Is Roger Federer Offering Hints at His Retirement Plans?

Roger Federer's camp remains mum on the news that he plans to play mixed doubles with Swiss compatriot Martina Hingis at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Playing mixed doubles in the Olympics is one of the few things Federer has yet to do. 

If he does, is it another check off his to-do list before retirement? Could Federer be offering hints on his retirement based on his playing priorities? 

Federer turns 35 next year and although many tennis fans wish he could play forever, retirement is on the horizon. 

Questioned so often about retirement, Federer has developed a knack for providing responses without definitive answers. 

In November, Federer told the Associated Press (via Tennis.com):

''I have a very clear plan how '16 is going to be until December. That is the discussion I'm having with my wife right now. Are we going to be home for Christmas or not? Then '17 is around the corner for me as well already...I'm thinking way ahead."

He's often said retirement is not in his immediate future. 

Yet lately, Federer has been checking off items on his "never done before" list. Last year, Federer helped Switzerland win its first Davis Cup title. This week, news broke about him teaming up with Hingis in doubles. He won an Olympic Gold in doubles with Stan Wawrinka in 2008. He won an Olympic Silver in singles in 2012. An Olympic Gold in singles is still on that to-do list.

Because of the Olympics, Bjorn Borg predicts that 2016 will be Federer's final year. Per the Daily Mail: 

"I think next year he wants to try to go for the Olympics in Rio, and then after next year I think he will step away from the game. I hope not." 

Federer prides himself on planning his schedules far in advance. He pointed to the new stadium being built in his hometown as a possible marker for the end of his career. The stadium is scheduled to be completed in 2018 and may be the new site of the Swiss Indoors tournament. Federer would be 37 that year.  

"That would be a good goal to which I could work towards. The Swiss Indoors was one of my first tournaments on the tour, and I hope that they will also be one of the last," Federer told Chris Chase of USA Today. 

Family will play a big part in Federer's decision. In a video interview with members of the Dutch media, Federer spoke about how family impacts his career. He told the interviewer that during the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals, he thought about retirement because his daughters were "very sad every time I left for a match or a practice." 

Although Federer skirts around the issue about when he will retire, he seems clear about how he'd like to inform the public. Speaking about his coach and boyhood idol, Stefan Edberg, Federer told the Daily Mail that he'd like to avoid a season-long farewell tour. 

"

I think [Edberg] announced at the beginning of the year that he was going to retire at the end of the year. He thought that was a bit rough. He had a farewell at every single place he went to. He said that eventually it was just a bit too much. I don't think I am going to do that...I haven't thought about it a whole lot, to be honest. I don't want to go there with my thoughts because the more I think about it, the closer I am to retirement.

"

Federer respects former players such as Edberg and listens to their advice about how to exit the active tour. He spoke with Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian about what he's learned from other players about how to approach the end of his career. 

"A lot of ex-players I’ve spoken to have said: ‘At the end, make sure you get every last ounce out of yourself, because these will be the best years of your life.’ It doesn’t get better when you finish playing.”

Perhaps because Federer believes life will never be better than when he's playing, he's seeking new ways to prolong his career. He's changed rackets and tweaked his game, adding more chip and charge tactics. 

Federer's game is efficient. He plays quick-strike tennis backed up by a reliable serve. His style of play is more groove, less grind. Because he doesn't run his body into the ground, Federer may experience an emotional or mental need to leave the game before he yields to physical limitations. 

In an interview with the Associated Press, published in TennisNow, Federer said of retirement:

"I hope it's going to come gradually and that I will know when the right time is."