Roger Federer

Swiss-born professional athlete, a tennis phenomenon who won five consecutive Wimbledon championships, 2003-2007 inclusive, before he was 26 years old. Federer is the younger of two children, the only son born to business professionals from the pharmaceutical industry. Athletic from the time he was young, he began playing tennis at age three and picked up soccer shortly afterward. By age 14 he had pretty well decided that tennis was his first love. He dropped out of school at age 16 because he felt that his studies were keeping him from his tennis practice. His parents had been totally supportive of his passion for tennis and had obtained skillful coaches for him. Nevertheless, they extracted a promise that he would return to school if his tennis career didn’t pan out. They needn’t have worried. Somewhat hampered by his emotional outbursts at his own mistakes, Federer underwent counseling to achieve the emotional coolness required to compete. In 1998, he became the world junior champion and his professional career took off. By the end of 1999, he was the youngest player on the ATP list of the top 100. Two years later with several wins under his belt, he won his first ATP singles title in Milan. With his court performance soaring, he defeated renowned champion Pete Sampras that same year. On July 6, 2003, at the age of 22, Federer became the first Swiss to ever win at Wimbledon. He has won the title every year since then, taking his fifth consecutive title in 2007. With such a stellar record, he is ranked number 1 singles tennis player in the world. On the court, Federer is known for his agility, finesse and power. Off the court, the as-yet unmarried, handsome lad is known for his politeness and frank responses to interview questions. As of July 2007 his career earnings exceed $31 million from prizes alone. In 2003 he established the Roger Federer Foundation, a charitable enterprise that funds projects designed to help educate and provide sports training for disadvantaged people. In April 2009 he married his long-time girlfriend. July 2009 was a big month in his life: he picked up yet another title at Wimbledon in July 2009 and he and his wife welcomed twin girls. The babies, named Charlene Riva and Myla Rose were born in the evening of July 23, 2009 in Switzerland. On 6 May 2014, his wife gave birth again to twins. He wrote on Twitter: "Mirka and I are so incredibly happy to share that Leo and Lenny were born this evening! " In 2017, after having won the Australian open, he became the oldest player to win a Masters 1000 (Indian Wells). On 2nd April 2017, he won his 26th Masters 1000 (Miami). In July, he won his 19th Grand Slam title (Wimbledon). On 28th January 2018, he won his 20th Grand Slam title after having played 30 finals in his career. He decided to retire after the 2022 Laver Cup taking place in London (23-25 September). Federer won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, behind Nadal (22 wins) and Djokovic (21 wins). As a professional, he won 103 tournaments (Jimmy Connors remains the first player with 109, 104 for Mc Enroe). Link to Wikipedia biography Link to Astrodienst discussion forum Read less