Roger Federer earned quality praise from former World No. 1 Rory McIlroy over his post-retirement shift to a new sport. Federer, who has won 20 Grand Slams, is able to take up golf more often now that he has plenty of time on his hands. He is joined by his former rival and friend, Rafael Nadal, and the two even hit off the course at Mallorca in July.
McIlroy and Federer teed it off a couple of months ago, and the Northern Irish golfer finds the Swiss tennis pro natural at the game. The 36-year-old golf star recently shared praise for Federer and how the sport has impacted his family, including Mirka and their four children, after his highly acclaimed professional tennis career.
“He has a lot of potential. Great technique, as you can imagine,” McIlroy said. “He didn’t play a ton when he was playing tennis because it always (bothered) his lower back a little bit.
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"But he's really getting into it. He's super keen. He went and got fitted for clubs. His wife, Mirka, is playing, his kids are playing. It's turned from a tennis family to a golf family."
McIlroy points out that while back problems limited Federer’s time on the fairway earlier in life, he’s now fully embracing the sport and bringing the entire family with him, including his wife Mirka and the kids.
Roger Federer aiming to improve his handicap in golf
Since hanging up his racket in 2022, Roger Federer has traded his racket for a golf club. The 20-time Grand Slam champion eyes to improve his handicap to something around the 12 mark. Earlier on Aug. 13, during the launch of the new signature Wilson racket, Federer spoke about his love for the sport.
“I just want to be good enough so I don’t have to collect all the balls in the bushes,” Federer told reporters.
“We’ll see how good I become, but I just want to get to a 12 handicap as quick as possible and then we’ll see,” he added.
Before turning pro, Roger Federer tried his hand at golf. Now, after his retirement, he has once again embraced the sport even more enthusiastically. Notably, he compared both tennis and golf.
“I’ve always wanted to make sure that we don’t forget how good the people were dressed in tennis,” Federer told Hypegolf. “Sometimes preppy, cool, also sometimes on the edge of things. And this is the same now carrying over into pickleball, paddle and golf as well for that matter.”
Lately, Roger Federer has been spotted at golf courses more often. In Mallorca, he teed off with Nadal. Then, at the Masters in Augusta, Federer mingled with golf greats and took in the tradition-soaked atmosphere firsthand.
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