11 Things you didn’t know about Roger Federer

Born 8 August 1981 (age 38) Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who is ranked world No. 4 in men’s singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals. His height is 6’1″ (1.854m) Weighs 187 lb. (85 kg). Here are 11 things you didn’t know about Him.

1. Federer is one of the highest earning sportsmen of all time. 

Roger Federer’s prize money alone currently stands at a staggering $19 million. When you add this to all the lucrative sponsorship deals, his net worth becomes an astonishing total of 450 million dollars. He’s currently sponsored by Swiss Rolex, Mercedes Benz, Gillette, among others. It’s estimated he earns around $70 million a year.

2. Roger Federer has a doctorate. 

In 2017, the University of Basel awarded Roger Federer with an honorable doctorate, he was given the title as a result of raising the reputation of his home city and country so extensively on the international stage of competitive sport. The university also praised him for all the charitable work he’s done to raise education standards for so many children and Africa, it’s estimated that over 100,000 children have been provided with better education thanks to Dr. Federer’s philanthropy, the class of 2017. 

3. He could have been a professional footballer.

His two favorites were tennis and soccer. Because the soccer coach at the time said he was easily the best midfielder he had ever coached. He remarked that Federer had the brains to make it as one of the world’s best playmakers. However, at the age of 12, he decided to give up on all other sports and concentrate solely on tennis. He believed that his natural talent in this sport surpassed his abilities in soccer. However, in hindsight, it’s probably fair to say he made a good choice. 

4. Federer had anger management problems in his teenage years. 

When Federer was young, he would have had major tantrums and outbursts of anger on the court. Tennis is as much a game of mental resilience as it is physical skill. What often holds back the best players is their inner demons. In an interview, Federer said that everything changed at the age of 21 when his childhood coach and good friend died in a car crash in South Africa. This made him reassess his life and character. He grew in maturity and adopted a far more reserved and humble approach on the court. Many experts believe that his ability to control the mental side of his game helped him to become the greatest tennis player of all time. 

5.  Federer was excused from military service due to back problems. 

It was compulsory for all Swiss citizens to complete a year of military service for their country. In 2003, having already been a pro tennis player for five years, he was selected for the draft, however, he was deemed unfit due to back problems. Instead, he had to contribute 3% of his taxable income to the Swiss government. Many criticized the decision at the time saying Federer was given special treatment. The argument was that a man of Federer’s athletic prowess surely couldn’t be so physically impaired, however. 35 percent of all Swiss citizens are actually excused from military service because they are also deemed unfit. 

6. Till Death Do Us Part.

Roger Federer married Mirka Vavrinec in 2009. She was also a professional tennis player; they met in 2000 when they were both competing for Switzerland at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. After getting to know each other for two weeks, they had their first kiss on the last day of the Olympics. The rest is history!

7. Federer has two sets of identical twins. 

Federer has four children. Both are sets of identical twins. In 2009, his wife gave birth to identical twin girls. The couple named them Myla and Charlene, in 2014, She fell pregnant again and gave birth to twins boys who were named Leo and Lenny, interestingly enough, though Federer’s only sibling, his sister, is also mother to twins. There must be something going on in that gene pool.

8.  Federer has been the world number one for the most consecutive weeks. 

Federer has been ranked at world number one for a total of 310 weeks so far in his career. 237 of those weeks came back to back from February 2004 to August 2008. Federer dwarfs his nearest opponents in the field quite magnificently. 

9. Federer’s charity work is nearly as extensive as his sporting achievements. 

Federer has tirelessly worked to give back to a world that blessed him with a natural talent. In 2004, he auctioned off the racket he used to win Wimbledon and donated all the proceeds to charities helping with relief work after Hurricane Katrina. In 2006, he organized a rally for relief with other professional players in order to raise money for those affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. In 2010. He staged a match in Switzerland between himself and Rafael De Gaulle called the match for Africa. The game raised over $4 million for charities that help to provide education to impoverished children in South Africa. It’s estimated that Roger Federer’s proactive philanthropy has raised well over $60 million for charitable causes. 

10. Federer has three estates and over 50 cars.

Federer has a lavish apartment in Dubai, estimated to be worth around $5 million. He decided to buy the place after realizing it was a great location to train in order to get accustomed to playing in extreme heat. The average daily temperature in Dubai is 102 degrees Fahrenheit or almost 40 degrees Celsius. He also has two properties in his native country of Switzerland. One is valued at around $8 million. The other is a penthouse apartment in Zurich. One of the most expensive cities to buy property in the world. Federer is sponsored by Mercedes Benz and therefore has an endless garage of their finest vehicles. He said his favorite vehicle is the SLS AMG roadster.

11. Federer speaks five languages. 

Federer is not only one of the greatest athletes of our generation, he’s also a gifted linguist. He speaks German, French and English completely fluently, while also being able to communicate effectively in Italian and Swedish.