On Wednesday morning, crowds gathered outside the Uniqlo flagship store on Fifth Avenue hoping to catch a glimpse of Roger Federer.
The tennis player, who will retire in 2022, is in the midst of introducing his first fashion collection, which he designed with Jonathan Anderson. Uniqlo will sell it starting August 28, the first day of the US Open.
Mr. Federer, 41, has long sold hats and T-shirts bearing his RF logo, but this project is different. The collection includes quick-drying polo shorts, fleece zip-up jackets and nylon joggers.
“They have more of a ’90s look,” Mr. Federer said of the joggers. “I grew up with them, and being back with them is so much fun.”
Mr. Federer was involved in almost every detail, from the fabric to the zippers. “For me, it’s important that I make Jonathan feel like I can still have my own style, and that I know how much to really say instead of him saying, ‘Do you like this?’ and me saying, ‘Yes I do,’ and then we move on,” he said.
Mr. Federer knew Mr. Anderson from mutual friends in the fashion world. “He’s the hottest designer out there,” Mr. Federer said. “He has done things in the past with Uniqlo. When we got the idea to work together, I was very excited.”
On the morning of the introduction, Mr. Federer seemed happy and relaxed as he showed off his new clothes. Designing clothes, after all, is not the only thing he does in retirement. He travels with his family, takes the stage at concerts, even attends Grand Slam tournaments as a spectator.
In the edited interview below, Mr. Federer talks about his life in retirement.
Why do you want to create your own collection?
We have a great history of style in tennis. René Lacoste and Stan Smith were great tennis players. I feel it is important to remember where we came from. And if I can make tennis look stylish, I guess I should.
My collection is designed to be worn while you play or after. It’s been difficult for some reason, I don’t know why, to make this crossover — from the court to off the court. Of course not the one that looks sweaty but let’s say you’re not sweating, you can still wear my clothes to walk down the street and look stylish.
What is the hardest part of creating a collection?
The starting point is the one that makes me the most nervous. It’s important to give the collection direction and know where you want it to go.
Are you worried about retirement and what it will do to your fan base?
I always feel like I hit a high point, and then it goes on.
Life without the game, and life without fans, and life without the schedule that has dominated my life for 25 years is really something I don’t know how to do. For the longest time I tried to go back and give it another shot and leave the game healthy, but it never did.
But the good/bad thing about Covid, and with my knee surgery, is that everything started to slow down in the past three years, so I didn’t come from playing 100 matches and then boom, it’s over.
In the end I felt better, I think, and I was happy to retire. It ended in the most perfect way at the Laver Cup. I was surrounded by my biggest rivals, and my family and friends were there. For me it was like, “OK, I’m good. I don’t need to chase that itch anymore.”
Go back to Wimbledon this year, where you watched Andy Murray play from the Royal Box. What is it like to be a spectator?
Last year I walked out on Center Court for the 100-year anniversary celebration. Beautiful but painful. I was injured. I didn’t know if I would be able to play again, so it was a very emotional moment. But this year is completely different. My father whispered to me, “Don’t you wish you were playing on the court instead of sitting and watching?” and I was like, “No. I feel content watching and enjoying the game.”
It was such a pleasure to sit next to Princess Catherine. I know him well. He is an avid tennis fan, and plays himself. Sometimes we have to be careful that we don’t talk too much. You can talk, and then it’s super quiet, and then you have to clap.
You’ve been spending a lot of time in New York City this year, leading up to the Met Gala, posting Instagram photos of yourself eating cheeseburgers. Do you feel that the city has changed since before the pandemic?
I’ve always been strict and serious about being a professional athlete, but I’ll eat burgers, I’ll eat desserts, I’ll have a glass of wine. For me having a burger is not unusual, but this one looks perfect, so I had to post a picture of it.
I was very busy when I arrived for the Met Gala. I feel like the buzz is back.
In July, you took the stage at a Coldplay concert in Zurich, where you played a shaker. How did that happen?
I met the band when I saw them in Montreal. I don’t know what year it was — maybe 2016? We’ve been in touch quite a bit. I’ve seen Chris Martin a few times in the Hamptons. So when they came to Zurich, I reached out and said, “I’m excited, I want to go.” Chris wrote to me and asked if I wanted to go on stage.
I asked my daughter at dinner, and she looked at me and said: “You have to do this. You only live once.” So I told Chris, “I’m in.” I didn’t even know what I was signing up for.
Is there a part of you away from being a tennis player that you want people to see now?
I started taking more fun trips with the family. I took my children to Lesotho for my foundation’s trip to Africa. We went to the Met Gala. We went on the Orient Express with my parents, things that just couldn’t be done when I played because it was too long away from the game.
So all kinds of pictures come out of me, and it’s nice to realize that people are still happy to see me.