"Bigger hassle is being asked all the time, I'm sick and tired of it" - When 29-year-old Roger Federer hit out at incessant questions about retirement

Roger Federer once expressed his frustration with incessant questions about his retirement plans.

Federer entered the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open (now known as the Miami Open) as the third seed, on the hunt for his second title of the season.

Despite kicking the year off with a triumph at the Qatar Open, the Swiss faced setbacks with three consecutive losses to Novak Djokovic, in the Australian Open semifinal, Dubai Tennis Championships final, and the Indian Wells Masters semifinal.

He reached the semifinals of the Masters 1000 event in Miami, only to suffer a resounding 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Rafael Nadal. Following his loss, Federer was asked if he was contemplating his last title and retirement and whether he viewed that thought as a challenge or a hassle.

However, the Swiss legend asserted that the real hassle was in facing interminable questions about his retirement plans, sharing that he was "sick and tired" of the persistent speculation.

"No, the bigger hassle is being asked all the time these questions. I don't know how many times I need to answer until I just say I'm not going to answer it anymore.

"Up to you how many times I will have to answer the question until I'm sick and tired of it," he said in his post-match press conference.

Despite acknowledging the "disappointing" loss, Federer emphasized that such defeats motivated him to work harder and expressed excitement about what lay ahead in his career.

He also hit out at the journalists, stating that their repeated inquiries made him sound much older than 29.

"But I know that I can do many more things in the game. Sure, it's disappointing losing a game like tonight, but those are the matches I work extremely hard for in the off-season and practice, and I'm very excited by what's to come still," he said.

"I don't feel like I'm 35 like you guys make me sound I am. I'm still only 29, and I have many more years left," he added.

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Roger Federer on his Grand Slam tally: "We'll see at 36, 39 how many more I was able to get or not"

Roger Federer

During the same press conference, Roger Federer was asked about his chances of winning more Grand Slam titles after the age of 29, given the rarity of players winning Majors beyond that age.

In response, the Swiss pointed out that his accomplishments had surpassed those of many others but refrained from putting a number on how many more Majors he could win.

"Um, I don't know. You tell me. I don't know. I think I've done quite well over the last ten years. I feel like I've done a lot more than some other players, so I feel like I'm -- yeah, we'll see how it all plays out," he said.

"We'll see at 36, 39 how many more I was able to get or not. We're not going to predict how many I'm going to get or not. I'm enjoying myself right now, and I feel like if I'm playing well I can get those. That's what I care about right now," he added.

At the time, Roger Federer had 16 Grand Slam titles, winning his most recent Major at the 2010 Australian Open. He went on to add four more to his Slam tally before his retirement in September 2022.