Roger Federer is having fun in retirement

NEW YORK – On Wednesday morning, a crowd gathered outside the Uniqlo flagship store on Fifth Avenue hoping to catch a glimpse of Roger Federer.

The tennis star, who retired in 2022, was inside introducing his first fashion collection, which he designed with Irish fashion designer Jonathan Anderson.

Federer, 41, was involved in almost all the details, from fabric to zippers.

The Swiss has long sold caps and T-shirts with his RF logo, but this project is different. The collection includes fast-drying polo shorts, fleece zip-up jackets and nylon joggers.

He seemed happy and relaxed as he showed off his new clothes. But designing clothes is not the only thing he has been doing in retirement. He has been travelling with his family, hopping onstage at a Coldplay concert in Zurich and even attending Grand Slam tournaments as a spectator.

In the edited interview below, Federer talks about his life in retirement.

Why did you want to create your own collection?

RF: We have such a great style history in tennis. Rene Lacoste and Stan Smith were wonderful tennis players. I feel it’s important to remember where we came from. And if I can make tennis look stylish, I think I should do that.

My collection is designed to be worn while you are playing or afterwards... Not the sweaty look, of course, but let’s say you don’t sweat, you can still wear my clothes to walk on the street and look stylish.

Were you worried about retiring and what it would do to your fan base?

RF: I always feel like I’ve reached a high point, and then it keeps going.

Life without the game, and life without the fans, and life without the schedule that has dominated my life for 25 years has definitely been something I didn’t know how I would take. For the longest time, I tried to come back and give it one more shot and leave the game healthy, but it was not doable.

But the good/bad thing about Covid, and with my knee surgery, is that everything started to slow down in the past three years, so it wasn’t like I came from playing 100 matches and then boom, it’s over.

At the end I was relieved, I think, and happy to retire. It ended in the most perfect way at the Laver Cup. I was surrounded by my biggest rivals, and my family was there and my friends. For me it felt like, “OK, I’m good now. I don’t need to chase that itch any more.”

You returned this year to Wimbledon, where you watched Andy Murray play from the Royal Box. What was it like to be a spectator?

RF: Last year, I walked out on Centre Court for the 100-year anniversary celebration. It was beautiful but painful. I was injured. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play again, so it was a very emotional moment.

But this year was totally different. My dad whispered to me, “Don’t you wish you were playing on court instead of sitting and watching?” and I was like, “No. I feel content watching and enjoying the game.”

You’ve been spending a lot of time in New York City this year, co-chairing the Met Gala, posting pictures of yourself on Instagram eating cheeseburgers. Do you feel the city has changed since before the pandemic?

RF: I’ve always been strict and serious about being a professional athlete, but I would eat burgers, I would eat desserts, I would have a glass of wine. For me, having a burger was nothing out of the ordinary but this one was perfect looking, so I had to post a picture of it.

I was so busy when I came for the Met Gala. I feel the buzz is back.

Is there a side of you away from being a tennis player that you want people to see now?

RF: I started doing more trips that are fun with the family. I took my kids to Lesotho for my foundation’s trip to Africa. We went to the Met Gala. We went on the Orient Express with my parents, things that were just not doable when I played because it took too much time away from the game.

So different sorts of photos are coming out of me, and it’s nice to realise that people are still happy to see me. NYTIMES