Federer does not close the door on becoming a coach: "Never say never"

Roger Federer is enjoying his new life as a retired tennis player since he hung up his racket in September 2022. Since then, he has been seen at the Laver Cup, a tournament he created, a couple of times at Wimbledon, and at other events for his brands. But above all, he is enjoying time with his children and his wife.

However, the passion that the 20-time Grand Slam champion has for tennis is innate, and while he has mentioned the possibility of an exhibition tour with Rafa Nadal, during his recent tour in Shanghai, he was asked about the future possibility of coaching a player: “Not right now, simply because I’m too busy and the kids need all my attention. Also, I have too many projects. I really enjoy my time and my life with my wife, so I don’t want to change that for now, but never say never,” he stated in comments reported by Tennis365.

“I guess with the Laver Cup on the horizon, the captain's role is something I could definitely consider,” Federer said earlier this year. And while he considers this future option, he sent advice to current coaches, especially those with developing players.

“A child aged 10, 12, or 14 still has plenty of time. In Switzerland, I won national titles in the under-12, under-14, and under-16 categories, but I didn’t progress internationally until I was 16 or 17 years old. Sometimes growth comes later, and coaches and parents need to be patient.”

Federer closes the door in the short term but does not rule out coaching in the future

And despite Federer currently rejecting the option to coach, the star used his former coach and legendary player, Stefan Edberg, as an example of why he might change his mind. “Stefan Edberg never thought he would be a coach, and suddenly he found himself immersed in my world for two years. We had a great time.”

“But after a year he told me: ‘Roger, I still have one more year left.’ So I think if you come back to the circuit and want to make an impact on a player, you probably need to dedicate at least 20 or 25 weeks. Suddenly, you have to be prepared just in case, you know, Grand Slams or some tournaments don’t go as you expected, so you want to help the player in the best way possible. So I feel there’s a pretty big ‘maybe,’ let’s be honest.”

Although he has made it clear that this isn’t in his plans right now, it would be interesting to see the Swiss with some of the best tennis players of the moment or, perhaps, taking on an up-and-coming talent to teach them from scratch. Whoever it might be, it would be a joy to see Roger Federer more regularly on the ATP circuit.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Federer no cierra la puerta a ser entrenador: "Nunca digas nunca"