Roger Federer talks about Switzerland's "spectacular" trails, says one of his goals after retiring is to explore more of them

Roger Federer is poised to make his return to action later this month. The Swiss has confirmed his participation at the upcoming Geneva Open and the French Open, following which he will take part in his beloved grass swing.

It remains to be seen what Federer's level will be like after his extended break. But the 39-year-old has certainly been enjoying his time away from the sport, keeping himself busy with advertising gigs for Lindt, Barilla, Mercedes-Benz and now Switzerland Tourism.

In one of his recent media interactions, Roger Federer opened up about his work for Switzerland Tourism and the many hiking trails that his country boasts of. When asked to describe some of his favorite trails in Switzerland, Federer mentioned the ones in Gstaad, Appenzell and Graubunden.

The 39-year old then disclosed that he was looking forward to exploring some of the trails himself when he retires, before adding that mountain biking was the latest fad in Switzerland.

"Some of the most spectacular hiking trails I like are by Gstaad in these Bernese Alps," Roger Federer said. "It's not so brutally up and down, it's more of an even slope, which is great for hiking. The same goes for Appenzell, which is a very nice place that's not so famous. When I was injured in 2016 I spent a lot of time on the hiking trails in Graubunden, where I live now."

"One of my goals when I retire is that I'll have time to explore our mountain bike trails," he added. "Mountain biking has really become big in Switzerland."

"It's a good time for me to step up to the plate and help the country" - Roger Federer on promoting Swiss tourism

Roger Federer

During the interaction, Roger Federer was also probed about his decision to promote tourism in his country while he was still playing. In response, Federer explained that although he had represented Switzerland countless times on the court, it was good to represent the country through a different avenue.

"It's good timing for me to do this now," Federer said. "I feel like I've always represented Switzerland and I've done my fair share to be an ambassador for the country. But for me to do it in an official mission is a nice thing to do."

The 39-year-old added that he had seen enough of the world to be able to take on the responsibility of promoting tourism. He also insisted that he wanted to give back to people from all sectors that had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I feel like I had to be a bit older to do this, at around 40 years old," Federer said. "I've been to maybe 60 countries. I live in Switzerland now and I will continue to live in Switzerland. I know everyone's hurting right now, it's a good time for me to be able to step up to the plate and help the country as we're hopefully going to open again."