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MY SPORT
12 February 2020
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The greatest ambassador for tennis By Tony O'Hagan
Roger Federer (left) with his mom Lynette and Rafael Nadal on the Grande Parade in Cape Town.
PHOTO: Esa Alexander
T
he whole country was gripped by Federer fever as the all-time tennis great arrived last week for the Match in Africa showdown against Rafael Nadal at Cape Town Stadium on Friday evening. Other celebrities who participated in this huge charity event were Bill Gates and Trevor Noah. Federer’s mother, Lynette, reportedly said that watching her son in action on her home soil was “a dream come true”. And it appears that the South African genes she passed on to her son had more than a little to do with Roger’s success. In an interview with SA People News, Roger Federer’s father, Robert says that Roger inherited his athletic gifts from his mother, who he admits is a better tennis player and golfer than he. Lynette (neé Durand) grew up in an Afrikaans-speaking family in Johannesburg and was a top athlete at school, competing in several sports, including hockey, before she had to quit because of a leg injury. Robert met Lynette on a holiday in South Africa. They relocated to Basel in Switzerland, married in 1973 and had two children, Roger and older sister, Diana. Lynette remembers Roger, as a young boy with a racquet and ball hitting against the garage wall for hours on end.
Roger credits his family trips back to South Africa during his childhood, as an inspiration to start the Roger Federer Foundation when he was just 22 years old. He wanted to share his success with those less fortunate. His motivation to give back “comes from the values of my parents and me, when I was a young boy in SA, seeing that Switzerland is different to SA and that you can have a big impact if you do it the right way”. The Roger Federer Foundation has raised millions of dollars since first formed in Port Elizabeth in 2003. The monies raised have been spent in providing access to education for young disadvantaged children in six African
countries. Much of these monies have been raised via Matches for Africa, similar to the one played in Cape Town over the weekend against great rival and good friend, Rafael Nadal. The Cape Town event, the sixth of its kind, raised $3.5 million for the Foundation, attracting a record crowd of just under 52 000 spectators. This eclipsed the previous record attendance of 42 000 at a single match played in Mexico City. Since May 2004, citing his close ties with South Africa via his mother’s country of birth, Federer has also been supporting the South African-Swiss charity IMBEWU, which helps children better connect to sport as well as social health awareness. Federer credits much of his success on and off the court to his mother, Lynette and to the family trips back to her homeland of South Africa when he was growing up. His mother loves accompanying him “back to my home country” to visit the crèches in Limpopo province where his foundation has partnered with READ Education Trust since 2010. Roger Federer’s success on court has been well documented. A living legend with, to date, the
most Grand Slams (20) in history for a male player. Many consider him the greatest tennis player of all time and the greatest athlete of his generation. He has been given many nicknames, including ‘Fed Express’ or ‘Fedex’, ‘King Roger’ and ‘GOAT’ (Greatest Of All Time). He has also received multiple awards and accolades away from the courts. In September 2011, in a South African poll, Federer was voted the second most trusted and respected person in the world after Nelson Mandela. In 2016, Federer ranked No.1 in the list of most recognised people in Switzerland, surpassing personalities such as Albert Einstein and William Tell. He has been voted by his peers to receive the tour Sportsmanship Award a record 13 times and voted by tennis fans to receive the ATP Fans’ Favourite for a record 17 consecutive years. He has won the Laureus World Sportsman of The Year Award a record five times. In 2017, Federer was named the most Marketable Person by researchers at the London School of Marketing. In 2017, Federer was awarded an honorary doctorate by his home University of Basel, in recognition for increasing the international reputation of Basel and Switzerland. It was also awarded for the work done in Africa through his Foundation. In December 2019, Federer became the first living person to be celebrated on Swiss coins. His face is on the 20 franc coin and in May 2020, the Swiss mint plans to issue a Federer 50 franc gold coin featuring a different design. Federer is set to become the fourth billionaire athlete and the first tennis player. He will join this club, together with Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather. According to Forbes this could happen in 2020. His annual earnings in 2019 amounted to $93.4m, primarily from annual endorsements such as Uniqlo ($30 million), Möet & Chandon ($6 million), Mercedes ($5 million) and Rolex ($2 million). Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams may be surpassed but he will surely remain the greatest ambassador for tennis, both on and off the court.
