TENNIS GREAT ROGER FEDERER IN TOWN & COUNTRY

Roger Federer

Tennis legend Roger Federer covers the October issue of Town & Country, on newsstands nationwide September 16th. In the magazine, he opens up about how he deals with failure, his wife and children (two sets of twins!), and why he still has the urge to keep playing tennis.

On feeling joy when he steps onto the tennis court:

“I want to be happy when I play. For me it’s the only right thing to do: to be happy, feel happy, and also share that with the people. It’s very important to me.”

On his love for the game, and why he’s not quite ready to retire:

“I didn’t expect to become a professional tennis player. Everything after top 100 and even top 10 for me was, like, way beyond. Yeah, I was joking about winning Wimbledon when I was younger, but did I ever really, really believe that it was going to happen? Probably not. But let’s just sort of dream big and give it a chance, you know? So everything, the whole last 10 years, has been more than I could ever ask for. And for that reason, I think, I have this pleasure and this fun, because I remember how it feels to play on Court 23. I remember how sad and angry I was when I was younger. I remember how much work I put into it. And that’s why I don’t want to give it away just like that.”

On his namesake foundation, a charity that helps children gain access to education, primarily in southern Africa, and currently assists 86,400 children, with the goal of 1 million by 2018:

“I just want to focus on one thing and do that a hundred percent. It’s important for the people who give you the money to see clearly what you’re trying to stand for. If somebody gives you one dollar, they know what’s going to happen with that dollar. For me it’s been a privilege being able to do that and having the trust of people.”

On his legendary battle with Rafael Nadal at the 2008 Wimbledon finals:

Fans “relate to you sometimes more when you lose. And then I think I got unbelievable support from 2008 onward. They wanted to see me win again.”