Federer was born in Basel, to Swiss-German Robert Federer and South African Lynette Federer (née Durand).[8] He grew up in suburban Münchenstein, ten minutes from Basel and close to the borders of France and Germany[9]. Federer considers Swiss German his first language. He also speaks German, French and English fluently[10] and conducts press conferences in all four. He is Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome [11].
In addition to tennis, he also played football as a boy and considered becoming a professional footballer before deciding to pursue a career in tennis. He continues to support FC Basel, his hometown club, and is a fan of Italian club AS Roma.[10][12] Federer is also a cricket fan and spends part of his off-time playing cricket[13]. As a youngster, he enjoyed watching Marcelo Ríos in action.[14] He especially liked Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Marcelo Ríos and has cited them as idols.[15]
Federer is highly involved in various charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports to youth. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF from 2006. Since then, he has visited South Africa and Tamil Nadu, one of the worst tsunami-affected areas in India. He has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS.
He is currently dating former WTA player Miroslava "Mirka" Vavrinec, who retired from tennis in 2002 after a foot injury. The two met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where they were both representing Switzerland.
Federer's favorite vacation spots are Dubai, the Maldives, and the Swiss mountains.[10][16]
Federer is a good friend of golf superstar Tiger Woods and musician Gavin Rossdale.
In 2007, Federer was photographed by Annie Leibowitz as King Arthur. This was part of a series of photographs taken by her of many different celebrities for Disney's Year of a Million Dreams project.
In addition to tennis, he also played football as a boy and considered becoming a professional footballer before deciding to pursue a career in tennis. He continues to support FC Basel, his hometown club, and is a fan of Italian club AS Roma.[10][12] Federer is also a cricket fan and spends part of his off-time playing cricket[13]. As a youngster, he enjoyed watching Marcelo Ríos in action.[14] He especially liked Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Marcelo Ríos and has cited them as idols.[15]
Federer is highly involved in various charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports to youth. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF from 2006. Since then, he has visited South Africa and Tamil Nadu, one of the worst tsunami-affected areas in India. He has also appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS.
He is currently dating former WTA player Miroslava "Mirka" Vavrinec, who retired from tennis in 2002 after a foot injury. The two met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where they were both representing Switzerland.
Federer's favorite vacation spots are Dubai, the Maldives, and the Swiss mountains.[10][16]
Federer is a good friend of golf superstar Tiger Woods and musician Gavin Rossdale.
In 2007, Federer was photographed by Annie Leibowitz as King Arthur. This was part of a series of photographs taken by her of many different celebrities for Disney's Year of a Million Dreams project.
