Roger Federer, one of the greatest players of all time, is coming towards the end of his glittering career. That is not to say that retirement is imminent for him or that he will never win another Grand Slam title. He was written off more than once during the long stretch from 2013 to 2016 when he was unable to win a Major. But he returned to Grand Slam winning form in 2017 with two Major titles.
This year, he successfully defended his Australian Open title, and though his results have tailed off a little of late, they have still been good. A title in Stuttgart, runs to the final in Halle and Cincinnati and a quarterfinal showing at Wimbledon would be excellent results for most. Even so, Federer is 37-years-old. For all that he has a carefully managed schedule and a style of play which demands little from his body, even he cannot defy time indefinitely.
Nor, one suspects, will Federer want to go quietly into the night, to retire, as so many sportsmen do, when his powers have waned and he has long since ceased to be a relevant contender. Federer is a born champion, and when he finally hangs up his racquet, he will surely want to leave with the memories of glory fresh in the minds of his legions of fans.
But even with that in mind, he must have turned his thoughts to life after retirement. His $300 million Uniqlo clothing contract is fairly strong evidence of that. It’s hard to imagine any company investing so heavily in an athlete on the cusp of retirement with no plan for the future. But the day when Federer finally hangs up his racquet must be steadily approaching.
Undoubtedly the great man will have given his own exit some thought. For one thing, there’s his involvement in the Laver Cup. The competition, which pits a team of Europe’s best players against the best from the rest of the world, was played for the second time last weekend and looked to be a success. The players were passionate, the tennis was excellent and the fans turned up in their thousands with over 90,000 people watching it live over the weekend.
The prospect of seeing such titans of the game compete alongside one another, with Nadal playing for Europe last year in Prague and Djokovic this in Chicago, was a massive draw. There was something tremendously exciting about seeing Federer partner with his greatest rivals on the doubles court and all three could well appear together in the coming years. The Laver Cup is not perfect nor is it’s future assured, but Federer’s involvement suggests that he is looking to broaden his tennis horizons.
It’s likely that Federer had a more strategic, long-term goal in mind than merely drawing in the crowds – and the cash. One unmitigated success at the Laver Cup was the presence of legendary team captains Bjorn Borg for Team Europe and John McEnroe for Team World who played a similar role to that of a Davis Cup captain. Another was that team members who were not playing sat courtside, allowing them to interact with their teammates at the change of ends.
And the player who seemed most eager to offer a word of encouragement or tactical advice to a teammate was none other than Federer. Videos of his conversations with his teammates vibrated across social media, with his talk with Djokovic a particularly fascinating conversation between two greats of the game. But, as interesting as Federer’s take was in its own right, might there also be a deeper significance to his decision to offer his advice and encouragement?
Might it be that Federer was trying his hand at coaching, using his teammates as guinea pigs? Retirement is on the horizon for Federer, but he clearly loves competing and, perhaps more than any other player in the game, he loves winning. Moving into coaching soon after his playing career ends could be a way for Federer to play an active role in the sport he loves and maintain a competitive edge. There would certainly be a demand for his services.
For example, the nearly man Grigor Dimitrov, who continues to show an infuriating mix of promise and inconsistency, would surely benefit from the advice of the man his game so closely resembles. The elegant Stefanos Tsitsipas and the swashbuckling Denis Shapovalov are both young players with massive potential yet to entirely find their feet as touring professionals. Access to someone with Federer’s vast experience would be priceless for both.
Of course, Federer may not wish to rush into coaching. After a long career of travelling the globe, he may well desire more time at home with his family. And though some super-coaches, such as Boris Becker and Ivan Lendl, inspired their players to impressive success, others proved rather less adept at moving into a coaching role. It cannot be taken for granted that Federer’s success on the court would result in a smooth transition into a coaching role.
But he certainly looked to be enjoying his chance to fill that role at the Laver Cup. So if he does choose to hang up his racquet in the next few years, don’t be surprised if he is back on Tour having traded it for the coach’s cap.
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