There are people with such brilliant abilities that they changed the world of soccer, basketball, racing and every sport you can imagine. Obviously, tennis is no exception. Perhaps the numbers are overwhelming for some, but this character was able to change the way tennis is seen, played and felt. We are talking about Roger Federer, the gentleman of the white sport who announced his retirement at the age of 41 from the quiet Swiss Alps.
Federer, better known in the sports world as His Majesty, is undoubtedly one of the brightest minds to have come to tennis. Before winning 103 ATP singles titles and as many in the doubles category, the Swiss tried his hand at football where he played in the youth ranks of FC Basel in Basel, his hometown.
He also went through basketball, ping-pong and even elegant badminton, where he just had fun. Before coming to tennis, Federer had to do military service, but a back injury took him away from that duty to his country. To compensate for his absence, they put him to interpret the alpine horn during government events, that is, in addition to being an athlete, he is a prolific martial musician.
arrival at tennis
Although he had many teachers, only one was his true mentor: Severin Lüthi, who still accompanies him today at his press conferences and breakfasts with waffles with jam, orange juice and coffee with milk. Federer knew how to translate the teachings of Lüthi into impeccable movements, who helped him win 20 Grand Slam tournaments, thus becoming the third tennis player in history with the most world titles, only behind his eternal rivals and teammates Novak Djokovic with 21. and Rafa Nadal with 22.
Federer visited defeat several times in his career, another great teacher who taught him to overcome adversity. Just after beating the legend Peter Sampras in the 2001 ATP, the Swiss relaxed and faced England’s Tim Henman at the end of the season, who ended up winning four straight sets. When it seemed that a typical tennis tantrum would come, the Swiss elegantly greeted his rival and applauded the public that accompanied him, that’s when the press and fans found an idol to follow: The Swiss Master, as they say in his native Basel.
Federer, an athlete that no one could imagine
From 1998 to 2019, Federer amassed more than 100 titles and 1,200 wins as a professional, equaling the prowess of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the world of football. Accompanied with his Nike shoes and his Wilson rackets, the Swiss achieved the unlikely in a world that doubted the existence of an athlete like him in tennis.
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However, not everything in Roger Federer’s career was tennis. He took advantage of his free time to participate in charitable organizations, as well as finance and accompany humanitarian projects in South Africa, the country of his mother’s birth, as well as in Asia where he helped the victims of the tsunami in Japan in 2011.
He was also a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and never refused to participate in charity matches to help anywhere in the world where he was needed. From the United States with the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, to Haiti with its earthquake victims in 2010.
This is perhaps a way of giving something back to the world where he has raised more than $110,000,000 in sports prizes, not counting the big money in brand partnerships and advertising.
Roger Federer in eleven facts
1. As a child, his tennis teacher asked him to write down his plans for the future in a notebook. There he put: “Be number 1 in the world.”
2. In his adolescence Federer was known for his bad temper, which cost him several expulsions from professional tournaments. Fortunately, his teachers taught him to have temperance and self-control.
3. Since 2002, Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, became his personal image consultant, so the athlete underwent an overnight change in his way of dressing.
4. Federer is married to professional tennis player Mirka Vavrinec, with whom he played doubles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. And it is precisely with her that he has two sets of twins. On one side are the teenagers Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, and the children Leo and Lenny.
5. Since 1998, he trains 6 hours a day to keep fit.
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7. Federer spends $150,000 each match to professionally string his rackets.
8. “Why do Swiss police always carry scissors when chasing thieves? To block their path”, this was the joke that Federer made to some children at a charity event in 2003. Apparently it is not so perfect after all.
9. Pasta with tomato sauce. It is the dish that Federer eats before every match.
10. Prince George of England takes private lessons with His Majesty, Mr. Roger Federer.
11. The reason for his retirement was because he no longer feels physically capable of beating the best in the world.
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