Roger Federer Just Played Pickleball for 1st Time: ‘Fun for Sure’ (Exclusive)

Roger Federer thrilled fans with more than 1,500 matches and 20 Grand Slam titles over 24 years before retiring at age 41 in 2022.

The tennis legend granted cameras rare access inside his private world to film the very end of his storied career for the new Prime Video doc “Federer: Twelve Days.”

“Extra’s” Billy Bush spoke with Federer about the project, as well as taking up pickleball after retirement!

Federer recently played pickleball in Vietnam. He shared, “It felt like a big version of ping-pong… It felt strange and unreal… It was like 110 degrees when I played, so I was more battling the circumstances than the game… It’s an easier game than tennis and it’s fun for sure.”

Roger has even watched highlights from Jack Sock, who plays professional pickleball.

Roger is known for his elegant style of playing tennis. He said, "I take it as a compliment. It’s definitely something I worked extremely hard at to make look effortless and easygoing.”

At one point in his career, Federer was criticized for his calm playing style. He explained, “I made it look too easy sometimes, and I’m, like, trying hard enough and stuff, but I got over the hump of showing enough grit in my career and now when you talk about my game looking elegant and all that stuff, that’s definitely a good thing.”

Roger was top of the tennis ranks for years, which he calls his proudest career achievement. He said, “Getting all the way to the top of the mount and being the best, it’s a surreal accomplishment.”

Federer also recalled winning Wimbledon as one of his proudest moments, saying, “As a young boy watching, you know, [Boris] Becker and [Stefan] Edberg playing each other in the Wimbledon finals and then one day being in that position, it’s completely crazy.”

While it was difficult to come to terms with his retirement, Roger’s rival Rafael Nadal took it just as hard!

The two were seen crying on the court after their last match together. Roger noted, “At one point, I held his hand for a brief second and somebody, you know, a photographer took a nice picture of it and I think it goes down as one of the iconic photos. We’re both sobbing over me retiring, him, maybe seeing his career flashing in front of his eyes like everybody was, and just how beautiful maybe this sport actually is.”

“I am so grateful I was not alone in that moment, but actually surrounded by the tennis family, and all my friends and family, who came to London,” Roger emphasized. “I think it was like rehab for me to go through that with friends and family and not be there on my own. That would have been killer, to be honest.”

Reflecting on how he felt in the moment, Federer revealed, “I think it was a moment where finally I could take myself back a little bit and quietly enjoy the moment and realizing sort of how incredibly fortunate I have been in my career, in my life, to be honest. My wife, my kids are to the side of me, my rival to my left, my other rivals are behind me, Borg, McEnroe, everyone is there and I look at an empty dark stadium and I see Ellie Goulding sing and the crowd, everybody’s in tears. You know, this is the end now, but a very beautiful moment and I think I was able to let go.”

During his last speech on court, Roger made sure to thank his wife Mirka for her “amazing” support. He said, “It was important to thank her for everything she has done for me. She knows that and I know she doesn’t need to hear it in public, but I think it was important for me at the end of the course in London to thank her for everything… and the same for my parents.”

Federer also opened up about the early beginnings of his relationship with Mirka, who played tennis, too.

Roger commented, “I met her at the Sydney Olympics back in 2000… She also played for Switzerland, and we were on the same team together. We never thought, after that first kiss then, it was gonna end up with four children later and this incredible career and this life together.”

When they met, Roger didn’t have any titles yet! He said, “Sometimes, when we were warming up before big matches and there was no hitting partners, she would warm me up before big matches in Cincinnati before playing Andy Roddick and Wimbledon. She would be there and play with me. We had the best time on the road and especially the second half of our lives with the four children.”

The couple have twin boys, who just turned 10, and identical twin girls, who are turning 15 next month.

Roger confirmed that he's busy on carpool duty these days! "I'm a professional driver, absolutely," he said. "I like being in a good car, but man, I'm driving a lot these days!"