"I had a deal with my parents to give tennis a realistic chance" - Roger Federer talks about the early years of his life as he quit school at 16

Roger Federer recently shed light on his childhood, the early years of his career and some difficult decisions that he had to make in order to give tennis a 'realistic chance'.

Having retired from professional tennis in September 2022, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has embraced a life on the go, regularly travelling to various destinations with his family. Across this year, Federer has been spotted in Spain, Croatia, Canada and most recently in Japan.

In a featured interview with GQ, former World No. 1 Federer was asked about his childhood and the beginning of his tennis career. Federer's journey of tennis started after he joined a local tennis club when he was eight.

"That's a good question. At the beginning of my career, I received feedback pretty quickly that I was actually quite good at what I was doing. At the beginning, it is of course difficult to assess this and you hardly dare to really believe it. And as soon as you slowly become a little more self-confident and think, hmm, maybe I'm really good, you'll get punched in the nose, you can be sure of that," Federer said.

The 42-year-old further spoke about the difficulties of commencing a sports career as a teenager and emphasized the importance of maintaining physical and mental well-being.

"As a teenager, you already go through a rollercoaster of emotions and when you add a career in competitive sports to the mix, you really have to take care of yourself. When I was 14, I left home and attended a performance centre. Those were probably the two most important years of my life. I learned so much about life," the Swiss said.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner further spoke about his decision to drop out of school as a 16-year-old to focus solely on tennis and the deal that he had with his parents.

"At the age of 16, I decided to stop school. I tried online classes for a few months but then realized pretty quickly that both weren't possible and that I had to put everything on one card. I had a deal with my parents to give tennis a realistic chance and if it didn't work out, to go back to school straight away and without complaining. What can I say, something has happened," Federer said.

"The future of my sport and the youth is very important to me" - Roger Federer on promoting the renovation of public tennis courts

Roger Federer poses for a photo at the 2023 Laver Cup in Vancouver.

During the same interview with GQ, Roger Federer stressed the importance of renovating the public courts in a bid to not only further the sport of tennis, but to create a safe environment for children.

"The future of my sport and our youth is very important to me. I want the children to go out, exercise and have a place where they can forget their problems for a match or two. It's about creating a safe retreat where you can always meet up with friends. A special place for society," the Swiss said.

The Swiss further spoke about athletes having the ability to inspire others to do better. Federer even looks forward to investing more time into his own foundation which enables poverty-stricken children to get a proper education and empower them.

"Yes. I've always loved it when athletes could inspire each other. Those moments outside of the match, when you learn from each other and briefly forget that you're about to compete again, are the best," the Swiss said.

"I love creating something positive together with others. And money doesn't always have to be the main driver. Sometimes a good idea or time is a much more significant investment. My foundation turns 20 this year and I can't wait to give it even more of my newfound time," he added.