Roger Federer was in Paris for a special reason

Roger Federer is very busy despite his professional tennis career having ended about two years ago. The Swiss legend played his last match at the 2022 Laver Cup alongside his former rival and Rafael Nadal, with whom he created an iconic rivalry that transcended tennis.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has had so many problems in the last two years of his career due to a serious knee injury, which had already occurred at the beginning of 2020. The former world number 1 tried to find a solution to get back on the competitive side, but even surgeries didn’t solve the problem.

Federer tried to get back on the tour in 2021 by playing a few tournaments, but he didn’t get the results he wanted. The Swiss Maestro reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon 2021, catching a resounding beating against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz on the Centre Court. That summer, Roger underwent another knee operation, hoping to return the following year and give himself a finale worthy of his amazing career. Federer continued to postpone his return until news of his retirement in September 2022. The O2 Arena in London hosted the last match of the King, who received an amazing tribute from all his colleagues.

The Swiss Maestro is very busy

Although he no longer has to play and travel, Roger Federer is still very much involved with his sponsors and his many passions. The 20-time Grand Slam champion recently shot a series of spots in Paris for Uniqlo during the Paris Olympics. The former world number 1 has been very busy with its main sponsor in recent months, having shot 18 episodes between Tokyo, Shanghai, London and New York. The Swiss also recently took part in a commercial with Hollywood star Zendaya.

The King is expected to be present at the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup, which will take place in Berlin at the end of September. Many fans and experts thought Roger would become the new captain of Team Europe immediately after his retirement, but the Swiss has decided not to take on this role for now.

Besides being a great tennis player, Federer has always been very busy off the court. His mother Lynette is South African and Roger has maintained a great relationship with this country. In a recent interview with Vogue, the Swiss legend paid tribute to Nelson Mandela: “One person that stands out—particularly with my South African background is Nelson Mandela. I feel like I had the opportunity to meet him in those years when I was world number one and chasing all these things, but I don’t know: It just was not meant to be. And then at the end, when I was trying to figure it out, he passed away, and I have regrets that I didn’t get to see him. So what do I think of him as a person? I think he’s been incredibly influential and inspiring on so many levels… He changed the country in a very positive way. So yeah, we can’t be thankful enough to him (for) what he has given to the country.”

The Big 3 dominated tennis

When his knee is better, fans are hoping that King Federer will stage some exhibition matches with his old rivals. Rafa Nadal seems very close to retirement, while Novak Djokovic should continue playing for some more time.

In a long interview with Tennis365, top agent Patricio Apey reflected on the Big 3’s legacy: “Novak is just a great guy. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know him down the years. I’ve done some things for his Foundation and I don’t have the smallest bad word to say about him. Of course, everyone will care how fans view them, but I’m not sure it’s entirely true to say that Djokovic is not popular with the tennis public.

A lot of Federer and Nadal fans may drive that message, but he is caring, he is as intelligent as can be and is a class act in so many ways. He can attend an event for a charity or a foundation and deliver a 30-minute speech about the mission of the organisation without a single note. He is always so impressive. He’s so grounded, centred and comfortable in his skin. That’s more important than anything anyone can say about him. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, that’s the reality.”

The Big 3 broke most of the records in men’s tennis, bringing this sport to a new dimension thanks also to Andy Murray. The Scotsman selected the Paris Olympics as the last event of his career.