'They didn't know': Roger Federer's startling admission about children
Roger Federer has revealed how his children had no idea about his enormous success in tennis until very recently.
Federer and wife Mirka have two sets of twins - 12-year-old girls Myla and Charlene, and seven-year-old boys Leo and Lenny.
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The kids are often seen supporting him from the stands with Mirka and the family entourage, cheering on their father as he battles it out on the court.
But according to Federer, the four children "didn't know" about just how good their father is until recent days.
"For a long time, my four children had no idea what I had achieved during my tennis career," he said in a recent interview.
"It was their friends who revealed to them that I was No.1 in the world.
"They were literally speechless. My victories have never been an important topic at home."
Last year, Federer made the sad admission that he's always struggled to get his children interested in tennis.
"I have struggled with my children. I have tried to promote tennis at my household with playing a lot of matches against Rafa, Novak and everybody but my kids don't care,” he said.
"They need daddy home from the practice or from the matches.
"We tried to put a racquet in their hand and a ball in the other and see what happens.
“You see very quickly if kids like to play with the ball or go running outside. I think you see the differences very quickly."
Roger Federer's family admission after missing Australian Open
The 20-time grand slam champion recently announced that he won't be playing the Australian Open in January as he continues his recovery from another round of knee surgery.
The Swiss legend said he would be able to resume running in January and return to training on the court in March or April.
However the 40-year-old said he'd be "incredibly surprised" if he was even ready for Wimbledon in July.
"Even before the operation, we knew that a break of many months would be necessary afterwards," he said.
"I have started a long rehabilitation process in which I put all my heart and soul. But the situation is not the same as in 2016.
"I need to be very patient and give my knee the time to heal. The next few months will be crucial."
Federer had two knee operations in 2020 that kept him out of action for more than a year and returned to the ATP Tour in March.
However he only played 13 matches this year before undergoing a third operation following his quarter-final loss at Wimbledon last July.
Federer said his ability to enjoy normal life with his kids was more important than rushing back to tennis.
“I had this operation done so that I could ski with my children or play football or tennis in the future," he said.
“My primary motivation was to get back in shape for my normal life.
"But I wanted to approach this rehabilitation with the mentality and body of a top athlete.”
with agencies
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