Karen Khachanov Opens Up About Roger Federer’s Offer to Train with Him in Dubai

Karen Khachanov revealed the conversation he had with Roger Federer in Australia this year. The Russian ace, who was last seen in action in the third round of Wimbledon, said the Swiss maestro was very open with him, which wouldn’t have been the case had Federer still been playing.

At Wimbledon, Khachanov suffered a five-set defeat at the hands of this year’s French Open runner-up, Flavio Cobolli. He recently sat for an interview with Hard Court, during which he revealed Federer offered to train with him in Dubai.

I was in Australia this year. We were talking with Roger for 30-40 minutes. He was very open because he already finished his career, I don’t think he would have done that if he was still playing.

Federer retired at the 2022 Laver Cup, but he has not left tennis entirely, as he makes frequent appearances in tournaments.

But I asked him questions, I asked him about, for example, in the summer, how he was preparing, why he flew to Dubai. He told me he started it at 24-25 years old, but at one point, Mirka [Federer’s wife] told him that he needed to calm down because she was afraid for his heart! ‘Stop flying, and you’ll feel calmer, stay in Switzerland!’ He also told me that if you are in Dubai during the off-season, call me, I’m ready, come and train.

Karen Khachanov added

In this Wimbledon, he attended a few matches, including the men’s semifinal between Alexander Zverev and Cobolli. A picture of Federer sitting all alone in the Royal Box for the last match on Centre Court had gone viral, with fans calling him a true fan of the game.

Karen Khachanov reveals what Novak Djokovic learned from Roger Federer

During that aforementioned interview with Hard Court, Karen Khachanov also revealed what Novak Djokovic told him about following in the footsteps of Roger Federer. Djokovic, who is not caring much about the rankings and the tournaments that are not the Majors, analyzed how the 20-time Grand Slam champion managed his schedule after turning 35.

Novak once told me that at one point, he started looking at which tournaments Roger Federer was playing after turning 35. He analyzed what Roger was doing during that stage of his career. He still manages to stay in the top five or top ten. Novak often says that rankings are no longer important to him. He plays for the biggest tournaments, where he reaches at least the semifinals.

Karen Khachanov said

Djokovic was also last seen in action in the grass-court Major. He reached the semifinals, and for the second consecutive time, eventual champion Jannik Sinner knocked him out in three sets at that stage. Later, Sinner beat Alexander Zverev in the final to become the 10th man in the Open Era to defend the title at the All England Club.

Djokovic has so far competed in just five tournaments this year, which include the first three Majors. The other two events were the Indian Wells Masters and the Italian Open, where he suffered fourth-round and opening-round exits, respectively.

In the Melbourne Slam, after knocking out Sinner in the semifinals, the 24-time Grand Slam champion lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final in four sets. Last year, the 39-year-old did not play any warm-up tournaments on hardcourt before the US Open.

He is expected to do the same this year as well, as he hasn’t played at the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters since winning the title in the latter event in 2023. The Serb last won a title at the 2025 Hellenic Championship.

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