Roger Federer recalls childhood pets during Q&A session with kids

Roger Federer, currently in Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open, revealed the names of his childhood pets during a Q&A session with local school children as part of a pre-tournament special press conference. Federer fielded light-hearted questions about his childhood, his love for pets and his happy dance on the court, besides more (Watch video below).

"I had a lot of pets (while growing up). I had three cats. One was called Ginger, the other was Flaky. I also had two rabbits named Blitz and Blacky," the 18-time Grand Slam champion said during a fun evening with local school children from Indian Wells in Riverside County, California. During the interactive session, Federer asked the kids about their love for pets, fishes and tennis, while also explaining why "the shot between his legs" is currently his favourite shot.

When asked when he plans on hanging up the boots, Federer joked that he would like to play until the age of 90. "I began playing tennis the same age as my kids, I was around three. I mean...I hope I'm going to be like 90 years old (when I give it up). (On a serious note) Well, maybe play for another five years. That would be an absolute dream. I'm 35 now, so....," the 2017 Australian Open winner said.

Roger Federer through to third round at Indian Wells

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Federer cruised past 36-year-old Stephane Robert 6-2, 6-1 in just 51 minutes to advance to the Round of 32 of the BNP Paribas Open, the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the new tennis season. Federer will now face America's Steve Johnson, who he defeated in straight-sets during last year's Wimbledon. Johnson, the 24th seed, defeated Kevin Anderson in a little over two hours to qualify for the third round. Incidentally, Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have all been drawn in the same quarter for the first time ever. Nadal and Djokovic are also through to the third round.

After Sunday's victory, Roger Federer, 35, noted that his troublesome knees are holding up well. "(I'm) very happy (with my game). The knee is a thing of the past, which is great. I don't even have to think or talk about it. So I thought the match went really well. I’m very pleased with how it went. And moving on to the next round, it’s going to be a different matchup, so I’ve got to adjust again," Federer said, via ATP's official website.