There are few superlatives that haven't been used to describe Roger Federer. 'The greatest of all time' (New York Times), 'greatest athlete of his generation' (USA today), 'Superhuman' (Guardian)… The list goes on. There's no doubt he has transcended tennis to become a true icon of his era. An idol to a generation.
Winning 20 Grand Slams, over 100 ATP tour titles and spending the best part of 6 years as the world number one will do that to you. But this success belies the real story behind his incredible achievements. The story of the young Swiss boy who lost his first match 6-0, the teenager who struggled to control his temper as he missed his family, the 19 year old who saw his peers start winning grand slams before him, the champion who feels heartache and defeat like all others before him.
Becoming the best was never pre-determined. Federer wasn't born a champion. Like all up and coming young players, he started out as a qualifier, playing out on court 23. He worked his way up, with a level of dedication and determination seldom seen in any sport. He never skipped a practice session. If he was jet lagged. He played. If he was sick. He played. If he was injured. He played. When he lost, he got back up, figured out why, and came back harder than ever.
Roger Federer has won everything there is to win in the sport. But it's not just his ability to win tennis matches that has made him the fans' favourite for almost 20 years in a row. It's his humility. His respect for others. His unwavering devotion to the sport he loves. Whilst others may surpass his records, it's likely that he will always be remembered as the definitive tennis champion.
Roger Federer – video transcript
I think in my world that I grew up in Switzerland, education always comes first and sports wasn't really a way of life. But then I remember playing badminton or ping pong or tennis, you know, in the backyard of my friend's house and we were like, "and the winner of Wimbledon is Roger Federer!" I'd like go down to my knees and pretend holding up a trophy. So I think I was dreaming of winning Wimbledon.
Playing against a wall, playing doubles with my parents, playing doubles with my friends, playing catch into the night, realising that tennis had so much more to it than just hitting a ball. I also played football, never looked back, I always enjoyed it, but eventually I had to take a decision if it was going to be football or tennis. Thankfully I chose tennis.
My first ever match, I lost 6-0, 6-0. I heard some rumours that maybe, sort of, the local federation, they were like "well, maybe he's not that good like we thought he was." I kept on practising hard. I started playing more tournaments. I started to become very successful also even as a junior, at least in my area. Nationally, I became Junior Swiss Champion for the first time when I was 12 years old. I was joking, put up a sign on the wall that said, "Junior World Champion lives here." We were leaving the next day. The Swiss Junior Team, like when they knocked on the door of my, sort of, dorm, everybody was laughing.
Then, the National Tournament comes around I did one little tiny interview with the National Tennis Magazine. They asked, "would you ever go to National Tennis Centre?" And I thought, well, I think it would actually be quite good for me. Be part of the best group of the juniors. If I want to maybe become a professional tennis player, maybe that is the path I have to take. And off I went at 14 to the National Tennis Centre. I was in a great family from Monday to Friday and then I would only come home on the weekends, and I'd be incredibly homesick for the first nine months. Results dropped, lacked confidence, couldn't speak the language. I really struggled.
Finally, the results started to come back and I started feeling more comfortable. So it was, it was quite a rough journey. I think those were maybe the two most influential years of my life, from 14 to 16, being away from home, persevering and having that responsibility to figure out the things, sort of, on my own sometimes.
I remember going to a dentist once and he asked me, "so what are you doing?" and I'm like, "well, I'm a tennis player now." He goes, "what else?" and I'm like, "just tennis player, that's all I do." I realised, man, it's just playing tennis, you know. Is this really enough? And I started really questioning myself. I thought that maybe I could be the next super tennis player for my country.
When I was 16, Peter Carter joined the National Tennis Centre, and previously I had worked with him at the local tennis club in Basel. He was a very important mentor and if I play the way I play today, it's probably thanks to Peter.
It was a very tragic accident that Peter passed away in a car crash on his honeymoon in South Africa that me and my family told him he should maybe do one day. Obviously the news totally shocked me and rocked my world. In some ways it was a true wake-up call. This is sort of when I guess I shifted gears and I just like, "okay well, let's get serious about tennis, very serious, and let's maximise my potential."
I don't think I wanted to be wasted talent. I'll never forget what happened, you know, and the way it did but I'll forever miss him. That's clear.
Becoming World Number One and winning Wimbledon, sort of, being the leader of the game in some ways or just spokesperson for all male tennis players, I don't take it for granted. I really appreciate it because for me heroes are really important. You know, having Stefan Edberg, Sampras, Becker, Michael Jordan. I have a chance to give back. I have a chance to inspire.
I don't know if it would do that much different, all I think I would have to know is that I actually have time. Everything feels like it's in fast forward. You got to win tomorrow, you got to win right now. You want to learn something new and it could be something totally away from what you're good at, if you're a good musician or tennis player for that matter. You want to maybe spend a little bit more time with your friends or family and not look back and go like, “maybe I missed too many things, maybe I sacrificed almost too much." And I believe in a very much a healthy balance.
I'm actually not quite sure exactly why I succeeded as much as I did. You don't aim for 20 Grand Slams. You don't aim for World Number One anyway, not in my world, not in my normal upbringing. In Switzerland I'm not sure if we dream this big, you know.
It's not something that happens quickly or easily. If you're passionate about what you're doing, keep going, keep believing, reach for the stars. And you're positive, and you surround yourself with the right people, and if you really go for it.
One thing I do believe in is not wasting your talent. You can always control, I feel like, your mind and your fitness and your best effort. If you do your best there, at least you have no regrets and you look back and you can be proud of what you achieved.
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Roger Federer became one of the world's most successful tennis players and an icon for the sport.
Having won 20 grand slam singles titles and holding the world number 1 position for 310 weeks, many consider him to be the greatest tennis player of all time.
He set up the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 which has helped over 1.5 million disadvantaged children by providing access to education and sport.
He is the most popular tennis player in history.
