Roger Federer is often cited as the greatest of all time in tennis. It was not just his achievements but his simplicity that made him so popular across the world.
He was introduced to a number of sports by his parents during his childhood. He used to play squash with his father on Sundays and also played sports like basketball, handball, table tennis, and soccer at school.
He found interest in sports that involved ‘balls’. But he soon decided to focus on tennis.
With sheer focus and discipline, Federer became very popular early in his career. He became good enough to warrant an interview with a local newspaper. During one of his interviews, Federer was asked how he wanted to spend his paycheck from his first match win on the ATP tour. He simply replied in his native language that he would like to buy ‘mehr CDs’(i.e. more CDs).
Roger Federer’s mother was horrified to know what her son wanted to buy from his first paycheck. She misinterpreted it as ‘Mercedes’. Her misunderstanding was soon cleared by the interviewer.
When Federer was a teenager, he was good enough to warrant an interview with a local newspaper. The reporter asked what he would buy with a first hypothetical paycheck from playing tennis, and young Roger answered,’a Mercedes.’ His mother was aghast to read that. She was relieved, however, when the reporter let her listen to a recording of the interview, and she realised there had been a mistake. The boy had said ‘Mehr CDs’ in Swiss German. He just wanted more CDs.
-Story from Wertheim’s book
This story from Jon Werheim’s book “Strokes of Genius” is considered one of the funniest anecdotes of Federer’s tennis career.
Roger Federer attended the Rugby World Cup Finals with his mother, wife, and kids
Roger Federer attended the Rugby World Cup Final between South Africa and New Zealand in Paris with his mother Lynette, wife Mirka, and four kids.
Roger Federer has South African citizenship from his mother and was cheering for South Africa in the final. He is also a close friend of Siya Kolisi, captain of the South African team.
South Africa defeated New Zealand 12-11 to defend their title from 2019. It was Springbok’s fourth Web Ellis Title and the highest by any country.
Federer’s mother Lynette Federer is of African origin and hails from Kempton Park, South Africa. It is the reason why Federer has South African citizenship. His father Robert Federer is from Switzerland and he met his mother Lynette when they worked together in a pharmaceutical company in Switzerland.
