Roger Federer is living his best life at Paris Fashion Week and a detail in his one wife’s outfits has sent tennis fans into meltdown.
Goat, but make it fashion.
That must have been the brief for Roger Federer’s wife Mirka after she sent the internet into meltdown with an outfit that can only be described as iconic.
While the eyes of the tennis world are on the Australian Open, Federer is enjoying the retired life, making an appearance on the other side of the world at Paris Fashion Week.
Stepping out in Paris, the Swiss maestro looked sharp as usual in a navy turtleneck and two-piece suit combination.
But it was his wife who Mirka stole the show, wearing a sweater vest with an unmistakeable blue goat emblazoned on the front, worn over the top of a patterned dress.
Sure enough, tennis fans immediately lost their collective minds at what many suspected was a deliberate choice by Mirka to acknowledge to her husband as the GOAT — the greatest tennis player of all time.
Others have pointed out the vest may have simply been a nod to Mirka’s star sign Aries’ animal, which is a ram.
The Federers were also spotted rubbing shoulders with longtime Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour and Australian film director Baz Luhrmann.
Federer retired from professional tennis last year after a glittering career that saw him with 20 grand slam titles.
Rafael Nadal leads all comers with 22 grand slams and he could well be equalled by Novak Djokovic if the Serbian wins his 10th Australian Open crown this weekend.
But despite being third on the leaderboard, Federer is still viewed by many as the greatest tennis player to every play the game.
The nine-time Australian open winner extended his unbeaten streak Down Under to 26 games, moving clear of Andre Agassi’s all-time record.
His dominating win puts the remainder of the draw on notice as he moves into his 44th career Grand Slam semi-final, just behind Federer’s record of 46 semi-finals.
Djokovic reflected on the first time he faced Federer in a grand slam semi-final.
“I think it was the US Open back in 2007,” he recalled.
“It seems quite a long time ago. But yeah. I was fortunate to win that semi-finals. You know, in the finals, I lost to Roger.”
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at Wimbledon last year. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
The Rod Laver Arena crowd cheered at the mention of Federer’s name, and Djokovic urged them on.
“Lets give a big round of applause to Roger guys, let’s go.
“He deserves it. I had some great battles with Roger over the years that’s for sure.
“Tennis misses him for sure. I’ve seen him dressing up very sharply for fashion week, I saw him the other day (on social media).”
Jim Courier asked Djokovic if he’d seen a video of Federer skiing with his family.
“I’ve seen him skiing. I want to challenge him for a little skiing race in few years time,” he said.
“He is enjoying life for sure. It’s nice to see that. Obviously, for tennis, he has been one of the most important players ever to play the game. So, you know, big regards to him and his family.”
Roger Federer embarked on a secret project during his injury hiatus before retiring.
One of Roger Federer’s secret projects during his post-knee surgery break has been revealed in a new documentary. An anonymous portrait of the retired star was showcased in a five-month exhibition without anyone realising it was Federer. The 41-year-old strips down to his boxers for the unique “flying” sculpture as part of Ugo Rondinone’s “burn shine fly” installation at the 2022 Venice Biennale and shares the “vulnerable” feeling of being involved in the piece.
Portrait of a Champion shows how the 20-time Major champion was transformed into a flying figure – ‘cloud six’ – for renowned Swiss artist Rondinone’s exhibition in the Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista church while attempting to stage a comeback from his ongoing knee injury.
It shows the retired former world No 1 in a way fans have likely never seen him before, as he strips down to his boxers and is suspended in a trapeze for Rondinone to be able to figure out the pose and dimensions for his sculpture. “Ugo said okay let’s hold on a second here, let’s really explain to Roger what we’re getting into,” Federer says in the documentary, sharing his experience of the process.
The Swiss star dons a swimming cap-style hat as he hands in the air while cameras whizz around his body to get a full scale mock-up of what the sculpture will look like, and he later has different parts of his body made into a cast to work from. “Of course you feel vulnerable,” he says afterwards.
“Okay I’m used to it when I’m on a tennis court but then I’ve got my racket which is like my hammer from Thor and when someone films you then, it’s no problem. But in your underwear, in a harness, hanging there it’s obviously a very different situation and that’s what I think was so unusual for me and even if it’s ridiculous you still think well it’s part of the creative process, this is what it’s going to take to make it a good end result.”
In the documentary, Rondinone also reveals that he initially said no when asked to commission a portrait of Federer. “It came as a surprise because I don’t do commissions, once I do a commission I go blank and I feel I have to fulfil something that’s not really mine,” he said, before explaining that incorporating the 103-time title winner in his existing work was the “elegant solution.”
He added: “I said why not include him as an anonymous figure in this project, not as Roger Federer. I will not promote him, I would like him to be one of seven neutral bodies who fly.” Federer later goes to see the installation at the 2022 Venice Biennale and admits that the anonymity relates to his life away from the tennis court.
“What I like about the anonymous part about it is it’s in my life as well. I like it sometimes when it’s anonymous as well, people don’t know where I am, don’t know what I’m doing,” he explained. But Federer admitted that he still enjoyed getting to go out and play tennis – something he didn’t realise he wouldn’t do again at the time of filming, continuing: “But then it’s nice to get back into the limelight, it’s nice to walk out on Centre Court, it’s nice to be famous sometimes or known or have the microphone for that matter.”
Looking back on the project, he adds: “Now having gone through it with Ugo and just seen it reflecting in his project at the end, the body’s flying and for him it was very much the end of the project and I felt a big sense of relief as well for him.” The documentary then reveals that during the entirety of the exhibition from April to September 2022, no one realised that cloud number six was a portrait of Roger Federer.
Roger Federer wrapped up the 2003 season with his first ATP Masters Cup title. The Swiss finished the season ranked 2nd behind Andy Roddick and wanted to make changes ahead of the new season. Working with Peter Lundgren since 2000, Roger decided to part ways with the Swede and entered the 2004 season without a coach.
Before the tournament, former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash had criticized Federer for leaving Lundgren just before the season’s first Major, calling it “inexplicable” and drawing Roger’s girlfriend, Mirka, into the story.
As was predicted, Federer was unhappy when he heard about that, saying he did not care what Pat Cash thought as he did not know him.
Also, the Swiss confirmed he was looking for a coach, making no-hurry decisions and waiting for the right opportunity in the next couple of months. Federer made a winning start in Melbourne without a coach in his box, beating Alex Bogomolov Jr.
6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in an hour and a half. Roger always had the upper hand, dropping 15 points in 13 service games and never facing a break point. With the pressure on his side, Bogomolov Jr. lost almost half of the points behind the initial shot, suffered five breaks and faded from the court in the third to propel Federer through.
One break of serve in each of the opening two sets was enough for Roger to move two sets to love in front. He dominated the third and sealed the deal with a service winner in game six for a place in the second round.
Roger Federer blasted Pat Cash at the 2004 Australian Open.
“Even without a coach, I feel good on the court.
It isn’t easy to start the season without a coach, but that was my decision. I thought about it for a long time, probably six months. So, I do not care what Pat Cash says. I did not read his article; people told me what he said.
I could not believe it, as nothing of that was right. I do not even know Pat Cash and can not take his words seriously, as he does not know me. I know what is true and what is not valid. What he is saying is not right and not fair.
I’m looking for a coach and trying to make the right decisions. I do not want to stress into something, and it will take a few weeks or months to make a move. I do not know who will be my next coach. Working with me is a good challenge for any coach; I’m different than the other guys.
You got to know each other a bit and feel you can get along well over 20 or 30 weeks a year; that’s not easy,” Roger Federer said.
Roger Federer is enjoying his retirement as he is finally able to enjoy the hobbies that he wasn’t able to take part in while he was playing professional tennis.
Coming from Switzerland, Federer has always been passionate about skiing and often went on skiing trips during the early parts of his career. However, he was forced to give up the hobby after he nearly picked up a serious back injury.
After retiring in September last year following his failure to recover from a knee injury, the 41-year-old admitted in December that he was keen to return to the slopes although his knee wasn’t yet ready to deal with too much strain.
“I am still a little bit scared [when it comes other sports] right after retirement as my knee has been a little bit so-so and that [skiing] has to wait,” the former world No 1 said in an interview.
“As time goes by I will be able to do more trips and we are always planning our vacations and I want them to be really fun. They can become a little bit more creative.”
Fast forward a few weeks and he is finally able to take part in one of his favourite pastimes.
“It’s been 15years, it feels so good to be back on the slopes ⛷️ #newbeginnings,” he captioned his Instagram post.
https://www.instagram.com/rogerfederer/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=5fbfc22e-1b39-47ff-b4c8-1bb987feb0c3
Federer originally injured his knee at the 2020 Australian Open and underwent surgery, but after an unsuccessful comeback he underwent another operation in 2021.
He told the media afterwards that his main motivation to recover from the knee injury was in order to enjoy life after tennis.
“I had this operation to be able to ski with my children, play football or tennis with my friends in the decades to come,” he said.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner has also confirmed in recent days that he will co-host the Met Gala on May 1.
“I am so excited to be coming back to New York to co-host this years Met Gala with @dualipa , Michaela Coel, @penelopecruzoficial and my dear friend, Anna Wintour,” he wrote on Instagram.
“The 2023 Met Gala celebrates the opening of “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” and provides The Costume Institute. #ALineOfBeauty opens to the public on May 5. I hope everyone enjoys there trip to the Metropolitan Museum.”
“Even without a coach, I feel good on the court.
It isn’t easy to start the season without a coach, but that was my decision. I thought about it for a long time, probably six months. So, I do not care what Pat Cash says. I did not read his article; people told me what he said.
I could not believe it, as nothing of that was right. I do not even know Pat Cash and can not take his words seriously, as he does not know me. I know what is true and what is not valid. What he is saying is not right and not fair.
I’m looking for a coach and trying to make the right decisions. I do not want to stress into something, and it will take a few weeks or months to make a move. I do not know who will be my next coach. Working with me is a good challenge for any coach; I’m different than the other guys.
You got to know each other a bit and feel you can get along well over 20 or 30 weeks a year; that’s not easy,” Roger Federer said.
When young Roger Federer blasted Pat Cash
Roger Federer wrapped up the 2003 season with his first ATP Masters Cup title. The Swiss finished the season ranked 2nd behind Andy Roddick and wanted to make changes ahead of the new season. Working with Peter Lundgren since 2000, Roger decided to part ways with the Swede and entered the 2004 season without a coach.
Before the tournament, former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash had criticized Federer for leaving Lundgren just before the season’s first Major, calling it “inexplicable” and drawing Roger’s girlfriend, Mirka, into the story. As was predicted, Federer was unhappy when he heard about that, saying he did not care what Pat Cash thought as he did not know him.
Also, the Swiss confirmed he was looking for a coach, making no-hurry decisions and waiting for the right opportunity in the next couple of months. Federer made a winning start in Melbourne without a coach in his box, beating Alex Bogomolov Jr.
6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in an hour and a half. Roger always had the upper hand, dropping 15 points in 13 service games and never facing a break point. With the pressure on his side, Bogomolov Jr. lost almost half of the points behind the initial shot, suffered five breaks and faded from the court in the third to propel Federer through.
One break of serve in each of the opening two sets was enough for Roger to move two sets to love in front. He dominated the third and sealed the deal with a service winner in game six for a place in the second round.
A self-described Federer “groupie,” Wintour has written of her admiration for the 20-time Grand Slam champion, who will preside over the 2023 Met Gala along with Michaela Coel, Penelope Cruz, and Dua Lipa.
Roger Federer transcended the tennis world to become a style icon, and will cement that status as co-chair of the 2023 Met Gala alongside celebrities Michaela Coel, Penelope Cruz, Dua Lipa, and longtime friend Anna Wintour.
The editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Wintour became a fixture at Federer’s matches early in his career, considering herself a “groupie” in an op-ed written for Tennis Magazine in 2017. She was on hand for his emotional farewell to tennis last fall when he played a final Laver Cup match at London’s O2 Arena.
“I’ve spent nearly as much time with him at runway shows as I have sitting in his box at Arthur Ashe Stadium,” wrote Wintour, who met Federer for the first time in 2005.
“Over the years, he’s been my guest at Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Versace and Alexander McQueen. A decade ago, he and Mirka memorably joined me at Oscar de la Renta’s show on the Monday morning after Roger won his fourth US Open; the entire room, which is to say the entire fashion world, gave him a standing ovation.”
Wintour has long been credited with helping up Federer’s fashion game, earning him the title of GQ Magazine’s Most Stylish Man of the Decade in 2019.
“It’s not a question of who will be the next Roger Federer,” Wintour concluded. “There is, and there will always ever be, just one.”
People could not help but weep along with Mirka and Roger Federer at his farewell at the Laver Cup. This was a moment that has gone down as one of the most emotional moments in the tennis realm. It was a moment when legendary rivals of Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal too could not control their tears.
Mirka, a Roger Federer believer, from the beginning until the end
People dote upon the adorable love story of the Swiss couple, who now have two sets of twins. But things were not always so rosy for Federer. He too had his lows, and during all this time, Mirka was by his side.
In Roger Federer’s biography, ‘The Master’ written by Christopher Clarey, the writer talks about the unwavering faith and role played by Mirka Federer. President of the Swiss Federation, Sven Groeneveld, even said, “She was on a mission.”
The author detailed a conversation with Federer in which he said, “Mirka was a big believe in me not wasting any sort of talent.” Furthermore, he stated, “Because she knew herself that she was limited to a degree. She was extremely hardworking, but she also knew with my talents I could achieve so many more things, and that belief was very influential.”
The couple had started dating since the Sydney Olympics back in 2000, and she had seen the potential in Federer.
A true gentleman
Even when they bonded and their relationship blossomed during the summer Olympics, Federer courted Mirka with full respect.
As detailed by Mirka Federer herself, he only kissed her on the last day of the Olympics. And then their relationship went on for nine long years before they finally tied the knot.
Mirka knew what she had to do to turn Roger into Federer, as quoted by Swiss journalist Laurent Favre. A lot of hard work and smart choices had to be put in, and Mirka was right by Federer’s side.
A 20-time Major champion Roger Federer ended his career in September last year at the Laver Cup. The entire tennis world honored the Swiss maestro, an idol of many young players worldwide. Interestingly, Federer had struggled to control his temper until the early 00s, experiencing many outbursts during his junior days.
What later became a calm and collected champion, it would have been tough to recognize Roger during some of his junior and early professional events. The Swiss could not keep his temper down right from the first competitive matches in juniors.
He used to throw racquets, curse and have something to say about every point he would lose!
Roger Federer struggled to keep his temper in his junior days.
Speaking about that chapter of his career in 2002, Roger admitted he needed years to start making improvements in that segment.
The Swiss realized it took too much energy to fight with himself, doing his best to change that before stepping on the ATP Tour. Remembering those days, Federer also mentioned how his parents felt embarrassed on some occasions while watching him play, urging him to change his attitude or go to tournaments without them!
Roger looked much better in 2001, achieving his first Major quarter-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and dethroning the Wimbledon king Pete Sampras. Federer took his first Major crown two years later and became world no.
1 after the 2004 Australian Open. “When I was very young, and I started playing at the age of three, I was always swearing around the court, throwing racquets and everything. My parents felt embarrassed, and they would tell me to stop behaving like that; otherwise, they would not come to the tournaments with me anymore.
I had to settle down, but it took me until I was maybe 19 when I finally started to make improvements in that area. I complained about every point I would lose in the past, and I do not know how I got over that. I thought I was losing too much energy by always getting upset with myself.
I’m calm now, and I got excellent press at Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year for my behavior on the court. Now I almost have to watch out not to act too calm on the court,” Roger Federer said.
Last September 2022 was an epochal month for tennis and for sport. Maybe for world history in general. The death of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, a common thread that unites it to the retirements of Roger Federer and Serena Williams from tennis.
Completely different stories, but which in both cases marked an era. To celebrate one of the most beautiful rivalries in the history of sport, Italian journalist Francesco Sessa, who covers tennis for La Gazzetta dello sport and Eurosport, wrote the song Si Vola (We Fly, Tonight – ed.) , which is inspired by the Italian singer-songwriter world and which puts I compare the two personalities, the styles and the emotions that both have aroused in the history of the Game and beyond.
It is resolved with the union between the two players, one against the other but together in a unique rivalry: “Roger and Rafa your magic is to make a beautiful poem out of a game, which teaches you to love whoever is against me, because I don’t exist without you,” says one passage of the song.
The author of the song said: “Making music has always been a way to express my deepest thoughts and the feelings I had inside. A world that I have always kept to myself, however. This song is special because it is the first one I spread and because it combines my two great passions, one for music and one for sport.
The rivalry between Roger and Rafa, thanks to which I became passionate about tennis as a kid, has been told in many ways. With this song, I wanted to do it my way.”
Lyrics in Italian and in English
WE FLY, TONIGHT Eng
(Author: Francesco Sessa)
Roger how do you do, how do you do
To transform everything you have into art
To make what seems far away close
Designing worlds with racket in hand
Designing worlds with racket in hand
Rafa how do you do, how do you do
To run in the wind and never give up
To be hammer, feather and volcano
Nailing dreams with racket in hand
Nailing dreams with racket in hand
Breath of stars, caresses on the skin
You have never dreamed of more beautiful things
But this is reality, this is true history
The earth is divided, the heart in prayer
You have seen the eternal
We fly tonight
Roger you know it, you know it
What you have done, no one will ever
The white on the lawn is a sculpted image
It is genius made flesh, a hymn to life
It is genius made flesh, a hymn to life
Rafa you know it , you know it
Many are lost hoping for your troubles
Dirty earth, stop and watch
A fire that burns, an immortal rite
A fire that burns, an immortal rite
Roger and Rafa, your magic
It is making a beautiful poem out of a game
Who teaches to love those who are against me
Because I don’t exist if you aren’t here
I cross borders to beat you
Breath of stars, caresses on the skin
You have never dreamed of more beautiful things
But this is reality, this is true history
The earth is divided, the heart in prayer You have
seen the eternal We
fly tonight Bringing closer what seems far Drawing worlds with a racket in hand Drawing worlds with a racket in hand Rafa how do you do it Running in the wind and never giving up Being a hammer, feather and volcano Nailing dreams with a racket in hand Nailing dreams with racket in hand Blow of stars, caresses on the skin You’ve never dreamed of more beautiful things.
But this is reality, this is true history
The earth is divided, the heart in prayer
You have seen the eternal
We fly, tonight
Roger you know it, you know it
What you have done, no one will ever
The white on the grass is a carved image
It is genius made flesh, hymn to life
It’s genius made flesh, hymn to life
Rafa you know it, you know
it Many are lost hoping for your troubles
Soiled with earth, stop and watch
A fire that burns, an immortal rite
A fire that burns, an immortal rite
Roger and Rafa, your magic
It’s turning a game into a beautiful poem
That teaches you to love those who are against me
Because I don’t exist if you’re not here
I cross borders to beat you
Breath of stars, caresses on the skin
You have never dreamed of more beautiful things
But this is reality, it is true story
The earth is divided, the heart in prayer
You have seen the eternal
Wrestler Urs Bürgler tells with a smirk how he met Roger Federer for the first time at the beginning of the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.
“We opened the door to our house in the athletes’ village and Rogi sat at the table and had a puzzle with 3000 pieces in front of him. Mountains, lakes and a bird in the middle. He sat there in peace, all alone and absorbed in his task. You have to have patience and nerve to solve such a huge puzzle. Especially a nature puzzle where almost every piece looks the same.”
The wrestlers and the tennis players shared a semi-detached house during those Olympics. Greco-Roman wrestler Bürgler, 1.90 metres tall and weighing 100 kilos, a mountain of a man, but amiable and with a good sense of humour, laughs: “The people in charge at Swiss Olympic perhaps thought, the tennis players need protection, we’ll assign the wrestlers to them so they can keep an eye out down below.”
So the wrestlers slept on the ground floor, where there was also a social room; Federer, his coach Peter Lundgren, Mirka Vavrinec and Emmanuelle Gagliardi were upstairs. It was a spacious house with seven or eight bedrooms, Bürgler remembers. Later, beach volleyball players Paul and Martin Laciga also moved in for a few nights.
“Rogi was only 19, a youngster, and I was almost 10 years older. But we connected right away. I was still a child at heart back then, and I still am today,” said Bürgler. “Rogi was also up for any mischief. He was completely relaxed; you could have stolen horses with him. That’s how we became friends.
″We were always on the road together for those two weeks, and I watched all his matches. My competition was only towards the end of the Games, so I had time for that.”
Federer was not yet a star, “But people already thought that he could become one some day,” Bürgler said. “He was already No. 36 in the world at the time.”
In Sydney, he played his way to the semi-finals before losing to Tommy Haas and the bronze-medal match against the Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale. “He should have beaten him,” said Bürgler, who finished seventh in his competition. But the grand finale, which would shape Federer’s life much more than his sporting performance, was still to come.
Bürgler soon realised in Sydney that the latter had his eye on Vavrinec. “Mirka was very open-minded; you could talk to her about anything,” he recalled. “At one point, Rogi asked me: ‘What do you think of Mirka? I think she’s great!’ I said, ‘She’s a good one. If you have a chance with her, you have to strike!’ They had fun together, but he was hesitant to make the first move. He was so shy, so decent. You could tell he came from a good home. And he didn’t have that much experience in these things either; he’d only had one girlfriend before. Mirka was more mature. She had experienced more in terms of relationships.”
When Federer missed his second chance to win a medal against Di Pasquale and was bitterly disappointed, the Swiss Olympic flatmates went out in the evening. “Mirka, Rogi, Peter and I went to the Holland Heineken House, which was always the most happening place. But that evening, it was still a bit early. We stood at the bar and had a drink; next to us was the emergency exit. It was warm inside, and the door was open. At some point, Mirka said she was going outside for fresh air. I grabbed Rogi and said to him: ‘Now, Roger, this is your chance!’
“And he: ‘Do you think so?’ Me: ‘Yeah, sure, now you have to go for it!’ Him: ‘What should I say?’
‘Tell her you were warm too. I’ll shut the door, and you’ll be out there to yourselves’.”
No sooner said than done. Federer also went outside; Bürgler closed the door after 30 seconds. “Then they gave each other their first kiss. They were outside for half an hour. When they returned, they were both beaming. The next morning he told me every detail. But I keep that to myself; it’s too intimate. Before Rogi left, he wrote me a little letter. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep it. He wrote: ‘Dear Urs, thank you very much for these two weeks. They were the best two weeks of my life.’ I still get goosebumps when I think about it.”
While Federer continued with the indoor tournaments in Europe, in Vienna, Basel, Stuttgart, Lyon, Paris and Stockholm, Bürgler travelled alone for three and a half weeks as a backpacker through Australia after the Olympics.
Federer and Bürgler continued to maintain contact after the Olympic Games. “I had only followed tennis on the side before,” said the wrestler. “But Rogi brought me to tennis.” After Wimbledon 2001, where he beat his idol, Pete Sampras, Federer invited Bürgler to the tournament in Gstaad at the beginning of July. Bürgler quickly realised that Federer was now moving in a different sphere: “I asked him, ‘Do you have a room for us?’ He said, ‘Just come, and I’ll take care of you. Pull up at the bottom of the Hotel Palace, and you can come up to the third floor’.”
When Bürgler and his girlfriend at the time knocked on the room door Federer had given him, Mirka and Federer opened it.
“They greeted us and showed us around everywhere. The living room alone was 100 square metres, it had TVs everywhere, even in the bathroom, and the whole thing existed twice. Two flats were connected, one of which we were free to use. We spent three nights in Gstaad, watched tennis, and played cards with Rogi. And when the weather was bad, I went to a spa with him and Marat Safin. He was also totally relaxed.”
Federer lost in the opening round to his future coach Ivan Ljubicic in the singles, but in the doubles, he advanced to the final with Safin.
Federer’s wife Mirka with their twin girls, Charlene and Myla, and twin boys, Lenny and Leo, at the Wimbledon final in 2019.
With Ludwig Küng, the national coach of the freestyle wrestlers, who had also been in Sydney, Bürgler visited Federer at the Swiss Indoors in Basel in 2001. At his home tournament, Federer always used to sleep in a hotel to keep up the routine. He put up his Olympic colleagues at his home in the terraced house in Münchenstein, with his mother Lynette, father Robert and sister Diana. “Ludi slept in a guest bed and I slept in Rogi’s children’s room. Next to the bed, there was a huge pile of tennis magazines.”
In return, that November, when the tennis season was over, Federer and Mirka visited the wrestlers at a team competition in the multipurpose hall in Eichberg in the Rhine Valley of St Gallen. In Sydney, Federer had watched some wrestling matches on TV, so he already had some prior knowledge. “I had the feeling he liked it,” said Bürgler. “Man against man, like tennis.”
One day he also visited Bürgler in the latter’s wrestling flatshare in Oberriet in St Gallen and spent the night there.
“After the disco, we ended up in a bar at two in the morning. We were drinking a beer when a colleague of mine, already quite drunk, came up to us, examined him closely and said: ‘Hey, you look like Federer!’ Rogi replied with a mischievous smile: ‘Yes, many people have mentioned that to me.’” When he later told his colleague that he had not been mistaken, that it had indeed been Federer, the latter could hardly believe it. The young tennis pro was well on his way to becoming a celebrity in Switzerland.
The contact remained, and at Federer’s chalet in Valbella in the Grisons mountains, Bürgler, a trained road builder, asphalted the driveway. And he followed Federer’s career intensively, often got tickets from him and travelled to the grand slams.
Bürgler regrets that they don’t see as much of each other as they used to.
Would he have thought back then in Sydney that Federer and Vavrinec would be such a good match? He shrugs it off. “In this age, relationships come and go, and you’re not yet thinking about getting married and having children. What has become of it is amazing. They have never had a scandal or anything! And she manages his whole life.”
He is proud that he became the midwife of this relationship. He said: “Maybe it needed me. Maybe they would have gotten together without me. But who knows, after the Olympic Games, they would have gone their separate ways again if Rogi hadn’t gone on the attack that night.” He paused and said: “Maybe I was the last piece missing from his 3000-piece puzzle.”
The Roger Federer Effect, Rivals, Friends, Fans and How the Maestro Changed Their Lives, by Simon Cambers and Simon Graf, is available in bookstores and online at www.dymocks.com.au or other online bookstores.
