Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Roger Federer may be the world’s most successful tennis player in the eyes of millions but to his family he is simply a dedicated father and as he took another step forward in the Australian Open, he came up with the admission that he has no aspirations for any of his four children to follow him onto the world tennis circuit.

The 34 year-old Swiss who has amassed almost US$97.5 million in prize money alone has now also stacked up 299 wins in Grand Slam singles play.  Yet still Federer is insistent he does not want his four two sets of twins, six year-old daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose and sons Leo and Lenny who are approaching two, to become professional tennis players.

Charlene and Myla were in their father’s courtside box as he rounded off win no.299 by impressively beating the Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3,7-5,6-1. However they seemed more engrossed in reading their books than observing another sublime exhibition of how to play tennis on Rod Laver Arena.

“I’d rather support them in another sport,” said Federer who won the last of his four Australian titles in 2010. “Going see them be super skiers, now that would be exciting. To go and watch tennis matches, I don’t know.

“As much as I love it now, I’m just not sure what my excitement level will be in 20 years’ time from now but you never know. The thought of 40 years straight on the tennis tour, that doesn’t excite me.”

Federer did admit that he had arranged a teaching coach to give his two daughters tennis lessons but revealed: “They only do it because Daddy tells them to. They don’t necessarily love it the way I did. So that’s why, for me, it’s quite obvious that [a tennis career] it’s not going to happen.”

With his 35th birthday coming on August 8, Federer is playing his 67th major, 65 of them in succession and he is looking to become the oldest competitor to win a Grand Slam since Andres Gimeno triumphed at the French Open in 1972. However he still has some way to go before eclipsing Ken Rosewall who became Australian champion at the age of 37 years and two months earlier that same year.

Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.