Roger Federer may be a top dog in tennis, but this doesn’t stop his children from having an occasional go at him when he errs in practice. Rising Italian player Thomas Fabbiano, who is picking up from the best as he is Federer’s current training partner, has given the tennis world a peek into how Federer’s boys don’t miss out on a chance to pull his leg.

Federer’s sons had a go at him after he made some unforced errors at practice

Speaking to Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport, Fabbiano revealed a recent instance when the little ones took a fun dig at their father for making “unforced errors” in practice. He said the light-hearted banter was from his recent training block in Dubai.

Federer withdrew from the Dubai Open after making a quarter’s exit at his comeback event in Doha. But he continued to camp in Dubai, putting in strenuous training hours with Fabbiano ahead of the all-important grass-court swing.

It was during his training stint in the Emirates that his children came visiting along with their grandmother Lynette. The Italian said the twins knocked tennis balls with their granny in a side court while his father was busy having a hit with him.

“And sometimes they made fun of him when he made unforced mistakes. It was very funny,” Fabbiano said. He added that the banter showed how the champion, a “very good father”, dotes on his children and doesn’t mind an occasional critique or two from them.

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(Quotes have been translated with Google Translate)

Roger Federer returned to competitive tennis after a 14-month absence

Federer took an indefinite break from tennis after undergoing a second knee surgery last year. He did play the Australian Open 2020 but skipped all events thereafter to recover from the surgery.

The 39-year-old returned to action after a 14-month absence amid soaring expectations around his comeback event – the Qatar Open.

The 39-year-old won his comeback match against Englishman Dan Evans, his former training partner, but couldn’t get past big-hitting Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili in his next.

Federer has now confirmed participation at Halle, his traditional tune-up grass-court event ahead of Wimbledon.

Read More: Roger Federer Reveals Talking Tennis with Rafael Nadal, Spending Time with Family and More in Quarantine