"I think in a way I always had the dream that once I became No. 1 in the world if I have a child I hope I have it early enough so he can see me playing. So this is very exciting,'' Federer said Saturday after his 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Marc Gicquel of France in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
On Thursday, Federer announced on his Web site that he and girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec are expecting their first child this summer.
"I think it's not going to really disturb my mind-set on tennis a whole lot. I've always made sure that my schedule is (arranged with time to) get away from tennis a little but and then come back when I'm ready to play again.
"If it does something to me, I think it's going to motivate me to play for a long time.''
Federer and Vavrinec, a former WTA Tour player, met during the 2000 Olympics when both were representing Switzerland and they have been together since.
Federer, 27, said he is "completely excited'' about impending fatherhood, "but I've been thinking about something like this happening for the last two or three years.
"For me, this is not a massive shock. But when it does happen (and) your girlfriend-wife is pregnant, it definitely changes your mind-set. All of a sudden you're hoping everything goes well, whereas before you're just joking about it. From that respect, I'm excited that the baby comes out healthy and everything goes OK. Other than that, it's just happiness. And all the people around me, all the people I talk to, everybody is like, 'Wow, it's such great news.'
"It's a nice time. And yeah, the baby is due in summer. Summer is a big word, yeah. I'm not going to say anymore.''
