Roger Federer has revealed that he refuses to sleep in a bed without his wife Mirka by his side. The 37-year-old Swiss tennis legend, who holds 20 grand slam titles – more than any other player in the history of the game – is also a staunch family man and admitted that his wife, children and friends come first, despite his passion for the sport.
In a detailed interview with The Sunday Times, Federer explained that his wife, whom he married in 2009, and their two sets of twins, who are home-schooled, travel everywhere with him when he is on tour.
Roger Federer revealed that his wife Mirka and his two sets of homeschooled twins accompany him on tour all the time. (Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas – Pool/Getty Images)
Roger Federer revealed that his wife Mirka and his two sets of homeschooled twins accompany him on tour all the time. (Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas – Pool/Getty Images)
Speaking about life with Mikra, 40, twin girls Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, 9, and twin boys Lenny and Leo, 4, he admitted that he has had to change “a ton” of nappies between matches. “I refuse to leave the bed with my wife. We always wanted to have kids, but my dream was to be with [her] and not in another bedroom on another floor”, Federer said in the interview.
“I’d rather sleep with kids screaming than away from my wife,” he added.
Roger Federer insists on sharing his bed with wife Mirka. (Image Source: Getty Images)
Roger Federer insists on sharing his bed with wife Mirka. (Image Source: Getty Images)
Federer also spoke about plans to enroll his kids in mainstream schools in Switzerland post-retirement. But keeping things tight lipped, he refused to reveal whether he had any plans to hang up his racket any time soon, admitting that all he cared about were his “wife, children and friends”. Keeping a nonchalant tone, he added that if he won more tournaments, it would be “fantastic”, and if not, “it’s all good”.
Elsewhere in the interview, Federer, who is currently ranked No. 3 among men in the ATP rankings, spoke about Serena Williams’ on-court outburst during the US Open Final- a move which resulted in her having a game docked as a penalty after she accused the umpire of sexism, calling him a “thief and liar”. Federer admitted to thinking that she “should have walked away”.
But Federer defended Serena for wearing a catsuit that was later banned, before referring to French player Alize Cornet who was told off for readjusting her t-shirt, describing himself as ‘all for women.’
Roger Federer and Serena Williams. (Image Source: Getty Images)
Roger Federer and Serena Williams. (Image Source: Getty Images)
The interview comes shortly after Federer and Serena Williams committed to play the Hopman Cup mixed teams event in late December. Frances Tiafoe will be Williams’ partner for the United States, while Belinda Bencic will again represent Switzerland with Federer to defend the title they won in January over Kerber and Zverev.
