Barely a year after retiring from tennis, Roger Federer Lesotho visit was a fulfilment of his promise of visiting Africa by jetting down to Lesotho, for charity. It was his first time in this Southern African country and he was representing the Roger Federer Foundation. His wife Milka Federer and children accompanied him on this trip. His purpose in visiting Lesotho is to encourage youth to pursue education to open up better opportunities in life.
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Roger Federer Lesotho Visit
Roger Federer Lesotho visit was for charity purposes, particularly in the country’s education sector. Thus, Federer for a long time placed a high value on charitable activities. Although the foundation was created to support several worthwhile causes around the world, Federer has an eye for Africa because of his African ancestry. As mentioned earlier, his mother is South African-born which gives him half-African roots.
Federer believes that the world’s destiny is in the hands of generations to come education is the only thing that equips them for this. Therefore; all his efforts are now geared towards building and equipping schools. The Swiss Maestro discussed child education during a meeting with local government representatives. After a good conversation, Lesotho became the sixth nation to receive funding from the Roger Federer Foundation.
“All children in Lesotho deserve access to equitable quality early education in public primary schools, yet the majority of ECCE is still being provided by the private sector.
“This results in children from economically marginalised families being left out of schooling… The task at hand is therefore enormous and urgent if we are to avoid more generations of children missing out on quality foundational early learning,” he noted.
Does Roger Federer Have A South African Passport?
The retired tennis player from Switzerland has a South African passport. His mother, Lynette Durand Federer hails from South Africa. She was born in Kremlin Park. The 20-time grand slam champion has a special affinity for South Africa which some people add that it may have been behind Roger Federer Lesotho visit.
Roger Federer. Photo/Roger Federer
He has dedicated his time after retiring from playing tennis to charity through his foundation. And Lesotho, a small landlocked country in Southern Africa was his best pick.
“I was eager to visit Lesotho as a country and also to see the School Readiness Initiative my foundation has been implementing since 2020,” he says.
Does Federer Have Dual Citizenship?
Roger Federer. Photo/Roger Federer
Federer has dual citizenship; Swiss and South African. His father is Swiss while his mother is South African. The tennis legend first spoke of his intention to visit Africa in October 2022. All he wanted was to travel the world with his family and Lesotho is his first pick. However, his visit was more work-oriented than an adventure as he had earlier stated in 2022.
“As time goes by, I will be able to do more trips, and we are always planning our vacations, and I want them to be really fun. They can become a little bit more creative,” he spoke at Uniqlo’s LifeWear day.
He heard many romantic tales of trips to Africa, and he said it would provide him with all the adventure he needed after retirement. Lesotho is just the start and it’s against the backdrop of the historical Match for Africa in 2010 where he played Rafael Nadal in Cape Town, South Africa and won. Nadal got a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 thrashing in the match that lasted one hour and 45 minutes. His relationship with Nadal was always profound despite being his biggest rival in his tennis career. He enjoyed a more cordial relationship with the Spaniard than he did with Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic.
Why Did Roger Federer Retire?
Roger Federer spent 24 years playing tennis and injuries pushed him out of the court at 41. He picked up a knee injury in 2019 and it became harder to treat each year after that. The father of four had three surgeries in 2021 and he decided to focus on his foundation and family after exiting the tour. Then 41 years old, Federer felt that he was stretching his body too much. He played more than 1500 matches in his 24-year tennis career. He said in past interviews that there are days he felt like he wanted to play again but his body wouldn’t allow.
