Roger Federer is probably the best-known tennis player in the world and certainly one of the greatest players there has ever been. A winner of 17 Grand Slam titles and one of only seven male players to capture the career Grand Slam, only Federer, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal have won it on three different surfaces.
| Birthdate: | August-8-1981 |
|---|---|
| Birthplace: | Basel Switzerland |
| Height: | 6’1” |
| Plays: | Right-Handed |
| Turned Pro: | 1998 |
But what of Federer the man? Born on August 8th, 1981 in Basel, Switzerland his parents, South African-born Lynette and Robert, who is Swiss, met on a business trip when they both worked for a pharmaceutical company. He has a sister Diana who is two years older than him.
The 6′, brown-haired, brown-eyed right-hander began playing at 8 years old and was desperate to emulate his idol, Boris Becker. He also liked to watch Pete Sampras and Stefan Edberg. He excelled as a junior and was ranked No 1 Junior in the World after he won Junior Wimbledon. He is only one of four players to have won both the Senior and Junior Championships at Wimbledon, the others being Stefan Edberg, Pat Cash, and Bjorn Borg.
Always sporting he loves playing golf, playing and watching soccer and skiing, he is also very sociable preferring to spend the evening with friends playing cards or listening to music rather than being in the limelight.
He met his wife Mirka Varinec, a former WTA player, at the Sydney Olympics and they married in Basel on April 11th, 2009. When his wife had to leave the circuit due to a foot injury she became Federer’s Public Relations Officer. Their twin daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose were born on 23rd July 2009.
Charity Work
Federer donates several autographed items to various fundraising auctions and he made a personal donation to the tsunami relief efforts in January 2005. He also helped organize the all-star “Rally For Relief” an exhibition event in Indian Wells, California with proceeds going to UNICEF’S tsunami efforts.
But his main charitable interest is the Roger Federer Foundation. He said, “In sports, we learn how to fight for the victory, the team, the assigned task. In many countries of the world, they are denied any majority or sports, despite their efforts and that is why I have set up this Foundation.”
The non-profit charitable foundation donates money to local aid organizations in selected countries of the world for innovative projects where there are insufficient or no funds.
He got the idea after meeting Nolonwabo Baton, a 15-year-old girl from Ndzondelelo High School in Port Elizabeth, South Africa who introduced herself with the self-conscious remark, “I am tomorrow’s future.” For more information about the Foundation or to make a donation click on www.rogerfedererfoundation.org
Roger Federer is uniquely gifted and naturally talented at the game of tennis. Possessing mesmerizing shot accuracy and power he can turn many players around with great ease. Federer has such belief in his shots that he can take on any player from any angle. He can turn defense into attack with devastating results.
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