he hangs up his racket, which at the moment does not look likely to happen in the near future.

The Swiss maestro is playing some of his best tennis having returned to the top of the ATP men’s singles rankings earlier in the year. He has won nine titles in the last 13 months, and is currently unbeaten in 2018.

Federer took a break from his 2018 schedule to play Match for Africa 5 in San Jose, California on March 5 in order to raise money for his foundation. The 20-time men’s singles Grand Slam champion partnered American billionaire businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates and took on a team comprised of world number 10 Jack Sock and NBC presenter Savannah Guthrie.

The 36-year-old started the Match for Africa event in 2010 when he played Rafael Nadal in Switzerland and Spain to raise money for the Roger Federer Foundation and the Rafael Nadal Foundation. He has since played four events in Switzerland, Seattle and San Jose against Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, John Isner and most recently Jack Sock.

It is the second time Federer is partnering with Gates to raise funds for his foundation with the first time being in Seattle last year, when they played Isner and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam. The event raised around $2 million, while the 2017 event is said to have topped that at $2.5 million.

The funds raised go to Federer’s Foundation which helps improve education for underprivileged children in Africa and Switzerland. There are currently 309,000 children being helped by the Swiss tennis legend’s programs in countries like Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Federer is keen to continue his work and be more involved in the future as it demands "more time and flexibility". He currently can’t afford to allocate the time due to his commitments on the ATP Tour, but made it clear that his foundation will be a priority when he hangs up his racket and calls time on his illustrious career.

“Sooner or later, the moment will come when my tennis career is done and I have more time to spend with my foundation, ” Federer wrote in Bill Gates’ blog Gates Notes. “I definitely look forward to being able to travel more often to Africa, visit our programs, and raise more money for our cause.”

“Of course, there will be challenges along the way – but I hope to grow in my knowledge and experience every day. Becoming a good philanthropist is a never-ending journey. Achieving sustainable change is complex and depends on many external factors, challenges, and risks.

“It demands time, flexibility, and expertise. You need to understand dynamics on the ground and react to threats and opportunities. This is why we closely collaborate with local partner organisations and why we established a regional office in South Africa,” the eight-time Wimbledon winner explained.

“We are constantly learning and doing our best to adapt our programs accordingly.”