Roger Federer has had one constant presence in his box, and in his life- his wife and the mother of his four children-Mirka Federer. But Mirka’s association with tennis happened much before Federer. She was a professional tennis player before retiring young. Here’s more about the love of the Swiss maestro’s life and the anchor to his impressive career!

Roger Federer’s wife’s childhood

Mirka was born as Miroslava Vavrincová, in 1978 in Bojnice, in erstwhile Czechoslovakia. Their family emigrated to Switzerland when Mirka was only 2. Her love affair with tennis began when she met tennis great, Czechoslovakian Martina Navratilova, in a tennis tournament at Filderstadt. Her father had taken her to the tournament where Navratilova commented that she looked athletic and fit to become a tennis player. She even gave Mirka a racquet and arranged for her first tennis lesson.

Mirka Federer’s tennis career

Mirka herself was a pro tennis player on the WTA tour when she met Federer. She turned pro the same year as Federer, when she was 19 years old and Federer was 17. Her Grand Slam debut was in the 2009 French Open, but she could not get past the first round. She has taken part in all four Grand Slam championships and had a career-high ranking of 76, on the WTA list. In terms of grand slams, she reached the second round at 2000 Australian Open and the third round at the US Open in the following year.

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In her short career, Mirka had claimed 3 ITF titles and played all the four Grand Slam events from 1999 to 2001. She also won 1 ITF title in doubles. Her best result at a Grand Slam event was reaching the third round in the 2001 US Open. Of all the pro-level matches she played, she won 202 matches and lost 159 which comes down to a win percentage of 56.

Roger Federer’s love story on the court

He met Mirka for the first time when they were both selected to play doubles for Switzerland at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Roger Federer later recalled how spending the time in the dorms strengthened their bond.

In fact, it was one of the Swiss wrestlers, who were sharing their dorms who convinced him to pursue Mirka. Roger told CNN’s Christina MacFarlane that the trip capped off with a life-defining kiss even though Mirka thought that he was a bit young at the time. In 2000 Mirka was 22 and Federer was 19.

They tried to keep their relationship under wraps for some time. But, it was in a doubles match at the Hopman Cup in 2002 that people noticed the visible chemistry during their post-match on-court interview.

Why did Mirka Federer stop playing?

The same year, Mirka prematurely retired from tennis because of a recurrent foot injury. Federer once said that it was he who advised Mirka to give up tennis but reflecting on it knows how difficult it may have been for her.

“My wife Mirka has suffered a lot due to her physical problems. Her career ended very early, and I myself advised her to end that pain. I told her as if it were the simplest thing in the world looking back on it today I get a weird feeling. I am still playing tournaments at 40-year-old and I find it difficult to stop,” he said.

How much hand did Mirka have in Federer’s phenomenal career?

Roger Federer is often seen gushing about his wife. He has gone on record to say how her beign a player also helped her in understanding all that goes into making a player of Federer’s calibre. Federer gave credit to his wife for all the sacrifices she made to always put his needs and interests at the forefront. He also added how despite him always being on tour, and things always being so hectic, he had never once felt detached from the woman he married more than 12 years ago. “She has been coming to every training session and every match of mine for years, she still did this now but obviously with children the situation is different,” he said.

He also had mentioned how the only thing Mirka requested him was to spend time with him. “She didn’t have any particular requests, the only thing she wanted was to spend time with me,” the 20-time Grand Slam winner shared. This is probably why she is travelling so much with Federer, to his matches, made even more possible by the fact that their kids can travel too, given that they are homeschooled.

He also opened up about how his wife has been an anchor for him all his life, supporting him endlessly to go from great to greater heights. “My wife has been one of the keys to my longevity, without forgetting all the coaches I have had by my side,” he said.

When did the two get married?

Roger Federer and Mirka dated for quite a while, and after her retirement from the sport, she acted as Federer’s PR Manager for a while. Interestingly, the trademark RF logo, that we so associate with the Swiss former World No. 1 was in fact designed by Mirka.

The couple got married in 2009, Wenkenhof Villa near Federer’s hometown, Basel. They opted to have a small private wedding instead of a lavish one, quite befitting the then World No. 1.

All You Need To Know About Roger Federer’s Family

Where does the couple live?

Currently, the Swiss star and his family share a building with Federer’s parents Robert and Lynette in Wollerau, Switzerland. But, the tennis pro is reportedly building a luxurious new home nearby in Rapperswil-Jona. The new property offers a perfect view of Lake Zurich and is worth up to $50 million.

This property not only will offer a stunning view but comes complete with a tennis court as well! According to The Sun, that property is still under construction. It ran into delays given the pandemic, the resultant lockdowns and contaminated land.

Roger Federer’s Astonishing House Where He and His Family are Quarantined

How many kids do Roger and Mirka have?

Roger Federer and Mirka Federer are parents to two sets of identical twins. Their two girls Charlene Riva and Myla Rose were born in the same year that their parents got married. In 2014, Mirka was again pregnant. This time they welcomed another set of twins boys named Leo Federer and Lenny Federer.

Soon after the birth of his sons, Federer opened up about how his wife was doing lion’s share of the parenting, given that he was still active on the tour. He however added that they had a lot of help from various people. Federer also talked about how by then, they were well-versed about how to raise kids while being on the tour.

He said: “My wife does a lot of work, as much as she can. And I try to help as much as I can… We have the grandparents as well and all my team members, they sometimes just tag along.”

“Clearly we also need some help on the road, so Mirka can have an opportunity sometimes to sleep in a little bit, or come to watch one of my matches,” he added. “You need to be well organised, but by now we know how it works.”
Roger Federer admitted in an interview that Mirka wanted their kids to watch him play. “She said, ‘It would be so, so nice that our kids would see you play still,’” he told CNN once. The kids, who often travel with their father on tour. Luckily, they have been witness to plenty of greatness that their father displays on-court!