King of Aces: Roger Federer
What do Star Wars, a worldwide renowned logistics service company and tennis have in common? Maybe Darth Federer, Federer Express or the Swiss maestro of tennis might ring a bell. It is none other than Roger Federer, the professional male tennis player who currently holds an unprecedented record in the world of tennis; 16 Grand Slam titles!
As Jimmy Connors, a former World No. 1 tennis player says, “In an era of specialists, you are either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, a hard court specialist, or you are Roger Federer!”, Federer’s versatile and fluid style of play has won him the hearts of tennis fans from all walks of life across the globe. An all-court, all round player, he is famous for his plethora of slick moves and shots on court, employing top spins, flicks, slices, drops, volleys, half-volleys and smashes with pinpoint accuracy and precision. He also plays with a single-handed backhand, which is a rare element in the sport. As the King of Aces, he is able to produce serves at breakneck speeds of 200 km/h (125mph) to 220 km/h (137mph) which are indeed difficult to see, let alone break. An illustration of his brilliant, eye-catching play was shown in the semi-finals of the 2009 US Open against Serbian, Novak “The Joker” Djokovic. Federer played the “tweener” (between-the-legs shot) earning him match point.
Born on 8th August 1981 in Binningen, near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South African-born Lynette, Federer grew up in suburban Münchenstein, nearby the French-German border. He speaks fluent Swiss German, English, German and French. Albeit being subjected to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces, he was deemed unfit in 2003 due to a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his obligations. He was raised in a Roman Catholic family and is currently married to Mirka Vavrinec, former women’s tennis player and his public relations manager. He has twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.
Roger Federer took up the sport of tennis at the tender age of 8. He always had a competitive edge to his game, often becoming reduced to tears and smashing his rackets whenever he lost a match. By the time he reached 13 years old, he had trained at a top-rated tennis academy, Eclubens’ Swiss National Tennis Center, Switzerland.
Federer first made waves when he was a junior player at Wimbledon, where he won both the singles and doubles tournaments. He was the junior World Number One in 1998 at the green age of 17. He kick-started his first tournament on the professional tennis circuit in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) at Gstaad, 1998 in which he tasted defeat at the hands of Lucas Arnold Ker. His first final was at the Marseille Open in 2000 and his first win was at the Milan Indoor tournament in 2001. He also made the headlines that year when he defeated four-time defending champion, Pete Sampras to make it to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Furthermore, in 2002, Roger Federer managed to become ranked as one of the top 10 players in the world for the first time. This occurred after his first Master Series, the 2002 Hamburg Masters. In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon.
To date, Federer continues to reach milestones and achievements. He has a men’s singles Career Grand Slam under his belt and is the 6th male tennis player to accomplish this. He has an Olympic Games Doubles gold medal to his name as well. With 16 Grand Slam titles (4 Australian Opens, 1 French Open, 5 US Opens and 6 Wimbledon’s), 5 ATP World Tour Finals and 17 ATP Masters Series tournaments, he remains way ahead of the rat race. Although the ATP as of 9th January 2009 seeded him as second, he held the ATP number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks.
Roger Federer is not only one of the most prolific athletes in the world: He is also one of the most well-paid, having earned approximately 61 million USD in prize money over the course of his career. He is endorsed by Nike footwear and apparel, Gillette, Jura, Mercedes Benz, NetJets and Lindt. He plays with a customised Wilson Six racket. However, he does his bit for charity and this makes him a highly reputable man. He started his own charitable foundation, the “Roger Federer Foundation” in 2003 to assist in providing sport education to children. April 2006, he was appointed as a UNICEF Ambassador of Goodwill, which assists in the needs of the poor children worldwide. He participated in charity matches such as Hit for Haiti 2010 and Rally for Relief 2011. He was named as a 2010 Young Global leader by the World Economic Forum vis-à-vis his contributions to society, recognition of his leadership and accomplishments.
“I can’t stay No. 1 for 50 years, you know. We’ll see what happens.” So, Federer says. Although his professional tennis career is entering its twilight years, Roger Federer remains a force to be reckoned with, fully capable of giving his opponents a run for their money.
BY STEPHANIE MARY ANNE VINCENT
As Jimmy Connors, a former World No. 1 tennis player says, “In an era of specialists, you are either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, a hard court specialist, or you are Roger Federer!”, Federer’s versatile and fluid style of play has won him the hearts of tennis fans from all walks of life across the globe. An all-court, all round player, he is famous for his plethora of slick moves and shots on court, employing top spins, flicks, slices, drops, volleys, half-volleys and smashes with pinpoint accuracy and precision. He also plays with a single-handed backhand, which is a rare element in the sport. As the King of Aces, he is able to produce serves at breakneck speeds of 200 km/h (125mph) to 220 km/h (137mph) which are indeed difficult to see, let alone break. An illustration of his brilliant, eye-catching play was shown in the semi-finals of the 2009 US Open against Serbian, Novak “The Joker” Djokovic. Federer played the “tweener” (between-the-legs shot) earning him match point.
Born on 8th August 1981 in Binningen, near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South African-born Lynette, Federer grew up in suburban Münchenstein, nearby the French-German border. He speaks fluent Swiss German, English, German and French. Albeit being subjected to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces, he was deemed unfit in 2003 due to a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his obligations. He was raised in a Roman Catholic family and is currently married to Mirka Vavrinec, former women’s tennis player and his public relations manager. He has twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva.
Roger Federer took up the sport of tennis at the tender age of 8. He always had a competitive edge to his game, often becoming reduced to tears and smashing his rackets whenever he lost a match. By the time he reached 13 years old, he had trained at a top-rated tennis academy, Eclubens’ Swiss National Tennis Center, Switzerland.
Federer first made waves when he was a junior player at Wimbledon, where he won both the singles and doubles tournaments. He was the junior World Number One in 1998 at the green age of 17. He kick-started his first tournament on the professional tennis circuit in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) at Gstaad, 1998 in which he tasted defeat at the hands of Lucas Arnold Ker. His first final was at the Marseille Open in 2000 and his first win was at the Milan Indoor tournament in 2001. He also made the headlines that year when he defeated four-time defending champion, Pete Sampras to make it to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Furthermore, in 2002, Roger Federer managed to become ranked as one of the top 10 players in the world for the first time. This occurred after his first Master Series, the 2002 Hamburg Masters. In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon.
To date, Federer continues to reach milestones and achievements. He has a men’s singles Career Grand Slam under his belt and is the 6th male tennis player to accomplish this. He has an Olympic Games Doubles gold medal to his name as well. With 16 Grand Slam titles (4 Australian Opens, 1 French Open, 5 US Opens and 6 Wimbledon’s), 5 ATP World Tour Finals and 17 ATP Masters Series tournaments, he remains way ahead of the rat race. Although the ATP as of 9th January 2009 seeded him as second, he held the ATP number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks.
Roger Federer is not only one of the most prolific athletes in the world: He is also one of the most well-paid, having earned approximately 61 million USD in prize money over the course of his career. He is endorsed by Nike footwear and apparel, Gillette, Jura, Mercedes Benz, NetJets and Lindt. He plays with a customised Wilson Six racket. However, he does his bit for charity and this makes him a highly reputable man. He started his own charitable foundation, the “Roger Federer Foundation” in 2003 to assist in providing sport education to children. April 2006, he was appointed as a UNICEF Ambassador of Goodwill, which assists in the needs of the poor children worldwide. He participated in charity matches such as Hit for Haiti 2010 and Rally for Relief 2011. He was named as a 2010 Young Global leader by the World Economic Forum vis-à-vis his contributions to society, recognition of his leadership and accomplishments.
“I can’t stay No. 1 for 50 years, you know. We’ll see what happens.” So, Federer says. Although his professional tennis career is entering its twilight years, Roger Federer remains a force to be reckoned with, fully capable of giving his opponents a run for their money.
BY STEPHANIE MARY ANNE VINCENT
