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The style legacy of Roger Federer
The record-breaking tennis ace has retired, bringing down the carpet on a GOAT career. Here we revisit our exclusive conversation with Federer about his inimitable personal style, both on and off the court
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Bernard Arnault calls him “a living god”, Bill Gates has eulogised him in the Time 100 list and Anna Wintour is his biggest fan. Having LVMH’s CEO, the world’s second richest man and publishing’s most powerful woman on your cheer team doesn’t happen without reason. Of course there’s the on-court brilliance and the records he’s racked up, but it takes meeting Roger Federer to truly understand how he’s charmed such a squad.
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After a lifetime of intensive exercise, quality eating, globally accrued sunshine and limited late-night partying, the man positively glows. And as a result of all his success, there’s smooth social confidence, a statesmanlike quality that the world’s most successful can’t resist.
After skipping his second clay court season, talk of Roger’s retirement bubbled up again in 2018, but he insisted at the time that while he’ll miss “the goosebump feeling” when he does eventually quit the court, his ultimate dream is to be known more for his foundation than for his tennis. And a thread of that, naturally, is his appearance.
Now with the Swissman having just announced his retirement, we took some time to talk to him about his evolving sports silhouette, tennis’s perennial backwards cap, those Wimbers blazers and his very own wardrobe malfunction.
Red carpet style
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Federer’s red carpet style is as pristine as his on-court fits. Sure, other sportsmen might have their fits down – David Beckham knows a thing or two about sartorial savvy and NBA star Russell Westbrook has become legendary for his game-day ’fits – none come close to the 38-year-old’s own brand of graceful cool. You won’t ever find him sporting ultra-hyped brands such as Palace Skateboards (shame, really), but he’s become an advocate for keeping things classically brilliant. Think tailored suiting by way of Giorgio Armani, under which he nonchalantly wears roll-neck knits, or else double-breasted suits paired with black and white gingham shirts.
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Elsewhere he’s always been a little playful with his style. For a Louis Vuitton fashion show in 2016 he slipped into a brown suede jacket and muted roll neck, but on his feet, he wore a pair of technicolour Nike Air Max kicks.
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“I used to wear jogging shoes, jeans and a practice shirt, then when Mirka met me, she would look and go, ‘Errr, are you sure about this look?’ She was sophisticated early on. She would save her money and buy something proper, whereas I was happy without much. Over time, you realise you have red carpet appearances, you need a suit, you need a tie. And by the third time wearing the same tie on the red carpet, you’re like, ‘Maybe I should have different ties, different suits, different black shoes for a change.’ I started to enjoy making changes, trying out a few things, and different combinations. You’re happy to get dressed up, especially in the big cities like Paris, London or New York and go out.”
Big fits
“I don’t understand how I used to wear [size] extra large, but that’s how we used to dress. Sampras and Agassi used to wear this baggy stuff. It was just a trend, so in hindsight, I think, ‘Was I crazy to wear XL at 17?’ But you wanted to think you were big and buff, even when you weren’t yet. Now we look stronger and slimmer because of the way we wear it. That’s where the power of clothes is so important: it really can change your entire look. Look what Rafa did, when he went from the sleeveless tops and the Capri pants to the more sophisticated look and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, he looks much more muscular and like he lost weight’, but he didn’t do anything.”
On-court style
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“At Wimbledon, we tried to bring back the history of the game when they walked out in jackets or cardigans. We tried to push the envelope – sometimes a bit too much. But it was fine. These moments stay memorable, and I was willing to take chances. There was the all black at the US Open, which was a pretty big deal, because nobody really wore all black. When somebody wore black shoes, it was like, ‘Wow, black shoes!’ It was especially good at night. I think that tennis has always had a big opportunity to mix it up. We have 12 different outfits a year and tennis has a lot of history and street cred. We’ve kind of lost that because it’s got so aggressive and everything has to be breathable, durable, the shoes and everything. We’ve moved away from it, so I’ve tried to bring a little bit of style into tennis.”
Dad Style
“Honestly, I think it keeps me young because around them I try not to wear clothes that they can destroy or make super dirty when I’m picking them up, running round in the mud or going for a barbecue. I think they keep me young for the most part. With the girls, we’re starting to head in the direction where they start to like to be alone sometimes because Dad’s not cool anymore. They’re not there yet – they still like it when I’m around. I think we’re a few years away, but soon they’ll be like, ‘It’s OK, Dad. We’re OK alone.’ That will be the first time I’ll be really sad.”
Hairstyle
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“Everything was part of an evolutionary process, like the long hair. Do I regret having long hair? No, I’m happy I had it and I’m happy I got rid of it again! It was just a part of my life. We wore the cap backwards just to keep the hair out of our faces. Instead of having it in front where you toss the ball and it can sometimes get in the way, backwards just works. But now I think the headband is just easier overall.”
Bad style
“Maybe putting my pants on backwards in the Wimbledon ceremony! Back in 2005 or 2006, I was so excited I won, I wanted to put on the whole outfit that we’d made together. I went to receive the trophy and as I walk down, I’m a bit nervous and as I put my hands in my pockets, I realise that the pockets are going backwards. I was like, ‘It’s too late! I can’t change them any more!’ I lifted the trophy and the pants were on backwards. You could hardly see it, but I think one British media picked it up and were like, ‘What’s going on? He’s got the zipper at the back.’ That was quite embarrassing!”
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