"Roger Federer advised his wife years ago, he likes to keep control"- When Swiss' biographer explained why Mirka Federer doesn't give interviews often

Roger Federer is one of the most popular tennis players in the modern era, yet remains mostly out of the spotlight when it comes to his private life. His wife Mirka remains even more of a mystery, with the former Swiss WTA player rarely giving out interviews of her own.

That is by design, as it turns out. Speaking in an interview with Tennis.net back in 2019, journalist Simon Graf of the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger revealed the little-known secret. Graf has published more than one biography of Federer, with the first one coming out in 2018.

Asked why Mirka Federer was very rarely seen talking to reporters, Graf replied that it was because the 20-time Grand Slam champion preferred to keep control, and did not like his team talking to the media. Graf further joked that Federer spoke enough on his own to make up for the silence from his team, even if the Swiss held his cards close to the chest when it came to private matters.

"He advised her to do so over ten years ago. Roger likes to keep control, he doesn't want everyone on the team to talk. The physio Daniel Troxler doesn't talk, Ivan Ljubicic doesn't, and Mirka doesn't either. Severin Lüthi talks, which I think is good. Because he is always underestimated," Graf said.

"People now know what he knows about tennis, that he is an important figure for Roger. Otherwise: Roger talks a lot, which makes up for everything. But he doesn't want to reveal any private details either," he added.

Federer and Mirka married in 2009, and have four children together -- one set of twin boys and one set of twin girls.

"Roger Federer simply wants to know exactly what is going on" - Simon Graf

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Expanding on what he meant by Roger Federer wanting to keep control, Simon Graf explained in the interview that the Swiss simply liked knowing exactly what was going on. He pointed out a couple of examples, adding that this desire to stay on top of things was the reason why the former World No. 1 became as successful as he was.

"Longing is perhaps a strong word. He simply wants to know exactly what is going on. For example, at his foundation. He doesn't just lend his name to it, like others do. At meetings, he wants to know exactly what is planned," Graf said.

"He also makes the decisions. The fact that he himself retains control is also one of the reasons why he is so successful. He leads his career very consciously," he added.

After a career spanning almost two decades, Federer finally hung up his racket at the 2022 Laver Cup. However, he still remains in the spotlight in the tennis world, making appearances at various tournaments and sponsoring top players via his apparel brand, On.