Citing Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey, who won an Olympic silver at 40 and continued to run into her fifties, a reporter asked Federer whether his best might still be to come.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said bluntly.
“I think the last 10 years have been a lot of fun, maybe more fun than the first 10, I’m not sure.
“But yeah, I don’t think with four children and with the career that I have had and my body, I want it to be somewhat healthy — and healthy actually when I retire.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, you know, to be quite honest.”