10 amazing facts about Roger Federer

A player like Roger Federer is very rare, right from his talent and success on the court to his core as a human being. A quintessential family man and a traditionalist, he has ruled the tennis court for almost 14 years now with grace, in the process becoming possibly the greatest player of all-time.

Though his fans have always been very interested in how he leads his life off the court and know most of it already, here is a look at a few things you probably did not know about Federer:

#1 Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Pete Sampras are his idols

Federer has said on multiple occasions that his love for tennis came from watching his idols Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg in action and that he was inspired by watching their rivalry on the court.

His website also names Sampras as another idol of his, and his rise began when he defeated the American at Wimbledon.

Experts have noted that there are similarities between the Swiss ace's game and the playing style of the ones he considers his role models.

#2 A picture of consistency

Regarded as the most graceful player ever to have played tennis, Federer's excellence and continued success is due to his ability to work hard and not just rely on his natural talent.

A couple of remarkable statistics that stand out from his career are that he reached the semi-finals of 23 Grand Slam tournaments in a row, more than twice the number achieved by the next man on the list, Ivan Lendl.

When he pulled out of the 2016 French Open due to a back injury, it brought to an end his incredible record of playing in 65 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, a streak that lasted 16 years from the time he played his first Grand Slam in 2000.

#3 Has had a Swiss Post stamp issued in his honour

Federer alongside a giant replica of the stamp

Switzerland's postal service found a novel way to honour the country's biggest sporting star in 2007 when they released a one franc stamp - the most common one used in France, showing a picture of him winning the Wimbledon title.

The stamp marked the first occasion in history that the Swiss Post had issued a stamp featuring a living person.

They announced the decision to release such a stamp when Federer broke Jimmy Connors' record of 161 consecutive weeks as world number one, but did not disclose the design till the actual launch.

#4 Angry and emotional as a youngster playing tennis

Though his approach now on the court is considered to be an example for other professionals and youngsters to follow, he was, surprisingly, an angry player as a teenager growing up, and had trouble controlling emotions on the court. It has been said that he was not averse to whining at bad calls, slamming balls in anger, arguing with his father and on the odd occasion, sending his racquet flying across the court.

However, the shocking death of his mentor and coach, Paul Carter, who had taught him to control his temper and be polite and gracious, was the turning point in Federer's career as he changed his approach.

#5 Multi-talented sportsman as a child

Federer is quite the footballer

Roger Federer has attributed his quick reflexes as a tennis player to the fact that he played multiple sports as a child. The man from Switzerland is said to be an accomplished swimmer and enjoys water sports.

He also used to play football keenly as a youngster and has said that he used to play as a striker for Concordia Basel in their age-group teams. However, at the age of 12, he stopped playing other sports due to a very busy tennis schedule.

Federer is a huge fan of his hometown football club, FC Basel, and follows both them, and the Swiss national team quite closely.

#6 A career full of unique records

The 35-year-old is undoubtedly a unique tennis player, who has set a plethora of records that will possibly stand the test of time. A couple of ones that really stand out are that he has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by a male player and four more than rival Rafael Nadal.

Another record that he now holds after winning the 2017 Wimbledon is that he has the most number of men's singles titles at The Championships, eight, ahead of Pete Sampras and Ken Rosewall, who both won seven titles.

His recent triumph also saw him win without dropping a set, making him only the second man after Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win Wimbledon without dropping a set.

#7 Has a street named after him in Halle

Federer has a street named after him in Halle

The small town of Halle in Germany hosts the famous Gerry Weber Open, a tournament that Roger Federer frequents during his preparation for Wimbledon.

The man from Basel has dominated proceedings at the tournament, winning it nine times, and had a street leading to the stadium, earlier called Weststrasse, named after him in 2012.

The street is now known as Roger-Federer-Allee and the tournament director, Ralf Weber, said in 2012, "It was this personal commitment to us and the fact that he is highly respected the world over that led us to consider how we could honour him."

#8 Talented pianist and flutist

The Swiss legend is known to appreciate the finer things in life, and likes to play the piano and the flute in his spare time.

Federer learnt how to play the piano as a child and to this day is said to enjoy playing the instrument, though he has never done so in public.

He has also shown his proficiency at playing the flute, most notably at the Lucerne festival.

#9 Has never retired from a match

Federer has never retired from a match

Roger Federer has had a long career in tennis and has so far, as per Wikipedia, played a total of 1358 singles matches, holding a win-loss record of 1111-247.

The recently concluded Wimbledon saw his close rival, Novak Djokovic retire from the tournament due to an elbow injury and also saw his other adversaries, Andy Murray and Marin Cilic struggle with injury problems.

An astounding stat of Federer's career is that he has never retired from a tennis match, and has proceeded to complete every match that he has begun. This bears testimony to the fact that one has to have single-minded dedication and mental strength to succeed, apart from talent.

#10 Vegetarian till the age of 14

Growing up in Switzerland, Roger Federer was a vegetarian by choice, and decided not to eat meat, a decision that was supported by his family.

Federer then moved to a tennis camp at the age of 14 and had to eat non-vegetarian food as prescribed by the institute, so that he could develop well physically.