Roger Federer’s golf swing goes viral

Roger Federer posted a video of his golf swing on social media, catching the attention of his famous sports friends including women’s world No. 1 golfer Nelly Korda.

The tennis icon shared the video of him teeing it up on the golf course on Instagram this week, writing “trying to take up a new hobby”. The 42-year-old retired from tennis in 2022 and, like many retirees, has taken to the fairways. 

The video shows the record eight-times Wimbledon champion hitting a short iron off the tee, making the kind of smooth swing and sweet sounding contact you’d expect from a scratch golfer.

The 20-time grand slam champion added to his post: “Any pointers?”. This caught the eye of the current LPGA top ranked player Nelly Korda, daughter of former world number two tennis player Petr Korda and younger sister of ATP pro Sebastian Korda.

Korda, who recently won her second major at the Chevron Championship in April, equalling the LPGA Tour record of five consecutive wins, replied to Federer: “Do you need a coach?”

Federer is the most popular tennis player of his generation, loved by tennis fans around the world for his elegant style and incredible shot-making abilities. If he starts hitting golf shots like he did his famous forehand then the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy had better watch out!

His swing already shows great promise, with solid technical fundamentals including aligned hands and good weight transference. Two-time tennis major winner and current world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz wrote: “Is there something you are not good at?”

A sentiment shared by retired American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn, who wrote: ”Pretty sure you already nailed it!” Jessica Korda, sister of Nelly and also an LPGA pro, described Federer’s swing as “pure”.

Federer is not the only tennis legend to be a fan of golf. His long-time rival Rafael Nadal is an avid golfer and has competed in the Balearic Mid-Amateur Championship three times in the last four years, winning the 2024 edition in February by seven strokes. The 22-time grand slam champion carded a total of 147 over two rounds, shooting just three over par.

Let’s hope we see the two sporting legends trading blows once again in the near future, this time not on the court but on the fairways.