The only thing Roger Federer won in 2016 was GQ’s Most Stylish Man award, an online poll where readers voted him to victory over the likes of Ryan Gosling and Tom Hiddleston.

But then came 2017 and the ‘fairytale’, as he himself has called it, began in Melbourne. Federer won an unprecedented 18th Grand Slam trophy beating arch-rival Rafael Nadal in the final. After the unexpected win, he did something even more unusual – taking the Australian Open trophy, he fondly calls Norman, to the Alps for a one-of-a-kind interview with GQ. Federer took the magazine to his mountaintop home in Switzerland and talked his heart out about all things under the Alpine sun for a cover story.

The interview gave a rare insight into the man in his natural habitat, from his tennis to his Swiss habits and the answer to the question all fans dread to think about – when does it all come to an end. But there were some fun questions as well, such as did he enjoy the almost Oscar Best Picture La La Land or what’s his favourite meal back home or what animal is he scared of? Read the full interview here to find out

But first, the most important answer is this – Federer has said that he will only hang up his customised RF boot when he doesn’t feel like leaving his house for a tournament anymore.

“I ask myself, how happy am I to be leaving home? Because it’d be so nice to stay. So am I happy to pack my bags, and walk out the door, and put them in the car, and get in the car, look to the house and say, Okay, let’s do this—am I happy in that moment? Or do I wish I could stay longer? Every time it’s been: I’m happy to go. I’m still doing the right thing in my heart. It’s a test. If that moment comes and I’m like, Hmm...,” he told GQ.

So Federer fans can breathe a momentary sigh of relief, the recent Indian Wells champ surely doesn’t look like he’s not enjoying on court. He didn’t drop a set all through the tournament, even against Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka, and looked to be in vintage form.

Another question that many tennis fans followers would like to know is what exactly did Federer do on the eve of the big final against Nadal at the Australian Open? The 17th seed won his 18th Grand Slam title with a tight, nerve-wracking win over his arch rival.

The answer is another classic Federer moment – he was watching the Oscar-nominated drama Lion. “By the end I was a wreck! And then I was like, ‘Is it good to be emotionally so wound up? After all, tomorrow may be a very emotional day!’ ” Federer said.

Record-breaking tennis players, it turns out, are just like us.