“There is no way around hard work. Embrace it. You have to put in the hours because there’s always something which you can improve. ” – Roger Federer
Born : August 8, 1981 in Basel, Switzerland
Father : Robert Federer
Mother : Lynette Federer
Nationality : Swiss, South African
Height : 6 ft 1 in
Spouse : Mirka Federer
Roger Federer is one of the prolific tennis players in the world. He is currently ranked No. 2 in men’s singles tennis. Federer is also the highest Grand Slam male singles titles winner in history.
7 Awesome Facts About Roger Federer, Tennis Player :
He Holds Dual Citizenship
Federer holds dual citizenship since his parents are from different countries. His father is a Swiss-German and his mother a South African. With this, he holds both Swiss and South African Citizenship. However, he represents Swiss in the game of tennis.
He Was a Ball boy
Federer got involved in the game of tennis at a very young age. He started as a ball boy during the Basel tournament and Swiss Indoors in 1992 and 1993. This grew his interest in the game and the rest is history.
Career
Federer started his tennis career as a junior player. In 1998, he won the boy’s singles final at Wimbledon and also teamed up with Olivier Rochus to win the doubles. He went professional in 1999 starting with the Marseille Open. He has since competed in several tournaments and has been on top of his game.
Philanthropic Works
He setup the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003. This is to promote education and sports among poor and needy children. The foundation has since supported the South Africa-Swiss charity IMBEWU, which promotes health and sports awareness in children. He was appointed by the UNICEF as Goodwill Ambassador in 2006.
Achievements
Roger Federer is regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time. He has won 20 Grand Slam titles, making him the highest men’s singles player of the tournament. He has won eight Wimbledon, Six Australian Open, Five US Opens and one French Open.
Personal Life
Federer is married to Mirka Federer, who is a former tennis player. The two first met during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. They finally married in 2009 in front of some friends and family. The couple has since given birth to two sets of identical twins.
Rivalries
Just as in any other sports, Roger Federer has fearsome rivals who he has been competing with for the number one position. Some of his rivals in the game are Rafael Nadal, with whom he has played 38-times winning 15 of them. Others are Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick among others.
