Swiss tennis icon Roger Federer teases the world by revealing he might start playing pickleball. Yes, pickleball fans! You read it right. In fact, the 42-year-old former professional tennis player even joked about the shoes he might wear.
Federer may have retired from professional tennis in September 2022 but has been busy with his entrepreneurial ventures. At the same time, the 20-time Grand Slam champion seems set to try a new sport - pickleball!
Last Sunday, May 5, Federer unveiled the Clubhouse Pro shoes via his Instagram account. The newly launched tennis shoe is just one of the proud products of On, a Swiss footwear company in which Federer acquired a 3 percent share in 2019.
"This is the Roger Clubhouse Pro. The first time I held this shoe in my hand, I was very excited because you can play any racquet sport with it. Tennis, paddle, or dare I even say it, pickleball." Federer cheerfully said in the video.
Federer also highlighted the shoes' unique features, including On's signature foam for comfort and responsiveness, the award-winning CloudTec sole, and the Speedboard for extra stability while sliding on the court.
However, Federer didn’t stop there from showing interest in pickleball. The eight-time Wimbledon champion recently visited San Francisco, where the 2025 Laver Cup will be held. It should not come as a surprise since he co-founded the Laver Cup in 2017.
During the interview with NBC, Federer admitted that although tennis was a big part of his life, he also enjoys retirement. He said he still tries to work out, swim, and play squash and tennis. But when asked if he’ll play pickleball, he said this:
"I have never played pickleball, believe it or not. In Europe, we have a lot of padel—I only played that twice. And pickleball—I’ve only seen it. I know that Jack Sock’s on the tour there as well, and some other tennis players are trying it. I heard it’s very popular, very fast-growing over here, so I might have to start playing it, who knows?"
John McEnroe, couple Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, and Maria Sharapova are only among the tennis legends who are now helping promote pickleball. If Roger Federer decides to hold a pickleball paddle and hit the ball, that would bring more excitement to the sport!
