By DPA,
Melbourne : Australia’s loss a decade and a half ago was Switzerland’s gain when the family of then-12-year-old Roger Federer turned down the chance to emigrate Down Under.
It came down to a decision at home in Basel, where father Robert Federer worked in the chemical industry.
After a three-month temporary assignment in Australia in the early 1990s, the senior Federer, married to South Africa-born wife Lynette, was given the chance to make the move permanent. But staying in Switzerland won out.
“I actually remember my parents having a debate about moving away from Switzerland to come live over here,” Australian Open top seed Federer said. “And even though it’s lucrative and nice to go to Australia, they love the country.
“They also asked us kids. And we were like, whatever the parents decide. What are we gonna decide here? At the end, they just said, “Look, we have all our friends over here when I was maybe 12, 14 years old.”
But a tennis trip was not the first time in Australia for Federer, who joined a family trip at age 14 with his parents and sister.
“We went on a big vacation here through Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns and everything to get a better idea of the country,” he said.
“It was a beautiful vacation, but in the end we decided to stay in Switzerland.”
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More security dramas as police hunt Melbourne Park molester
Security issues have again made news here, with police Sunday searching for a man who sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl as she watched Andy Murray during a practice session.
Melbourne media report that the suspect approached the girl, separated temporarily from her family, and assaulted her before fleeing.
Police are reviewing security camera footage for possible images of the suspect, described as around 50 and wearing a red t-shirt.
It is the second incident of its kind in recent editions after a boy was dragged into a toilet on the grounds and sexually assaulted.
In 2009, security officials were on alert after reported incidents of “upskirting” with hidden cameras.
Police have revealed that Croatians ejected from the grounds earlier in the week for Nazi salutes and trying to cause mayhem are linked to a group of right-wing extremist football supporters in Zagreb.