Tennis Feature: Does Roger Federer have a future as a coach?

He played his final match at the Laver Cup 2022 alongside Rafael Nadal as his doubles partner in team Europe. They couldn't beat team World for the first time in the history of the tournament dedicated to Rod Laver.

Federer's side also had the likes of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, who were witnessed making comments about the future of the 20-time Grand Slam winner.

Fans have expressed the desire to see him coach tennis players, and his peers had a lot to say. At the end of the Laver Cup, Djokovic said, "He [Federer] has a lot to offer."

"If he ever thought of becoming a manager, I think he would bring a lot of positive things and give the player he coaches the opportunity to achieve enormous growth," added the Serb.

Novak Djokovic shared that he can imagine Federer becoming a coach one day because of the Swiss' bottomless inventory of tennis knowledge and experience.

In the recent edition of the Laver Cup, Federer gave coaching tips and advice to the team Europe players. Djokovic was in the team that received advice from Federer the past weekend in London.

"I think that Roger can offer a lot. It's logical to expect him to be able to share so many useful and valuable things with anybody," the Serb. 

At the Laver Cup, Djokovic confirmed that he is healthy and fit to play for at least a couple more years. If Federer undertakes coaching as a full-time job, he would initiate positive changes in the player he is responsible for coaching, stated Djokovic. 

He also believes that the presence of a robust support system adds to the performance shown by a player. Like Federer, Djokovic claims to be functioning at a high level at age 35 because of his family's emotional support. 

However, people have grown to believe that Federer is naturally gifted and could make do without a mentor or coach. 

Andy Murray has a different opinion

According to British player Andy Murray, Federer would not find it easy to coach a player due to the difference in playing levels. "I think it would be a challenge for him to coach any tennis player, because he would have to put himself in their shoes and know that it is much harder for us to play tennis, much harder than it seems to him," shared Murray.

He further stated that the 41-year-old player would choose players with tremendous potential and motivation to learn if he switched to coaching.

The Swiss Maestro is focused on spending time with his family, who have travelled with him on Tour for a long time. Now, it remains to be seen whether Federer invests years of experience gained in enlightening young players of the future.