Five Things You May Not Know About Roger Federer - UBITENNIS

Five Things You May Not Know About Roger Federer

By Adam Addicott
4 Min Read
Roger Federer (image via zimbio.com)

17-time Grand slam champion Roger Federer is one of the most beloved athletes in the world of sport. His accomplishments in tennis are known by many around the world. He is the only man in history to play in 65 consecutive grand slam tournaments, spend 302 weeks as world No.1 and win 24 consecutive tournament finals. The records are endless, but there are still a few things that might surprise you about the 35-year-old.

1. He is the fifth most popular athlete in the world

According to research conducted by ESPN, Federer is the fifth most popular athlete in the world. The position was worked out based on a formula created by ESPN. The calculation combines a athletes salary and endorsements with social media following and Google search popularity. Only Neymar, Lionel Messi, Lebron James and Cristiano Ronaldo are more popular.

Federer’s social media fans
Facebook – 14.586 M
Twitter – 6.15M
Instagram 2.2 M
Total = 22.936 million (almost four times the population of Luxembourg).

2. Oxfam made over £100,000 thanks to his 2012 Wimbledon win

In 2003 a man named Nick Newlife placed £1,520 on a 66/1 bet that Federer would win seven Wimbledon titles by 2019. The 35-year-old easily achieved the task, winning title No.7 in 2012. Unfortunately, Mr Newlife passed away in 2009 and never had the chance to witness the Swiss player achieve the historic event.

The betting slip was left to the charity Oxfam in Mr Newlife’s will. As a result, the charity made over £100,000 thanks to Federer’s win over Andy Murray.

It wasn’t all tragic for Mr Newlife. Prior to his death, he withdrew £16,750 after betting that Federer would win 14 Grand slam titles. Federer won title No.14 at the 2009 French Open.

3. Only three other athletes in the world earn more than him

Forbes has ranked Federer as the fourth highest paid athlete in the world. The American business magazine estimates that annually Federer receives $7.8M in salary/earnings and a further $60M in endorsements. He currently has sponsorship deals with companies such as Nike, Rolex, Mercedes-Benz and Credit Suisse.

The only three athletes that earn more than Federer is Ronaldo (football), Messi (football) and James (Basketball). In the tennis world Federer’s nearest rival is Novak Djokovic, who earns an estimated $12M less than him.

4. He is half South African

Federer might be one of Switzerland’s greatest athletes of all time, but he is only half Swiss. His mother Lynette was born and raised in South Africa. At the age of 18 she met Federer’s father whilst working at a factory for the Swiss chemical company Ciba. The two relocated to Switzerland in 1973 to work for the same company in Basel.

During an interview with Credit Suisse, Mrs Federer said that her son displays qualities that reminds her of her home country.

“You can tell he’s more South African just from his build,” she says.
“Roger once said it himself: he got his straightforward nature from me,” she added.

5. He has his own street

Earlier this year, the Swiss town of Biel named a street after the 35-year-old. Allée Roger Federer is located at the national centre for Swiss Tennis at the Tissot Arena sports complex. The venue is where the Swiss player conducted part of his junior training and authorities wanted to celebrate their connection to the player.

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