Early Life
Roger Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland, on August 8, 1981, to Swiss father Robert Federer and South African mother Lynette Du Rand. Federer’s parents met on a business trip for their respective pharmaceutical companies.
Federer became interested in sports at a young age, beginning with tennis and soccer at the age of eight. By the age of 11, he was ranked among the top three junior tennis players in Switzerland. At the age of 12, he chose to give up other sports and devote his entire attention to tennis, which he thought he excelled at more naturally. By 14, he was completely immersed in the game, participating in two or three competitions per month and putting in six hours of practice each week, plus up to three hours of training. He frequently mimicked his idols, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, to perfect his style.
Federer became Switzerland’s national junior champion at the age of 14 and was picked to train at the Swiss National Tennis Center in Ecublens. In July 1996, he joined the International Tennis Federation junior tennis circuit and earned his first sponsorship by the age of 16. Federer won the junior Wimbledon title and the Orange Bowl shortly before becoming pro in 1998. He was named ITF World Junior Tennis Champion for the year.
Tennis Career
Federer won the Wimbledon boys’ singles and doubles titles in 1998 before turning professional the following year. In 2001, he stunned Wimbledon by knocking out defending singles champion Pete Sampras in the fourth round. Federer became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam title when he won Wimbledon in 2003, following a great grass season.
Federer was ranked No. 2 in the world at the start of 2004, and he won the Australian Open, the US Open, the ATP Masters, and the Wimbledon singles title that year. At the start of 2005, he was rated No. 1, and his victories that year included the Wimbledon singles title (for the third year in a row) and the U.S. Open.
Federer maintained his No. 1 ranking from 2004 until 2008. He won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open singles titles in 2006 and 2007. Federer, a model of exquisite athleticism, was voted Laureus World Sportsman of the Year from 2005 to 2008.
Federer won his fifth US Open title in 2008, defeating Scottish star Andy Murray. However, Federer’s career suffered during that year, as he lost to rival Rafael Nadal at both the French Open and Wimbledon, and to another new star, Novak Djokovic, at the 2008 Australian Open. For the first time in four years, his rating fell to No. 2.
The Swiss star had a spectacular season in 2009. He overcame Robin Soderling in the French Open final to complete his career Grand Slam, and he defeated Andy Roddick in an exciting Wimbledon final to break Sampras’ record of 15 Grand Slam singles titles. Federer also reached the finals of the other two major championships, losing in five sets to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open and Juan Martin del Potro at the United States Open. His outstanding all-around performance allowed him to reclaim the global No. 1 ranking.
Federer’s career took another step forward in 2012, when he overcame Andy Murray to win his seventh Wimbledon singles title. The victory helped the 30-year-old tennis player reclaim the top spot, and by the end of the year, he had set a record with 302 weeks at the top of the world rankings.
Federer made an unexpected departure from Wimbledon in 2013. Sergiy Stakhovsky, who was ranked 116th at the time, knocked him out of the singles competition in the second round. Federer struggled on the court again at the US Open. In the fourth round, he was defeated in three sets by Spain’s Tommy Robredo. Federer stated to the US Open website that he “struggled throughout, which is not very satisfying.” He lamented how he “missed so many opportunities” and claimed his “rhythm was off” throughout the match, his confidence appearing affected by the loss.
Federer faced Djokovic in the Wimbledon men’s singles final in 2014, but was denied a record eighth Wimbledon title in a five-set loss. He then lost in the U.S. Open semifinals to hard-hitting Croatian Marin Cilic, who went on to win the championship.
Federer’s 2015 season began with a loss in the third round of the Australian Open to Italy’s Andreas Seppi. He demonstrated that he could still compete with the sport’s finest players by upsetting Djokovic in the Dubai Championships in February, but his bid for a second French Open title was dashed with a quarterfinal loss to countryman Stan Wawrinka.
Federer stormed through the Wimbledon tournament a month later, but he was ousted in the final by Djokovic, putting his quest for a record eighth title on hold for at least another year. At the U.S. Open, despite an impressive performance that suggested career Grand Slam championship No. 18 was on the way, Federer was unable to overcome top-ranked Djokovic in a hard-fought final.
Federer again failed to reach the Wimbledon finals in July 2016. Milos Raonic defeated him in five sets in a historic triumph for Raonic, who became the first Canadian man to reach a grand slam final. Federer had previously lost the Australian Open against Novak Djokovic, and had been sidelined with a knee injury during their encounter. Federer developed back troubles later in the season and was forced to retire from the French Open to avoid additional injury.
Federer made a spectacular comeback after six months of injury recovery, defeating Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open to claim his 18th Grand Slam championship. Federer generously paid honor to his opponent Nadal following his victory. “I’d also like to congratulate Rafa on an incredible comeback,” he added. “I don’t think either of us expected to be in the final of the Australian Open this year.” I am delighted for you. I would have been content to lose to you tonight as well.”
Federer achieved a new record in July 2017 when he defeated Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 to win his eighth Wimbledon title. Federer, 35, also became the tournament’s oldest men’s champion during the Open era. “I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be here again in another final after last year,” he remarked. “I’ve had some tough ones here, including losses to Novak in 2014 and 2015.” But I always thought I could come back and do it again. And if you believe, you can go a long way in life.”
In January 2018, Federer overcame Cilic again, this time in five sets, to win a record-tying six Australian Open titles and expand his career trophy haul to an incredible 20 Grand Slam singles victories. After missing the clay court season for the second year in a row, he returned to the grass courts of Wimbledon, where he added to his personal record by reaching the tournament’s quarterfinals for the 16th time in his career, before falling to South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in five sets.
Following his first-round triumph at the US Open, the tennis legend gained notice for saying it was “almost time to retire,” before explaining that he was joking. Indeed, Federer demonstrated that he still had much left in the tank when he returned to the French Open in 2019, when he advanced to the quarterfinals. That summer, he nearly won a historic ninth Wimbledon title, pushing Djokovic to the limit in the final before losing in a fifth-set tiebreaker.
Following his appearance in the Laver Cup on September 15, 2022, Federer announced his retirement from the ATP Masters and future grand slams.
Federer said in an Instagram post, “I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career”
Philanthropy
Federer founded the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help provide funds to poor nations with child mortality rates of more than 15% for education and sports-related programs, among other things.
Wife and Children
Federer married former professional tennis player Mirka Vavrinec in 2009. That July, the couple welcomed identical twin daughters, Myla and Charlene. The couple welcomed their second pair of twins, boys Leo and Lenny, on May 6, 2014. Federer lives in Bottmingen, Switzerland, with his family.