Childhood and Education Journey of Roger Federer in Timeline
An overview of the childhood and early education of Roger Federer, highlighting the experiences that shaped the journey.
Roger Federer, a Swiss former professional tennis player, is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. He held the world No. 1 ranking for a record 310 weeks, including 237 consecutive weeks, and finished the year as No. 1 five times. Federer amassed 103 ATP singles titles, the second-most in the Open Era, highlighted by 20 major men's singles titles and six year-end championships. His achievements and elegant playing style have made him a global icon.
August 1981: Roger Federer's Birth
In August 1981, Roger Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland.
1992: Ball Boy at Swiss Indoors
In 1992, Federer was a ball boy at his hometown Basel event, the Swiss Indoors.
1995: Training at Swiss National Tennis Center
Between 1995 and 1997, Federer trained at the Swiss National Tennis Center, located in Ecublens.
1997: Completion of Compulsory Education
In July 1997, Federer completed his compulsory education at La Planta secondary school in Chavannes-près-Renens and obtained his certificate.
1999: Discharge from military service
In 1999, Roger Federer, at 18 years old, was discharged from compulsory military service due to a chronic back problem.
1999: Drafted and discharged from military service
In 1999, at the age of 18, Roger Federer was drafted into the Swiss Armed Forces but was soon discharged due to a chronic back problem.
2000: Met Mirka at Sydney Olympics
In 2000, Roger Federer met Miroslava Federer (née Vavrinec) while competing for Switzerland at the Sydney Olympics.
2000: First title drought season
In 2016, Federer announced that he would miss the Summer Olympics and the remainder of the 2016 season to recover fully from his knee injury. This also implied that 2016 would be Federer's first season since 2000 in which he failed to win a title.
August 2002: Death of Peter Carter
On 1 August 2002, Peter Carter died in a car crash in South Africa, deeply impacting Federer.
2002: First Masters Title and Peter Carter's Death
In 2002, Federer won his first Masters title in Hamburg but also suffered the loss of his coach, Peter Carter.
2002: Mirka's retirement
In 2002, Mirka, Roger Federer's wife, retired from the Women's Tennis Association tour due to a foot injury.
2003: Establishment of Roger Federer Foundation
In 2003, Federer established the Roger Federer Foundation to help disadvantaged children and promote their access to education and sport.
2003: Exemption from military service
In 2003, Roger Federer was ruled "unsuitable" and exempted from military service obligation, instead serving in the civil protection force and paying 3% of his taxable income.
May 2004: Supporting IMBEWU Charity
Since May 2004, Federer has been supporting the South Africa-Swiss charity IMBEWU, which helps children connect to sports and social and health awareness, citing his close ties with South Africa.
2004: Rally for Relief
At the 2005 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Federer arranged an exhibition with several top players called Rally for Relief, whose proceeds went to the victims of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
2005: Auction for Hurricane Katrina Victims
In 2005, Federer auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.
2005: Visit to South Africa
In 2005, Federer visited South Africa to meet children who had benefited from his support of the IMBEWU charity.
April 2006: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
In April 2006, Federer was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF, raising public awareness of AIDS.
December 2006: Visit to Tamil Nadu
In December 2006, Federer visited Tamil Nadu, one of the areas in India most affected by the 2004 tsunami, showing his commitment to disaster relief.
2006: Met Pope Benedict XVI
In 2006, Roger Federer, raised as a Roman Catholic, met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the Italian Open tournament in Rome, describing it as "the perfect day".
December 2007: Potential onset of mononucleosis
In December 2007, Roger Federer may have started suffering from mononucleosis, though it was not diagnosed until March 2008.
March 2008: Mononucleosis diagnosis revealed
In March 2008, Roger Federer revealed his recent diagnosis of mononucleosis, which he believed he might have suffered from as early as December 2007.
April 2009: Marriage to Mirka Vavrinec
In April 2009, Roger Federer married Miroslava "Mirka" Vavrinec at Wenkenhof Villa in Riehen near Basel, surrounded by close friends and family.
2010: 'Hit for Haiti' Charity Event
In 2010, Federer arranged a collaboration with top tennis players for 'Hit for Haiti' during the Australian Open, to help Haiti earthquake victims, and participated in a follow-up exhibition at Indian Wells.
2010: "Match for Africa" Raises Millions
In 2010, the Nadal vs. Federer "Match for Africa" in Zürich and Madrid raised over $4 million for their respective foundations.
January 2011: Rally for Relief in Queensland
In January 2011, Federer participated in Rally for Relief, an exhibition to raise money for the victims of the Queensland floods.
2014: Birth of twin boys
In 2014, Roger Federer and his wife Mirka welcomed fraternal twin boys into their family.
2014: "Match for Africa 2"
In 2014, the "Match for Africa 2" between Federer and Stan Wawrinka in Zürich raised £850,000 for education projects in Southern Africa.
2014: Stefan Edberg's departure announcement
In December 2014, Federer announced that Stefan Edberg would be replaced by Ivan Ljubičić, with Severin Lüthi remaining his head coach. Federer revealed that Edberg originally signed on to the coaching team for one season only in 2014 but agreed to stay on in 2015.
2015: Coaching Team Changes
In December 2014, Federer announced that Stefan Edberg would be replaced by Ivan Ljubičić, with Severin Lüthi remaining his head coach. Federer revealed that Edberg originally signed on to the coaching team for one season only in 2014 but agreed to stay on in 2015.
2016: Hiatus for Knee Surgery
In 2016, Federer took a half-year hiatus to recover from knee surgery.
2016: Ranking Slips to No. 17
In 2016, Federer's withdrawal from most of the 2016 season led his ranking to slip to No. 17 at the start of the season, his lowest in over fifteen years. At the Australian Open, Federer defeated top-10 players Tomáš Berdych and Kei Nishikori on his way to the semifinals, making Federer the oldest man to compete in a grand slam semifinal since Jimmy Connors in 1991.
2016: Withdrawal from Olympics and Season
On 26 July 2016, Federer announced that he would miss the Summer Olympics and the remainder of the 2016 season to recover fully from his knee injury. This also implied that 2016 would be Federer's first season since 2000 in which he failed to win a title.
2017: "Backhand Boys" Performance
In 2017, at the Indian Wells Masters, Federer, Grigor Dimitrov, and Tommy Haas, known as the "Backhand Boys", performed "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" with a cameo from Novak Djokovic and David Foster.
2018: "Match for Africa" in San Jose
In 2018, Federer paired with Bill Gates in a doubles clash against Jack Sock and Savannah Guthrie at the "Match for Africa" in San Jose, winning the match.
2020: Arthroscopic surgery for a right knee injury
In 2020, Federer began his season at the Australian Open. In February, Federer underwent arthroscopic surgery for a right knee injury.
2020: Second knee surgery
In 2020, Roger Federer underwent his second knee procedure on his left knee.
January 2021: Withdrawal from Australian Open
In January 2021, Federer withdrew from the Australian Open due to still recovering from knee surgery and strict COVID-19 quarantine measures in Australia.
May 2022: Visit to Swiss National Team
In May 2022, Federer surprised the Swiss national football team, unveiling Puma’s new jersey ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
2022: Third knee surgery
In 2022, Roger Federer underwent a third procedure, this time on his right knee.
2022: Withdrawal from US Open
In August 2021, Federer announced that he underwent another knee surgery after a further injury during the grass-court season. He withdrew from the US Open, but he hoped to make a return to the tour in 2022.
2022: Culmination with the 2022 Laver Cup
On 20 June 2024, the documentary film, "Federer: Twelve Final Days" was released on Amazon Prime Video and culminates with the 2022 Laver Cup.
2023: Switzerland Tourism Film with Trevor Noah
In 2023, Federer starred alongside Trevor Noah in a film for Switzerland Tourism titled "The Grand Train Tour of Switzerland: The Ride of a Lifetime".
June 2024: Release of "Federer: Twelve Final Days" Documentary
On 20 June 2024, the documentary film, "Federer: Twelve Final Days" was released on Amazon Prime Video. The film follows the last 12 days of Federer's career.
