Roger Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis on Thursday, at the age of 41, after winning 20 Grand Slam titles.  Federer announced his retirement on Twitter. 

“I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career,” Federer wrote in a post on Twitter. 

“I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the tour,” he wrote. 

Federer went on to thank his wife for being by his side and for “living through every minute” with him, saying that she had endured his “goofy side on the road” with him and his team for the past 20 years. 

Roger Federer met his wife Mirka before winning his first major sigles title. The couple met while representing Switzerland at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000. Roger and Mirka married in 2009 after nine years of dating and have since welcomed two sets of identical twins.

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Who are Roger Federer’s children?

Mirka and Roger married the same year she gave birth to their identical twin daughters, Myla Rose and Charlene Federer. Myla and Charlene were born on July 23, 2009, and are now 13 years old.

On May 6, 2014, Roger and Mirka welcomed their second set of identical twins, sons Leo and Lennart “Lenny” Federer. Federer was forced to withdraw from the 2014 Madrid Open as a result of this. Lenny and Leo are both eight years old.

Roger Federer’s children accompany him to the majority of tennis tournaments. They were always in the gallery with their mother and grandparents. During Wimbledon in July 2017, all four of his children essentially stole the show. Federer told the BBC that his then-3-year-old boys had no idea what was going on and assumed it was just a nice view and a nice playground. He went on to say that as they grew older, they would have a better understanding of what was going on. He also mentioned how special all of this was to him.

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His daughters, who were nearly 8 at the time, appeared to have a better understanding of what was going on. Federer stated that they enjoyed watching a little bit and are looking forward to cheering on their father in the finals. It’s incredible how Roger Federer manages to train and compete as a professional athlete while also being the father he is.

Given that all four of Federer’s children accompany him on tour and are frequently seen cheering on their father, the four of them are reportedly learning tennis basics alongside their friends. The boys have frequently been spotted on the practise courts, hitting with the 20-time Grand Slam champion, and Federer revealed in an interview that the boys have improved their tennis skills.

The 41-year-old explained that his children started playing tennis because the children of their family friends did, and he didn’t want them to feel left out. In most of his interviews, he stated that he is concerned about his twins becoming professional athletes. He had stated that turning pro would only mean another 25 years on the tennis circuit, travelling around the world. He claims that, as a supportive parent, he will support them no matter what they choose.

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Roger Federer’s children are homeschooled and speak fluent Swiss, English, and a little German. Federer, despite being an experienced father, has admitted that he used to mix up his children in the beginning because having two sets of twins made things even more complicated. Federer comes from a religious family and considers himself to be quite religious. He has taken the children to the Vatican and Einsiedeln.