FEDERER: I’M THE DADDY

ABOVE: Roger Federer

ROGER FEDERER plans to be still winning Wimbledon when his kid is old enough to enjoy it.

And that’s seriously bad news for Rafa Nadal, Andy Murray and the rest of the men’s elite – given that Federer’s first child is not due until mid-August.

Federer will turn 28 that same month and is just one Grand Slam short of  becoming the most prolific Major winner
in tennis history.

But the Swiss ace claims he has no plans to quit in the near future.

He says the main reason he and wife Mirka decided to start a family now is so their nipper gets a chance to watch him performing at the peak of his powers.

The five-time Wimbledon champion, through to the last 16 having dropped only one set, said: “Mirka’s dream was  always to have our child see me play.

“It was inevitable that I was going to have a child sometime while I was still playing. It’s very exciting and I’m really
looking forward to it.

“So there you go. I’m not going to retire for a while. I am going to be playing for some time yet.

“Playing at the London Olympics in 2012 is a big goal of mine.

“Having a child hasn’t changed my perspective on life – not yet – but it’s definitely going to have a big impact on both my personal and tennis life.

“How I see things will change – there will never be a bad day although I am always very positive in life anyway.

“Win or lose, tennis is just one part of my life.

“Of course, it’s very time-consuming but there are definitely other things out there, which is why it’s so 
fitting to be having a baby now.”

The ease with which the Fed Express has blitzed into the fourth round, where he tomorrow meets Robin Soderling
– who he beat in the French Open  final – is an ominous sign for Murray’s title tilt.

Yet it mirrors perfectly the relaxed, buoyant mood of the 14-time Grand Slam winner, who, having finally nailed his Holy Grail of a first French Open triumph, has never been happier, on or off the court.

On his April wedding to long-time partner Mirka, Federer said: “It was very emotional and I was very nervous.

“It’s strange to go from saying, ‘this is my girlfriend’, which is cute, to ‘this is my wife’, which is more serious and deep.

“I didn’t know how it would be but to see and feel the love between two people has been very nice.”

It all makes Federer’s year a  momentous one, whether or not he puts his name in the tennis history books with a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam success.

It was somewhat of a shock he actually lost a set in the last round to Philipp Kohlschreiber, albeit on a tie-break.

But the way he responded to that minor setback spoke volumes as he came out in the fourth set and went up
3-0 in 12 minutes.

“I was happy how I reacted,” Federer said. “Thought I didn’t panic.”

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