All things here: Roger Federer

Born August 8, 1981, Roger Federer was among the top 3 junior tennis players in Switzerland by the age of 11. He joined the junior tournament circuit, becoming the national junior champion at age 14. Federer turned pro in 1998, and knocked out reigning .

Athlete

Born on August 8, 1981, in Basel, Switzerland. His parents, Robert Federer and Lynette Du Rand, met while on a business trip for a pharmaceutical company where they both worked.

Federer took an interest in sports at an early age, playing tennis and soccer at the age of 8. The young athlete excelled at athletics, and by the age of 11 he was among the top 3 junior tennis players in Switzerland. At the age of 12, he decided to quit other sports and focus all his efforts on tennis, which he felt he excelled at more naturally. By the age of 14, he was fully immersed in the game, playing 2-3 tournaments per month, and practicing 6 hours of the game a week along with up to 3 hours of conditioning. To perfect his technique, he often imitated his idols, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.
At 14, he became the national junior champion in Switzerland, and was chosen to train at the Swiss National Tennis Center in Ecublens, and had his his first sponsorship by the age of 16. He joined the International Tennis Federation junior tennis circuit in July 1996. In 1998, shortly before he turned pro Federer won the junior Wimbledon title and the Orange Bowl. He was recognized as the ITF World Junior Tennis champion of the year.
In 1998, he won the Wimbledon boys' singles and doubles titles in 1998 and turned professional later that year. At Wimbledon 2001 he caused a sensation by knocking out reigning singles champion Pete Sampras in the fourth round. In 2003, following a successful season on grass, Federer became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam title when he became Wimbledon singles champion.
At the beginning of 2004, Federer had a world ranking of number 2, and during that year won the Australian Open, the U.S. Open, the ATP Masters, and retained the Wimbledon singles title. He was ranked number 1 at the start of 2005 and his successes that year include the Wimbledon singles title for a third successive year, and the U.S. Open.
Federer held on to his number 1 ranking at the start of 2006, winning the Australian Open, his fourth successive Wimbledon singles title, and his third successive U.S. Open. Continuing to dominate the sport, the right-handed champion won the singles title at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open again as well as the Australian Open in 2007. Currently ranked No. 1 on the ATP Tour, Federer has been named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award three times??in 2005, 2006, and 2007.
Federer was in the finals for a sixth U.S. Open win, and with the option of victory came the possibility of breaking several records. Federer lost, however, to Juan Martin del Potro.
When he's not on tour, Federer lives in Oberwil, Switzerland. Outside of tennis, he established the Roger Federer Foundationto support projects that help children learn worldwide and that promote sports in his native Switzerland.
Roger Federer's sweet forehand and court smarts have made him one of the top-ranked tennis players in the world.

Roger Federer - Did You Know?

Roger Federer speaks three languages - English, German and French.
Roger Federer is one of the few professional tennis players in the world that does not have a full-time coach.
Roger Federer's favorite music is anything by AC/DC or Lenny Kravitz.
In 2007, Roger Federer became the first living Swiss person to be featured on a Swiss stamp. The postage picture features Roger holding the Wimbledon trophy.
Roger Federer is dating former professional tennis player Mirka Vavrinec. The pair met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where they were both representing Switzerland.