Love on the court! Roger Federer met his wife, Mirka Federer (née Vavrinec), while they were both playing the sport they love most: tennis.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner and the Slovakia native first crossed paths at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, while they were both competing for Switzerland. (Mirka’s family immigrated to the country when she was a toddler.)
Neither player medaled at the competition, but they hit it off with each other, sharing a kiss on their last night in the Olympic Village. “It was more than just a kiss, I guess,” Roger told CNN in 2019. “It was something that led to something extraordinary for us. We are still very happy.”
The duo secretly dated for two years before taking their romance public at the 2002 Hopman Cup, where they competed as doubles partners. Mirka retired from professional tennis later that year because of a stubborn foot injury, but she remained immersed in the sports world alongside Roger as he climbed the rankings, becoming his public relations manager.
When Roger announced his retirement from tennis in September 2022, he again gave shout-outs to his spouse and their children for helping him on and off the court. “I would like to especially thank my amazing wife, Mirka, who has lived through every minute with me,” he wrote in a statement shared via Instagram. “She has warmed me up before finals, watched countless matches even while over 8 months pregnant and has endured my goofy side on the road with my team for over 20 years.”
September 2000
The couple met while representing Switzerland at the Summer Olympics. “On the last day of the evening before she went to Tokyo and I went back to Switzerland, we kissed and we didn’t know where it was gonna take us, but here we are almost 20 years later,” Roger told reporters in 2019. “And we have four children and married and are happier than ever. So, it was a good kiss.”
July 2009
The duo welcomed twin daughters Charlene and Myla. “This is the greatest day of our lives,” Roger said in a statement announcing the girls’ arrival. “Mirka, Myla and Charlene are all healthy and doing very well.”
May 2014
The couple became parents of four with the arrival of their second set of twins: boys named Lenny and Leo.
July 2021
Roger withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics because of his knee problems after opening up about how hard it was to be away from his family while playing at Wimbledon amid coronavirus restrictions. “I have not seen them, I am not with them and that in itself is not good,” he told reporters.
May 2022
“We gave in… 😄,” Roger wrote via Instagram, introducing the world to his family’s new dog. “But we couldn‘t be happier, Welcome to the family Willow❤️.”
May 2023
The tennis great and Mirka enjoyed a super glamorous date night at the 2023 Met Gala, which Roger co-chaired. “Let’s get the party started 🥂,” Roger tweeted ahead of the event, sharing a photo of himself raising a champagne glass in his hotel room.
