Roger Federer
Why it is far from over for the maestro
Roger Federer celebrates his 40th birthday on August 8th.
© lev radin / Shutterstock.com
Roger Federer has shaped tennis like no other for years. Even at the age of 40, he doesn’t think about quitting. Why should he?
“One more year, one more year”, his fans chanted when Roger Federer (40) said goodbye to Wimbledon with an elegant pirouette in early July 2021. The Pole Hubert Hurkacz (24) had just had breakfast with the Swiss 3: 6, 6: 7 and 0: 6. For years it was the other way around: Federer swallowed one big tournament victory after the other. Now, at the age of 40, the breakfast buffet seems looted – others are faster, better, younger. That’s it?
Few professional athletes have legendary status even when they were active. Roger Federer is such a candidate, one who can read a game and his opponent. Croatian Marin Čilić (32) once said of his rival: “Roger has an incredible eye.” The “seer” in the tennis world has an overview and is celebrated by colleagues and fans. Unlike Rafael “Rafa” Nadal (35) and Novak “Nole” Djoković (34), he never really got an iconic nickname. While the “bull” Nadal rely on strength and the “Djoker” Djoković on agility, Federer was for years the most playful player on the tour and the most technically skilled.
Is the record hunt over now?
Because the former number one in the world is always good for a surprise. In 2017, Federer won Melbourne and Wimbledon after a leg injury. In 2018 he repeated his triumph at the Australian Open and soon after became the oldest world number one in history. Together with the “Djoker” and “Rafa” he shares a record: All three players have 20 Grand Slam victories each. After that there is nothing for a long time and finally the American Pete Sampras (49) with 14 major wins. The Swiss was the first player in tennis history to reach the final of ten Grand Slam tournaments in a row (Wimbledon 2005 to the US Open 2007). Federer feels particularly comfortable on the sacred lawn of Wimbledon, where he won eight individual titles. This is only topped by clay court specialist Nadal, who has so far lifted the trophy 13 times at the French Open.
Roger Federer and his four twins
In addition to all the sporting successes, the record man can also look forward to private life. Because after he and his wife Mirka (43) had twins in 2009 (Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, 12), a double pack followed in 2014 with Leo and Lenny (7) – a “miracle”, as the proud dad said at the time. “Once you have started with twins, nothing is difficult afterwards,” said Roger Federer once in an interview with the “Neue Luzerner Zeitung”. Well, if so, the birthday child may soon end the sporting dry spell. He gets the next opportunity at the US Open, where, in addition to Nadal and Djoković, the youngsters Alexander Zverev (24) and Dominic Thiem (27) are waiting for the old master. It’s done, Roger!