Roger Federer may have retired, but he surely has not slowed down. He can be seen globetrotting to watch tournaments, for sponsor commitments, and generally to enjoy his time. A former coach has revealed that the Swiss legend loved travelling during his active days as well. Most other players disliked the frequent travel, but Federer felt energised by it, giving him an edge over the others according to one of his former coaches, Paul Annacone who gave an interview with journalist Christopher Clarey.
As a child, Federer grew up in a cultural medley. His father was Swiss-German, while his mother was from South Africa. The family lived near the French and German borders of Switzerland. Other than his birth country, he also holds South African citizenship. Such a diverse environment played a key role in Federer growing up to admire all cultures and love travelling to different places.
Ex-coach lauds Federer, reveals Swiss star’s USP
Roger Federer is arguably the most loved player in the world. Apart from being regarded as an idol in his home country Switzerland, he has developed loyal legions of fans in every nation he has visited. He has a huge fanbase in the UK largely because of his continued success at Wimbledon. Similarly, Federer is extremely popular in China following his impeccable record in Shanghai.
Federer is also adored and respected in countries like Australia, UAE, India, USA, Russia and more. Apart from his tennis, the former World No.1’s affable personality endears him to viewers. It isn’t a surprise how Federer is amongst those rare European players who is fluent in multiple languages such as English, French, Swiss German, Swedish, Afrikaans and is aware of some Spanish, Italian and Mandarin sentences as well. He shows interest in learning about various cultures around the world. For example, his favourite restaurant is an Indian-Parsi joint in London.
Paul Annacone, who coached Federer from 2010 to 2013, revealed recently how his former protege used his love of travelling to gain an advantage over other players. He said the Swiss icon perceives travelling differently than others. He used Pete Sampras, who he also coached, as an example of what journeying around the world for tennis did to players. Annacone said it used to drain Sampras but energise Federer (via Sportskeeda), in excerpts from Clarey’s book ‘The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer’.
“Roger just embraces the different aspects of travelling in a way that many others do not. Pete was done, but Roger is an entirely different animal. Travelling the world drained Pete’s energy. Roger gets energy from it.
“Roger says, ‘She’s going to come over every day for like a half-an-hour, and we’re going to try to pick up on a few words here and there, so we learn some Mandarin.’ I was like ‘Dude, I can barely speak English’, and Roger was like ‘No no, it’ll be fun.
“And he loved it. He learned some phrases so that he could say thank you to the fans in Mandarin, but he was also in hysterics listening to us trying to pronounce things. Roger just embraces the different aspects of traveling in a way that many others do not.”, Annacone said.
Roger Federer net worth, endorsements and charity work
Federer has utilized his global popularity very well, becoming a marketing megastar. He is the richest tennis player ever with a net worth of an estimated $550 million. He made a whopping $95.1 million in 2023 despite having retired the year before. The 20-time Grand Slam champion uses his wealth to give back to society as well.
In 2003, he established the Roger Federer Foundation to help disadvantaged children access education and sport. He works closely with Swiss and South African charities and also is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Federer has raised amounts and donated for aid after disasters like the Indian Ocean Tsunami and the Haiti Earthquake. Combined with his other donations from his organisation, Federer is believed to have donated over $2o million in the public eye.
Federer’s marketability has seen global brands sign him up for endorsements. He has a couple of China-specific campaigns with Mercedes Benz and Switzerland Tourism. Apart from this, his biggest deal is with Japanese brand Uniqlo, in addition to worldwide names like Gilette, On Running, Moet & Chandon, Barilla, and more. It is unlikely that tennis will ever witness a player with such immense global star power and popularity as Roger Federer.
