He started playing tennis when he was 8 years old his favorite player is Pete Sampras. Roger became World’s No. 1 Junior in 1998. Roger enjoys being on the beach, playing cards and table tennis; he is also a fervent supporter of the football club of his city, FC Basel.
In 2003 he founded the Roger Federer Foundation which helps children in South Africa, supports and promotes sport. He enjoys being a young ambassador for the global promotion of tennis and is encouraged by the cultural diversity of the world. He donated many items to tsunami victims in January 2005; he organized an exhibition at Indian Wells (All-Star Rally for Relief in California) that helped UNICEF in the tsunami tragedy.
In March 2005 he visited children in South Africa and in November that same year, his parents opened courts for tennis, basketball and a small soccer field in Zwide. In September 2005 Federer signed used rackets in the US Open final to help the Red Cross in assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina. They collected $ 25.665.
He was champion of Switzerland at the 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony and Beijing 2008. He was named Player of the Year at the ATP and received the award for Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship between 2004 and 2007. ITWA Player of the Year and winner of the award tennis ambassador between 2004 and 2006. He was named Swiss of the Year in 2003 by his countrymen. People Magazine named him “One of the Sexiest Men” in November 2005. Federer has also been involved with the Fashion Industry. He speaks English, German, Swiss German, French and some Swedish and Italian.
He received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 2006 and 2007 and was named “Sports Personality of the Year” in 2004, 2006 and 2007 BBC Sports. Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the World in 2007 that same year he was honored with a Street with his name in Basil. In 2013 he received the Award Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship for the ninth time and chosen as the ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite presented by Moët & Chandon for a record 11 years in a row.