Federer's biography

Nickname(s): Swiss MaestroFederer Express (FedEx) Darth Federer
Country: Switzerland
Residence: Wollerau, Switzerland/
Date of birth: 8 August 1981 (1981-08-08) (age 28)
Place of birth: Basel, Switzerland
Height: 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 85.0 kg (187 lb; 13.39 st)
Turned pro: 1998
Plays: Right-handed; one-handed backhand
Career prize money: US$ 50,979,485* All-time leader in earnings
Singles:
Career record: 676–158 (81.1%)
Career titles: 61
Highest ranking: No. 1 (February 2, 2004)
Current ranking: No. 1 (July 6, 2009)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open: W (2004, 2006, 2007)
French Open: W (2009)
Wimbledon: W (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)
US Open: W (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
Major tournaments
Tour Finals: W (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007)
Olympic Games: SF (2000)
Doubles
Career record: 112–72 (60.8%)
Career titles: 8
Highest ranking: No. 24 (9 June 2003)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open: 3R (2003)
French Open: 1R (2000)
Wimbledon: QF (2000)
US Open: 3R (2002)
Major doubles tournaments
Olympic Games: Gold Medal (2008)

Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player. As of the 6th of July 2009, he is ranked world number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), having previously held the number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.
Federer has won 15 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other male player. He is one of six male players to have captured the career Grand Slam. Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 21 career Grand Slam finals, and as of September 2009, has reached the semi-finals or better of the last 22 Grand Slam tournaments, a streak that spans over five years. Federer also holds the record of reaching 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals and has appeared in 17 of the last 18. As a result of his successes in tennis, Federer was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for four consecutive years (2005–2008).

Childhood and personal life:
Federer was born in Binningen, near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South Africa-born Lynette Du Rand. He holds both Swiss and South African citizenship. He grew up in suburban Münchenstein, near Basel, close to the French-German borders and Federer speaks Swiss German, German, French and English fluently. He was raised as a Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome. Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was deemed unfit due to a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his obligations.

Federer is married to former Women's Tennis Association player Mirka Vavrinec. They met while competing for Switzerland in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Vavrinec retired from the tour in 2002 because of a foot injury and has since been working as Federer's public relations manager. They were married in Basel on 11 April 2009, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family at Wenkenhof Villa (municipality of Riehen). On 24 July, Federer announced on his Facebook page that Mirka had given birth to twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, on the previous day.
Federer supports various charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports. In 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 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.