Wimbledon 2025 is well underway, so you might think the best place to run into the record-holding eight-time champion of tennis’ greatest tournament might be somewhere near SW19. But Roger Federer is holding court of a different sort, perched on a chair in the recently opened Rolex flagship at Watches of Switzerland on London’s Old Bond Street.
Federer is in town to attend Wimbledon, of course, but also to celebrate his long-standing relationship with Rolex – the tennis legend has been an ambassador for the Swiss watchmaker since 2001.
Interviewed by former tennis pro and fellow Rolex testimonee Vijay Amritraj, Federer chatted about his winning career, what he’s been up to since his retirement from the professional circuit in 2022, his own Rolex collection, and who he thinks might just take home the Wimbledon trophy this year.
Read on for more…
Vijay Amritraj: How have you been feeling since your retirement?
Roger Federer: Well rested…[there’s] less stress in my life for sure. My kids are getting older, the diapers are a thing of the past, the nights are more solid and when we travel it’s because we want to travel. With a tour, as you know, you’ve got to keep going and going and going. I think also, honestly, looking towards the end of my career, the stress with my knee as well, the injuries…it feels like there’s always a cloud…a bit of a fog around you, you know you’re not 100%…and two and half years into my retirement I feel great.
Vijay Amritraj: Rolex is definitely all about sports. You’ve been with them now for nearly a quarter century…
Roger Federer: I’ve made friends at the brand, it’s not just an ambassadorship. I feel like it’s much more than that. I’ve seen people come and go at the company…I remember the former chairman, CEOS and everybody, and we’ve got along so well over the years…It’s been wonderful. I hope that I’ve brought Rolex even more into tennis, with my presence of being Swiss and winning Wimbledon and going global as a little Swiss guy. That is something I’m very proud of.
If it’s partially because of me that Rolex believes that actually tennis is a wonderful sport – today they sponsor all the [ATP] Masters 1000s, Grand Slams, the Laver Cup, Davis Cup and World Tour Finals – it’s a wonderful thing. And of course Geneva being in my home country, they have headquarters there. I always pop in to say hi to everybody. It’s a great relationship. I wish everybody could see the headquarters and see the watchmaking because it’s a very unique and special craft, which I truly admire. It’s awesome.
Vijay Amritraj: How do you define excellence in your day-to-day life now?
Roger Federer: It’s never like it used to be. You know, where it was all very much based on results, like a musician. [The audience] knew if you were good or bad because they cheer for you, or they don’t. But truthfully, for me, nowadays it’s just finding the right balance with my life, with my family, my wife. Just making sure that everything works. I think today that’s my success. Then of course I’ve [also] had my [charitable] foundation for 21 years. I still have partnerships and relationships and sponsorships….It’s fun working now with them together on a plan and a creative idea, whereas before it was more, ‘okay, if you have time…?’ ‘Not really, but yes, let’s try and make something work.’ You’d squeeze out a good event or a good campaign. I feel like now you can go much deeper and more meaningful. I hope I can bring some good ideas, and something excellent is going to come out of it.
“I hope I’ve brought Rolex even more into tennis, with my presence of being Swiss and winning Wimbledon and going global as a little Swiss guy. That’s something I’m very proud of.”
ROGER FEDERER
VJ: When you look at all these amazing watches you have in your collection, does each of them mean something to you? Do you pick one to wear on a regular basis to red carpet events?
RF: No, I don’t actually have a watch which is just for red carpets, because I don’t think that should be the case… For me, truthfully, not every watch holds a special memory. Some I just bought because I loved the watch, so I don’t need a reason to feel attached to it. Then, of course, there’s many [other] watches that either I have had on at centre court when I lifted the trophy at the French Open, or here at Wimbledon. Today, as I was choosing the watch I was going to bring to Wimbledon, I looked at one of the watches I won – I believe it was 2009 against Roddick, my sixth Wimbledon – I thought oh, maybe I could bring that one back, the one with the lavender numbers. I ended up putting it away again, and I brought the new Land-Dweller with me because I fell in love with it and I was on the campaign just recently. I felt that was the watch for Wimbledon this year.
VJ: Looking back all the way to Björn Borg in the ’70s and now to [Carlos] Alcaraz in this time…other than their achievements, what do you admire about players like that?
RF: I’ve always admired when you can stay at the top for long, and you can repeat winning. I remember when I was growing up how hard that was for me, because I could play well for 10 minutes, or I could play well for an hour, or for a week. But it’s different to doing it week after week, year after year. I think there’s something to be admired about that. Borg’s done that. [He] was one of the first to go back-to-back with the French Open and Wimbledon, which I feel was much harder to do than nowadays, because you had slow clay or super quick grass which today is much more uniform.
What I also like is their aura, what they represent for our sport. I love listening to them, especially when they’re young. Björn was super young when he came on tour. So is Alcaraz. Martina Hingis was 16 when she came on tour. I love seeing their interviews, just to hear what they’re going to say. Are they going to make mistakes? How honest are they? How naive are they? I love that about young players coming through, and I hope that they can make mistakes and don’t become too robotic, you know? I love that about Carlos [Alcaraz]. He’s still really vibrant. He’s out there. He says how it is and then, okay, he’ll make some mistakes, and I hope the media will cut him a break. I want him to stay truthful. Obviously, the best [players] have something extraordinary. With Carlos, it’s the power. The finesse was Björn. [His] mentality is second-to-none. It’s great to see past legends. It’s a really nice thing. That’s why I’ve returned to Wimbledon for the past couple of years now.
VJ: What comes to mind when you think about your relationship with Rolex?
RF: It’s a privilege to be able to represent a brand like this, and call them a friend. I feel special at events, because I know it [Rolex] carries weight, like carrying the world number one [has] weight. When I went to Rotterdam – just after winning the Australian Open and becoming world number one, in 2004 – in the pre-tournament press [calls], they asked me all sorts of stuff. I was like, ‘what’s going on? What is this press conference?’ And a guy explained it to me, like, ‘well, you’re world number one, that means you have a responsibility to answer all these other questions.’ I feel it’s a little bit similar when you’re a Rolex ambassador – there is a bit of weight of how you carry yourself, and you have to be comfortable with that. I’ve been doing this for so long, so it’s natural and authentic. I hope that it shows, and I hope that it lasts for a very long time.
VJ: What have you enjoyed about this next chapter, beyond competitive tennis? And what are you most looking forward to?
RF: Honestly, it’s been good to just step away. I felt a great sense of relief, with all the issues I’ve had with my knees, especially with my right one. It was tough at the end. Just being able to cross the line into retirement was a great feeling. I was always a little bit worried that at the end of my career there was going to be loads of suffering, that it was not going to be as uplifting and exciting as it should be. [But] then, it was. I loved everything about it. It was much nicer than I thought it was going to be. So that gave me a great sense of relief.
The first six to nine months, I just had to come to terms with a few things. I still had some things planned, because I didn’t know exactly when I was going to retire that year, in 2022, so there was still some pre-organised stuff. Since then, I’ve really [been] in charge of my schedule. A lot of saying ‘no’ – I’ve been given a great deal of advice about [doing that]. ‘Don’t be too opportunistic, say no to loads of things. Take the time,’ which I did, and I think it’s served me well.
Now, we’re really trying to make incredible fun trips with the family. We’ve gone all around the world, from safari in South Africa to travelling through Japan, and Vietnam, and Thailand. It’s been incredible, and I hope we can do more of it in the coming years. Plus, new projects, as there were always be new oppportunities.
“I was always a little bit worried that at the end of my career there was going to be loads of suffering, that it was not going to be as uplifting and exciting as it should be. [But] then, it was. I loved everything about it. It was much nicer than I thought it was going to be. So that gave me a great sense of relief.”
ROGER FEDERER
VJ: What’s next for Roger Federer? Any more goals? Or have you just decided that you want to be a scratch golfer…? You scored a 79 at Augusta [Masters Golf Tournament], by the way, after just 18 months of golf…?
RF: Yeah I played really well. Since then, not so good. I feel golf is like a construction site for life. But I had a great time and I’m working on it. But now the summer comes and my focus shifts to tennis. I really would like to play some more again, hopefully play some exhibitions next year. Other than that, honestly, I’m looking forward to going to Wimbledon. And also enjoying some plays or musicals in London, seeing friends and the tennis community.
VJ: And a quick prediction [for Wimbledon 2025]? For the mens’ and women’s titles…?
RF: The draw has opened up a lot. I say maybe [Elena] Rybakina or [Aryna] Sabalenka. We’ll see. Once you reach the semis, all of a sudden the better ball strikers become the favourites, not just the better movers. On the mens’ side, Carlos [Alcaraz], Jannick [Sinner] and Novak [Djokovic]. I feel like it’s the three of them, and they all have an equal chance. Maybe Carlos has a slight edge, just because he’s two-time defending champion. Then perhaps Novak. We’ll see.
[Editor’s Note: some answers have been edited for length and clarity]
Like this? Take a look at the new Rolex launch that Roger Federer accidentally leaked on Instagram.
