Roger Federer Facts - Biography and Information

Roger Federer is a professional tennis player from Switzerland. He was born in Switzerland on August 8, 1981. Federer had been continuously ranked as one of the top 5 in the ATP rankings for 543 weeks as of July 2013. Roger took an interest in sports at an early age, playing tennis and soccer at the age of 8. The young athlete excelled at athletics, and by age 11, he was among the Top 3 junior tennis players in Switzerland. At the age of 12, he decided to quit other sports and focus all his efforts on tennis, which he felt he excelled at more naturally. By the age of 14, he was fully immersed in the game, playing 2-3 tournaments per month. He turned pro in 1998, and knocked out reigning champion Pete Sampras in 4th round at Wimbledon 2001. He became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam title, when he won the Wimbledon 2003 singles. Here is your chance to know Roger Federer better with these fun and interesting facts.

Roger Federer Facts

1. Roger Federer is a right-handed professional tennis player from Switzerland.
2. Roger Federer was born on August 8, 1981 at the Basel Cantonal Hospital in Basel, Switzerland.
3. His father’s name is Robert Federer and mother’s name is Lynette Du Rand. Roger’s parents met while on a business trip for a pharmaceutical company, where they both worked.
4. Roger’s mother is from South Africa while his father is Swiss. He holds both Swiss and South African citizenship.
5. He was the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title.
6. He can speak Swiss German, French and English languages fluently.
7. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.
8. He considered Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg as his idols during his youth.
9. He is at times referred to as the Federer Express, shortened to Fed Express or FedEx.
10. Roger Federer held the number 1 ranking for 237 straight weeks from February 2, 2004 until August 18, 2008 relinquishing the top spot to Rafael Nadal. Roger regained the number 1 ranking again on July 6, 2009.
11. As of May 2013, he is ranked World No. 5 by the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals).
12. He founded the Roger Federer Foundation, a charity that promotes sports and education to children in many countries.
13. Roger Federer’s favorite hobbies include golf, soccer, skiing, playing cards, spending time with friends, enjoying music and PlayStation.
14. Roger Federer has a number of sponsors which include Nike, Rolex, Wilson, NetJets, Nationale Suisse, Gillette, Lindt & Sprngli, Mercedes-Benz, Jura and Credit Suisse.
15. Roger is coached by Severin Luthi and his fitness trainer is Pierre Paganini. He had hired Tony Roche as his part-time coach in 2005.
16. In July 2003, he launched his own fragrance called "RF-RogerFederer".
17. Two days after winning his first Wimbledon, he was presented with a 1,760 lb. milking cow he named "Juliette" as a gift from tournament organizers in Gstaad, Switzerland.
18. In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year to be $29 million.
19. He is friends with Sachin Tendulkar (Famous Cricket Player) and Tiger Woods (Famous Golf Player).

Roger Federer’s ATP Tour Records

1. He has won six ATP World Tour Finals.
2. He played in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.
3. He has won the most prize money of any other player in tennis history, with over $77,000,000.

Roger Federer’s Family Facts

1. Federer is married to former Women’s Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec.
2. He met her while both were competing for Switzerland in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
3. They were married at Wenkenhof Villa in Riehen near Basel on 11 April 2009.
4. Roger and Mirka were blessed with identical twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva on 23 July 2009.