Roger Federer told me he'd want to live in Switzerland even after retirement: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi

Former World No. 8 doubles player Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi shared details of his conversation with Roger Federer during his appearance on The Epic Show.

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi had grabbed everyone's attention back in 2009 by recording a win over Roger Federer in a doubles match at Basel. The 40-year-old veteran recently recalled that match, while also mentioning that no one in his country recognized him even though he had defeated Roger Federer.

Roger Federer has no intentions of leaving Switzerland, says Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi (L) is the most successful tennis player from Pakistan

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi talked at length about the current situation in the world and the future of the tennis tournaments. The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled the sports world to endure a 'new normal' and play without a live audience, and according to Qureshi that would be tough to adjust to.

The Pakistani doubles specialist believes that the crowd plays a significant role in tennis, and he cited the views of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to clarify his point.

"There are 140 countries involved in tennis. Tennis would probably be the last sport to be revived this year. Organizers of top tournaments like the Australian Open, French Open, US Open and Wimbledon earn a major chunk of their revenue from the spectators. I do not think we can play tennis without any fans," Qureshi said.

The 2010 US Open Men's Doubles finalist then echoed Roger Federer's views and said that playing without fans would be challenging.

"I have seen the interviews of Roger Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, and these players get their energy from the live fans," he added.

Roger Federer

Since he is in his 40s now, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi was asked if he would like to coach a foreign player. But the Pakistani player replied that he was a patriot and would love to coach a local upcoming talent.

He then recalled his conversations with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal over the topic of patriotism and continued:

"I had been talking to Roger Federer; he can live anywhere in the world. Even Rafael Nadal can live anywhere in the world. But when I asked Federer where he would love to live after retirement, he said 'Switzerland, because that's where I am from, that's where people know me'."

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi later gave his views on social media platforms, and the effect they have on individuals. Qureshi believes that the amount of negativity is increasing on social media, as the current generation always looks for shortcuts and easy targets.

The Lahore-based player mentioned that Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are three of the most high-profile tennis stars that he follows on Instagram, as they are personalities everyone can idolize. He signed off by stating that the upcoming Pakistani players would love to see coaching videos from Roger Federer on social media.