Sunday, 27 April 2008
okay, i asure you that this is going to be a long one. want to know why? that's because it is a biography of the greatest tennis player of all times and my favourite tennis superstar and idol: roger federer.
Roger Federer (pronounced /ˈrɒdʒər ˈfɛdərər/[1]; born August 8, 1981) is a Swiss tennis professional, ranked World No. 1 since February 2, 2004, for a record 221 consecutive weeks.[2] Many tennis critics, past legends of the game, and his own peers consider him as having the potential to be the greatest player in history.[3] In 2008, he was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record fourth consecutive time.[4]
Federer has won twelve Grand Slam singles titles (three Australian Open, five Wimbledon, four US Open), four Tennis Masters Cup titles, and fourteen ATP Masters Series titles. In addition to this, he holds many records in the game, including having appeared in ten consecutive Grand Slam men's singles finals (2005 Wimbledon Championships through to 2007 U.S. Open).
Contents[hide]
1 Personal life
2 Tennis career
2.1 2001
2.2 2002
2.3 2003
2.4 2004
2.5 2005
2.6 2006
2.7 2007
2.8 2008
3 Playing style
3.1 Equipment and apparel
4 Records
5 Awards
6 Career statistics
6.1 Grand Slam singles finals (14)
6.1.1 Wins (12)
6.1.2 Runner-ups (2)
6.2 Tennis Masters Cup singles finals (5)
6.2.1 Wins (4)
6.2.2 Runner-up (1)
6.3 ATP Masters Series singles finals (21)
6.3.1 Wins (14)
6.3.2 Runner-ups (7)
6.4 Career finals (82)
6.4.1 Singles (71)
6.4.1.1 Wins (54)
6.4.1.2 Runner-ups (17)
6.4.2 Doubles (11)
6.4.2.1 Wins (7)
6.4.2.2 Runner-ups (4)
6.5 Singles performance timeline
6.6 ATP Tour career earnings
7 References
8 Further reading
9 Video
10 See also
11 External links
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[edit] Personal life
Roger Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland,[5] to Swiss-German Robert Federer and South African Lynette Federer. He grew up in suburban Münchenstein, ten minutes from Basel and close to the borders with France and Germany. As a boy, Federer was very emotional and was kicked off practice courts occasionally.[citation needed] Federer was also a talented football player[citation needed]. He had considered becoming a professional football player but instead decided to pursue tennis. He continues to support FC Basel, his hometown club and is a fan of Italian club AS Roma.[6][7] When he was younger, he liked to watch Marcelo Ríos in action.[8] Federer especially liked Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Marcelo Rios and has cited them as idols.[5]
Federer currently resides in Oberwil, Switzerland and is dating former WTA player and Slovakia-born Miroslava Vavrinec (Mirka), who retired from tennis in 2002 after a foot injury. The two met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Federer launched a fragrance called RF Cosmetics in October 2003.[9] He considers Swiss German his first language, but also speaks German, French, and English fluently[6] and conducts press conferences in all three. His favorite vacation spots are Dubai, the Maldives and the Swiss mountains.[6] [10] He is also a good friend of golf superstar Tiger Woods. Federer is Roman Catholic, and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the Rome Masters in 2006.[11]
Roger Federer is highly involved in various charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports to young people. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF from 2006. Since then, he has visited Tamil Nadu, one of the worst tsunami-affected areas in India, and South Africa. He has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS.
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