It’s all about Roger!

The man who’s won everything

 “In an era of specialists, you’re either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist or a hard court specialist…or you’re Roger Federer.” Jimmy Connors

 That says it all! The tennis maestro has played professionally for twenty years and boasts a record-breaking list of titles: 98 in singles, 8 in men’s doubles, one career Grand Slam, 6 Masters, 27 Masters 1000, Olympic gold in the doubles with Wawrinka in Beijing in 2008, and in 2014, he helped Switzerland win the Davis Cup for the first time, thus clinching one of the few trophies lacking from his collection.

Federer is the player with the most Grand Slam singles titles to his name in the Open era, with 20 victories. He also holds the record of 310 weeks in the number one spot of the world rankings.

Roger already had a brilliant career and world number one position in his sights at age 17 when, having defeated Guillermo Coria to win the Orange Bowl junior tournament in 1998, he stuck up a sign on his bedroom door that said, “The number 1 lives here”. This early ambition actually proved rather conservative, when you think about everything he has achieved since!

The man whose name you should pronounce correctly

His mother, Lynette, is South African and called her son Roger, with the South African (and English) pronunciation. When he first started out, Roger did not like it when French people pronounced his name with the soft French “je” sound: "I’ve told the press a thousand times that it’s ‘Roger’. If people don’t get that, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not going to waste my energy on it.”  It must have been very annoying at the time but, since then, the French-speaking press have learnt their lesson!

The most elegant player

Roger always pays attention to what he wears, and cuts quite a dash both on and off the courts. His clothes cannot be found on the high street: they are all made-to-measure. He counts iconic American Vogue editor Anna Wintour as one of his close friends, so he is unlikely to make any fashion faux-pas!

But this was not always the case! At the beginning of his career, the Swiss maestro’s look was far from polished: long hair, ponytail, shapeless polo shirt. Thankfully, Roger soon found his fashion mojo! Now he displays impeccable taste, donning fitted polo shirts in muted colours, topped off with a Rolex on his wrist. A chic sportsman who demonstrates exemplary fair-play and international class. His meticulous appearance, which matches his game, earned him GQ Magazine’s “Most Stylish Man” award in 2016.

The man who stole the Coupe des Mousquetaires…

On the evening of his victory at Roland Garros in 2009, Federer had a rather unusual request: he wanted to take the Musketeers’ Cup home with him, the real one, not the replica given to the tournament winner. However, the competition rules strictly state that nobody is allowed take the cup away.

But Roger did not let it drop: he was determined to show the trophy to his father, who had been unable to attend the final. The FFT finally agreed to lend him the cup for one night, on the condition that they could keep an eye on it! Roger left the stadium with the trophy under his arm and escorted by four body guards! Two of them even spent the night in front of his hotel room until the trophy was safely returned the following day.

The polyglot

Federer can hold a conversation in six different languages! He is most fluent, understandably, in his native language, Swiss-German, but he also speaks English, French, Swedish, Italian and Spanish. A regular holder of press conferences, he tends to speak to the media for about an hour after every match. “Though it can be trying and tedious, in the end, it allows you to talk to a great many people, anywhere on the planet, and that’s pretty cool,” he admits. He enjoys passing on his linguistic skills to his children, who are already…trilingual!

The man who is scared of rollercoasters

Though Roger loves a thrill, he’d rather it were on the court than off! He has admitted that he doesn’t like rollercoasters, parachuting, bungee jumping or any other risky pursuits. He is also said to be afraid of snakes and spiders.

The vegetarian

When he was a child, Roger was a vegetarian. He only tasted meat for the first time when he was 17. “It was in 1998, during a Davis Cup encounter. Marc Rosset took me to a Steak House. He was gobsmacked to find out I was a vegetarian. He called the chef over to let me taste some different cuts. I liked it, and since then I’ve eaten meat.”

The man who is turning 37

On 8th August 2018, we will be wishing the great master of world tennis a happy 37th birthday! Many happy returns, Roger!

 “[…] And there’s one man who loves everything: it’s him. He is obsessed with his profession. It’s as though he said, ‘I like that, that and that,’ and someone said, ‘We’ll create a sport just for you, it’s called tennis.’” Fabrice Santoro