When it comes to tennis, Roger Federer is a name that has sent shockwaves throughout his years as a professional player. From winning the Grand Slams to numerous ATP titles, he has seen it all while etching his name in the history of the game. However, the road to success has never been easy for the Swiss great.

In a recent revelation, Roger Federer went ahead to share the struggles that he had to go through while he was a teenager and making his way into the tennis scene. In an interview with GQ, Federer reflected on the ultimatum that his parent gave him when he just started his journey as a player.

Roger Federer reveals the struggles that he faced as a teenager

In an interview with GQ, Roger Federer shared a chapter from his teenage years. At the age of 14, he stepped on a journey by leaving his home to attend a performance center, a decision that would shape the course of his life and career. Those two years away from home were undeniably the most crucial of his life.

They were more than just a period of intense tennis training; they were a crash course in life itself. Amid the high-intensity training that he got and the hard work that he had to put in, he never looked back and went ahead to become one of the greatest players that the game ever saw.

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By the age of 16, Federer made a bold choice to halt his education. While he initially experimented with online classes, he realized that his passion for tennis demanded pure attention. It was a risky gamble as his parents gave him an ultimatum of either showing them the results or going back to school to complete his studies.

“When I was 14, I left home and attended a performance center. Those were probably the two most important years of my life. I learned so much about life. 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,” said Federer in the interview.

These were thus, some of the most important years of his life as a tennis player. From leaving his home and everything behind to pursue his dream of becoming one of the greatest in the game, his journey has been nothing short of exceptional.

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Federer was a junior champion when he left his home to play tennis

Federer, as he said in his interview, left his home at the age of just 14. However, by that time, he was already making it big in the game. When he was 14 years old, he became Switzerland’s junior champion. This milestone already reflected the immense potential that he had. Just 3 years later, he went ahead to become the Wimbledon champion which then came ahead as a turning point in his life.

The journey just did not stop there. As he turned 18, he became the youngest Swiss player ever to have earned a call in the Davis Cup squad. Then came the year 2003 when he laid his hands on his first-ever grand slam at Wimbledon. What followed was a series of titles and miracles that both fans and pundits experienced.

Thus, Federer’s journey has been nothing short of sensational. From being someone who had to sacrifice a lot of things to become one of the greatest ever, he has always been an inspiration to many.

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