Roger Federer and his girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec are seen here at an awards ceremony in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2008. Federer is delighted to be welcoming his first child while still in the prime of his tennis career, the Swiss star said on Saturday.

Roger Federer is delighted to be welcoming his first child while still in the prime of his tennis career, the Swiss star said on Saturday.

"I always had the dream that if I have a child I hope I have it early enough so he can see me playing," said Federer, who announced on Thursday that he and girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec are expecting their first baby this summer. "So this is very exciting."

Despite the inevitable disruptions in a household that includes a baby, Federer said he didn't think his tennis would suffer, and he'd have plenty of time for family life.

"I think it's not going to really disturb my mindset on tennis a whole lot," he said. "I've always made sure that my schedule is (to) get away from tennis a little bit and then come back when I'm ready to play again.

"I think it's going to be pretty much the same. I don't really have to adjust a whole lot. If it does something to me, I think it's going to motivate me to play for a long time."

Federer, 27, was cagey on exactly when the baby is due, saying only in the summer.

"Summer is a big word, yeah," said Federer. "I'm not going to say any more."

In the meantime, Federer said he was enjoying the building excitement.

"For me, this is not a massive shock, but when it does happen, it defintely changes your mindset. All of a sudden you're hoping everything goes well, whereas before you're just joking about it.

"From this respect, I'm excited that the baby comes out healthy and everything goes OK.

"Other than that, it's just happiness."