When Roger Federer announced that he and Mirka had become parents to a second set of twins in 2014, the tennis community could think of only one thing. Well, three: Women’s doubles. Men’s doubles. Mixed doubles.
The Federer clan would have all three. And with parents who were both professional tennis players – having played mixed doubles at the 2002 Hopman Cup, too – it was like their kids were bound to follow in their professional footsteps. However, on the path to making that happen, Federer is faced with an unlikely opponent.
When Roger Federer discovered tennis as an 8-year-old, we lived in the 20th Century – a world with limited technology and practically no internet or smartphones. It was just him and tennis, and he fell in love with the sport in no time. However, the world has changed, and in this technology-driven age we’re living in, the Swiss Maestro talked about his role as a responsible father. Especially when it involves keeping his children away from the digital world, as too many parents often find themselves doing in the 21st Century.
When asked how he accomplishes that goal, the 20-time Grand Slam champion offered a solution. “I think that by creating a [digitally-driven world], you have to talk to [your children]. You have to talk not only to your
children but also to your parents, to your teachers, to everyone, because it’s true. The screen and all that is so extreme.” After his response, the interviewer inquired whether he had reached that stage with his children.