Player history

Roger Federer was born in Basel on August 8, 1981. His father, Robert Federer, is Swiss from Berneck and his mother Lynette Durand is South African. He has an older sister named Diana and has dual Swiss and South African nationality. He grew up in Riehen and then Münchenstein, on the outskirts of Basel and close to the French and German borders.

In addition to Swiss German, his mother tongue, he is fluent in German, English and French. In football, Federer is a Basel fan.
His German-Swiss father, Robert Federer, is from Berneck in the canton of St. Gallen, and his Afrikaner mother, Lynette Federer, is from Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa. He has one brother, his he older sister, Diana, mother of twins. Roger was a ball boy at his hometown Basel event, the Swiss Indoors in 1992 and 1993

Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss armed forces. However, in 2003 he was found unfit and subsequently not required to fulfill his military obligations. Instead, he served in civil defense and was required to pay 3% of his taxable income instead. He also attributes his hand-eye coordination to the wide variety of sports he played as a child, including badminton and basketball.

Career

The Swiss Maestro is considered one of the best tennis players of all time, as well as one of the greatest sportsmen of all time: an icon and legend of world sport. With 20 triumphs in 31 finals, he is the third most successful tennis player in Grand Slam trials, behind Rafael Nadal (22) and Novak Djokovic (24).

Specifically, he won 8 Wimbledon times (record), 6 Australian Open, 5 US Open and 1 Roland Garros. He is also in third place in the ranking of victories of the Big Titles (54), the most important and prestigious tennis tournaments in the world. He sits in second place on the all-time list of weeks spent as world No. 1 (310), behind only Novak Dokovic (373). However, he holds the record for consecutive ones spent at the top of the ranking (237) and at 36 he became the longest-lived tennis player to conquer the No. 1 of the ATP World Ranking.

In 2009 with the victory in Roland Garros he completed the Career Grand Slam. In 2017, beating Marin Cilic in the final, he became the only man to have won Wimbledon eight times, the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the world. He won the ATP Finals 6 times, a record shared with Novak Dokovic, where he obtained a record 10 participations in the final.

He also won the most titles on both hard courts (71) and grass (19). At the Olympics he won two medals: at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, gold in doubles together with compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka, while in London 2012, silver in singles, losing to Andy Murray in the final. With a prize pool of around 130 million dollars, he is the third tennis player in history in the ranking of career earnings, preceded by Dokovic and Rafael Nadal.

In 2009, just like in the previous season, Roger lifted 4 ATP titles but they were all big, conquering the Roland Garros for the first time to become the 6th player in history who won all 4 Majors. Also, he followed that with a victory at Wimbledon, and that was his 15th Grand Slam crown, passing Sampras who stayed on 14. He was the year-end leading player for the 5th time in the last 6 years and the first player who wrapped up 7 straight years in Top 2. The season could have been even better but he lost memorable finals at Australian Open to Nadal and US Open to Juan Martin del Potro, also dropping the final of Basel to Novak Djokovic. 

2012 was very strong season, highlighted by Wimbledon crown and 3 Masters 1000 trophies, good enough to finish in the Top 2 for the 9th time in the last 10 years. Following his 7th Wimbledon title, Roger returned to the throne of men's tennis to pass Sampras' record of 286 weeks at the top, and he won 71 matches for the first time since 2006. Still, he had some heartbreaking losses like the one against Murray in the final of the Olympics, and to Djokovic at the ATP Finals.

In 2017, Roger was ready to charge again after being sidelined for almost 6 months, and he returned in full glory, winning 7 ATP titles and losing just 5 matches on the Tour. In Melbourne, he defeated Nadal in a magnificent final to conquer his 18th Grand Slam, the first in 5 years, and he also won Indian Wells-Miami double for the first time since 2006. At Wimbledon, Federer won all-time record 8th crown, joining Borg as the champion who didn't drop a set in 7 matches.

At 35, Roger is the second oldest Grand Slam winner in the Open era after Ken Rosewall in 1972, and also the oldest champion of Masters 1000 event, passing Andre Agassi. After winning the biggest 3 events of the first part of the season, Roger missed the entire clay season in order to prepare for the challenges on grass and he played just 5 tournaments after Wimbledon, winning titles in Shanghai and Basel and losing Montreal final to Alexander Zverev, US Open quarter-final to del Potro and ATP Finals semi-finals to David Goffin.  At the Australian Open 2018, he easily reaches the 43rd Grand Slam semifinal by overcoming Tomas Berdych in three sets. After also excluding Chung Hyeon due to withdrawal, he arrives at the 30th Grand Slam final, in which he defeats the Croatian Marin Cilic, seeded number 6, with a score of 6-2 6-7 6-3 3-6 6-1.

He thus conquers his sixth title in Australia and becomes the fourth tennis player, first in the history of men's sport, to win 20 Grand Slam titles after Margaret Court, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. In February he won the Rotterdam tournament by beating Grigor Dimitrov in the final, returning to number one in the ATP ranking after more than five years and becoming the oldest number one in the Open era.

At the ATP 500 in Dubai 2019, Roger manages to win his 100th career title, becoming the second tennis player in history to reach this milestone. Despite the not very convincing first rounds against Kohlschreiber, Verdasco and Fucsovics, his game improves considerably in the semifinals, where the Rhine beats Coric 6-2 6-2, and in the final, won over the Greek Tsitsipas with a double 6-4. On September 15, 2022, he announced his impending retirement from professional tennis, saying the Laver Cup would be his last ATP event. Against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, he played with Rafael Nadal the last challenge of tennis career. The match was his 1750th on the Tour.

Style of play

Federer certainly retains the elegance of his gestures from ancient tennis. The Swiss is one of the very few tennis players to still play forehand in the classic position called Neutral Stance. The result is a very fast shot, difficult to read for the opponent, being played without changing the position of the feet and not very loaded with spin, as well as being suitable for fast surfaces. T

he backhand is a shot on which Roger has worked hard and whose progress has gone hand in hand with that of the world rankings. Even with a backhand, played with one hand, Federer acts in an accentuated Neutral Stance with the right foot that bypasses the alignment of the left, using the wrist more both to give the ball Top-Spin effect and to direct the shot.

As an alternative to the top-spin backhand, Federer has an effective backhand with top-down effect. In this shot the Swiss enhances his touch sensitivity, transforming what is a defensive choice for all the other players into an attacking weapon when he plays it low and tense in cross, difficult to counter especially for right-handed players with backhand with two hands. The validity of his backhand can also be seen in the execution of the dropshot, which the Swiss masks very well and which he plays with great naturalness.

Early in his career, Federer was considered a serve & volley player. Modern tennis, much more powerful and played on slower, more uniform surfaces, with heavier balls, penalizes the net game, and Federer, utilitarianly, has made a virtue of necessity. Nonetheless, among the top players, he is the player who most faces the net showing composure and coordination in volleys, and often exulting in the search for incredible touch solutions.

With the advancing age and through the advice of Stefan Edberg, he improved his skills in the volley game, using the serve & volley more often and also improving the accuracy of the volleys, especially the forehand one, previously considered the least effective. In response, Federer is an equally unpredictable player, capable of placing a great variety of shots, including even the drop drop.

He has even devised a shot: the SABR (Sneak Attack By Roger - ed.), which consists of a very early return practiced on the serve line, used by the Swiss to surprise his opponent leaving the serve. Although in some moments of the performances he seems lazy and lean on his talent, playing from non-technically orthodox positions and adapting the shots with the wrist, Pierre Paganini describes his former player as a complete athlete.

Rivalries

Between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal there has long been a sporting rivalry among the most iconic and legendary in the history of sport, even if off the court the two tennis players are friends, and bring each other great mutual esteem and respect.

The two occupied the first two positions of the ATP ranking without interruption for 4 years, with the Swiss first and the Spanish second, except for the period from August 2008 to July 2009, in which the positions were reversed; Nadal was later relegated to third place by Andy Murray in August 2009. Federer and Nadal very often faced each other in the finals of tournaments, also setting a record of 9 Grand Slam finals and 12 of Masters 1000.

Head-to-head sees Nadal leading 24-16 out of 40 matches played. The last of these comparisons was in the semifinals at Wimbledon 2019, with Roger Federer's victory in 4 sets (with the final score of 7-63 1-6 6-3 6-4), while the last in a final of the Grand Slam was played on 29 January 2017 during the final of the Australian Open and saw the Swiss win in 5 sets (with the final score of 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3), giving Federer a new record for Grand Slam tournaments won (18) and making him the first player in tennis history to win 3 Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open) at least 5 times.

Some matches played between them are considered among the most exciting in the sport: the 2008 Wimbledon final, which saw the Spaniard triumph in the 5th set, after 4 hours and 48 minutes of play, was defined by some as the most exciting match of tennis history. The 2009 Australian Open final was another memorable match, won by Nadal in the fifth set, a match Federer calls the best the two have ever played against each other. Also worth mentioning is the final of the 2006 Rome Master Series, which saw the Majorcan win in the fifth set, after Federer wasted two matchpoints in favor of him on a 5-6 run.

Another notable match was the final of the 2017 Australian Open, won in the fifth set by the Swiss Maestro, in what is considered by many to be one of the highlights of recent sport. Federer also has a notable rivalry with Novak Dokovic. The two have faced each other 50 times.

The balance is 27-23 in favor of the Serbian. The first meeting was held in 2006. This rivalry is the second in the Open Era by number of matches played, ahead of those between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (40), between Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe and between Dokovic himself and Andy Murray (both 36). The first phase, between 2006 and 2010, was in favor of the Swiss tennis player (13-6), while the second was in favor of the Serbian (21 to 10). On clay and hard-courts the balance is equal, respectively 4-4 and 14-14, while on indoor hard-courts Dokovic leads by 6-4, as well as on grass, where the Serbian is ahead 3-1.

In the Grand Slam tournaments they met on 17 occasions, five of which in the finals. The longest match played between the two players is the 2019 Wimbledon final, which lasted 4 hours and 57 minutes, which is also the longest final ever played at Wimbledon and, again in terms of duration, the third in the history of the finals of the Grand Slam tournaments. Federer, with Nadal and Djokovic, is part of the Big-3.

Private life

Federer is married to former Women's Tennis Association player Miroslava Mirka Federer, whom she met while both competing for Switzerland at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Mirka withdrew from the tour in 2002 due to a foot injury.

They got married in the Villa Wenkenhof in Riehen near Basel on April 11, 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family. In 2009 he gave birth to identical twin girls. They had another set of twins in 2014, this time fraternal twins. Their children were baptized in the Catholic faith by Federer's distant cousin, Archbishop Urban Federer, who is the abbot of Einsiedeln Abbey.

Net Worth and endorsements

In 2023, Federer's net worth is around $450 million. His total career ATP earnings are $129 million. This is the second highest earning in tennis history. From the endorsement Federer earns about 600 million dollars.

He is one of very few professional athletes who have earned $1 billion from their sport. Between June 2016 and June 2017, Federer earned approximately $71.5 million, $65 million of which came from endorsements. Between June 2017 and June 2018, he earned around $77 million. He earned $94 million between June 2018 and June 2019, $86 million of which came from endorsements.

In 2018, he signed a deal with Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo for 10 years worth $300 million. Federer's gain from approval is higher than that of any athlete. His endorsement money comes from so many famous international brands like Credit Suisse, Rolex and Mercedes Benz.

Career titles

2019

Basel (Indoor/Hard)
Halle (Outdoor/Grass)
ATP Masters 1000 Miami (Outdoor/Hard)
Dubai (Outdoor/Hard)

2018

Basel (Indoor/Hard)
Stuttgart (Outdoor/Grass)
Rotterdam (Indoor/Hard)
Australian Open (Outdoor/Hard)

2017

Basel (Indoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (Outdoor/Hard)
Wimbledon (Outdoor/Grass)
Halle (Outdoor/Grass)
ATP Masters 1000 Miami (Outdoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (Outdoor/Hard)
Australian Open (Outdoor/Hard)

2015

Basel (Indoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (Outdoor/Hard)
Halle (Outdoor/Grass)
Istanbul (Outdoor/Clay)
Dubai (Outdoor/Hard)
Brisbane (Outdoor/Hard)

2014

Basel (Indoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (Outdoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (Outdoor/Hard)
Halle (Outdoor/Grass)
Dubai (Outdoor/Hard)

2013

Halle (Outdoor/Grass)

2012

ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (Outdoor/Hard)
Wimbledon (Outdoor/Grass)
ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Outdoor/Clay)
ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (Outdoor/Hard)
Dubai (Outdoor/Hard)
Rotterdam (Indoor/Hard)

2011

ATP Finals (Indoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Paris (Indoor/Hard)
Basel (Indoor/Hard)
Doha (Outdoor/Hard)

2010

ATP Finals (Indoor/Hard)
Basel (Indoor/Hard)
Stockholm (Indoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (Outdoor/Hard)
Australian Open (Outdoor/Hard)

2009

ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (Outdoor/Hard)
Wimbledon (Outdoor/Grass)
Roland Garros (Outdoor/Clay)
ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Outdoor/Clay)

2008

Basel (Indoor/Hard)
US Open (Outdoor/Hard)
Halle (Outdoor/Grass)
Estoril (Outdoor/Clay)

2007

Tennis Masters Cup (Indoor/Hard)
Basel (Indoor/Hard)
US Open (Outdoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (Outdoor/Hard)
Wimbledon (Outdoor/Grass)
ATP Masters 1000 Hamburg (Outdoor/Clay)
Dubai (Outdoor/Hard)
Australian Open (Outdoor/Hard)

2006

Tennis Masters Cup (Indoor/Hard)
Basel (Indoor/Carpet)
ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Indoor/Hard)
Tokyo (Outdoor/Hard)
US Open (Outdoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Canada (Outdoor/Hard)
Wimbledon (Outdoor/Grass)
Halle (Outdoor/Grass)
ATP Masters 1000 Miami (Outdoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (Outdoor/Hard)
Australian Open (Outdoor/Hard)
Doha (Outdoor/Hard)

2005

Bangkok (Indoor/Hard)
US Open (Outdoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (Outdoor/Hard)
Wimbledon (Outdoor/Grass)
Halle (Outdoor/Grass)
ATP Masters 1000 Hamburg (Outdoor/Clay)
ATP Masters 1000 Miami (Outdoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (Outdoor/Hard)
Dubai (Outdoor/Hard)
Rotterdam (Indoor/Hard)
Doha (Outdoor/Hard)

2004

Tennis Masters Cup (Outdoor/Hard)
Bangkok (Indoor/Hard)
US Open (Outdoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Canada (Outdoor/Hard)
Gstaad (Outdoor/Clay)
Wimbledon (Outdoor/Grass)
Halle (Outdoor/Grass)
ATP Masters 1000 Hamburg (Outdoor/Clay)
ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (Outdoor/Hard)
Dubai (Outdoor/Hard)
Australian Open (Outdoor/Hard)

2003

Tennis Masters Cup (Outdoor/Hard)
Vienna (Indoor/Hard)
Wimbledon (Outdoor/Grass)
Halle (Outdoor/Grass)
Munich (Outdoor/Clay)
Dubai (Outdoor/Hard)
Marseille (Indoor/Hard)

2002

Vienna (Indoor/Hard)
ATP Masters 1000 Hamburg (Outdoor/Clay)
Sydney (Outdoor/Hard)

2001

Milan (Indoor/Carpet)