Federer’s complaint: “We’re not machines, we’re human”

The demanding schedule on the ATP and WTA tours can have a negative impact on the mental health of players, he said. Roger Federer at a promotional event in Tokyo.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion retired from the sport in September after traveling around the world multiple times in a career that spanned nearly a quarter of a century.

Although Federer was a month shy of his 40th birthday when he played his last singles match, the Swiss admitted the cost of chasing titles and ranking points week after week can take its toll on players .

“You have to show strength. But we are not machines, we are people,” Federer told a news conference in Tokyo.

“When players retire at a very young age, I completely understand it. We see it from time to time. I always feel that it’s a shame, because a lot can happen in the future,” he said.

“The tour is difficult, the travel, the training, the jet lag. Nobody is allowed to say: ‘I’m tired today’, because you look weak, and that’s why players sometimes end up with problems -thinking.”

Several tennis professionals have spoken out about their mental health issues, including Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgioswhile Ash Barty shocked the tennis world earlier this year when he retired from the sport less than two months after winning the Australian Open at the age of 25.

Federer added that the strict doping regime also puts pressure on the players, who must report their whereabouts to the relevant authorities on a daily basis.

“We have to fill in doping forms every day, one hour a day, wherever you are,” said the 41-year-old Swiss. “You always think that at any moment they will come, especially at that time”

“I don’t think I was that aware of it, how much that thought is always there, and travels with you, until you retire and then you realize that all the stress is gone,” he concluded.