Roger Federer Opens Up About His ‘Love-Hate’ Relationship with Social Media

Roger Federer said social media comments don't affect him anymore, but he still doesn't know how to handle these platforms well.

Roger Federer Opens Up About His ‘Love-Hate’ Relationship with Social Media

Roger Federer (Image via X/Tennis Channel)

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Roger Federer called time on his remarkable career at the 2022 Laver Cup, and since then, his different businesses have kept him busy. This year, Federer and Wilson launched a new collection of rackets, the RF Classics.

Forbes last month announced that the 20-time Grand Slam champion, who also heavily invested in the Swiss sportswear company On in 2019, became the seventh billionaire athlete with a net worth of $1.1 billion. 

Federer, last year, sat for an interview with Not Your Country Club (released the video recently on YouTube) where, among other things (RF rackets, family life, and tennis), he discussed his relationship with social media. The eight-time Wimbledon champion was asked about the time he finally made the decision to retire.

He said that when he dropped the retirement video, it took no time to reach everybody. The 44-year-old finds it difficult to handle social media, especially the constant urge to post something.

I’m very good at absorbing comments, you know, when I read, I don’t know 10 comments as an example. I don’t know, you have a great forehand, and one guy says you have a backhand, I don’t question backhand, you know, after that. But that could be with how you look about the size of your nose to whatever they want to talk about, and that’s it, it can be very hurtful for I think a lot of the players or for a lot of the people on social, so I with that I deal with it well.

Federer said that instead of thinking about what he should post on social media, he would rather use that time to think about something else. But the Swiss maestro also knows social media is a useful tool in many ways. He compared the current time to those days when having a website was enough; that to know something, people used to visit those sites instead of seeing the viral stuff.

So it’s a love-hate, but I think for most part it can be used in very beneficial ways.

Roger Federer added

Federer, the 103-time ATP singles titlist, last won a trophy at the 2019 Swiss Indoors by defeating Australia’s Alex de Minaur. His last Grand Slam appearance was at the 2021 Wimbledon (reached the quarterfinals). It was at the 2018 Australian Open that he clinched his career’s 20th Major and played one more final, in the 2019 Wimbledon, losing that match to longtime rival Novak Djokovic in five sets.

Roger Federer on Grigor Dimitrov’s 2024 US Open exit

Roger Federer was in the stands when Grigor Dimitrov took on home favorite Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open. During that interview with Not Your Country Club on YouTube, Federer recalled that match and felt something was wrong with the Bulgarian, who eventually gave the walkover in the fourth set.

Grigor Dimitrov (via X/Wimbledon)
Grigor Dimitrov (via X/Wimbledon)

Grigor and Tiafoe. I could feel that something was off with Grigor. I feel like he was a bit subdued. So he must have, he was, I mean, he gave up in the fourth, but yeah, anyway.

Federer also watched Dimitrov’s match against eventual winner Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of this year’s Wimbledon. Dimitrov took the first two sets off him and was on the cusp of eliminating the four-time Grand Slam champion, but he suffered a tear in his right pectoral muscle while he was serving. Eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer was a part of the Royal Box, and when the camera panned toward him, he looked extremely concerned.

Dimitrov has not yet played a match since that mid-match retirement at Wimbledon, skipping the US Open as well. It’s uncertain what his next tournament will be.

Also read: Joao Fonseca eyes blockbuster clash against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Laver Cup