With Wimbledon right around the corner, what better time to look back at the incredible life of the tournament’s most successful champion?
The former world number one is one of the most successful players of all time. He has won the men’s singles tournament at Wimbledon alone eight times since 2003, as well as 20 Grand Slam singles titles all over the world.
The 36-year-old is not only one of the most talented athletes on the planet, but also the most profitable. Forbes named him the world’s highest-paid tennis player in 2018, earning $77.2 million (£58.3 million) from professional wins and sponsorship deals with companies from Rolex to Credit Suisse.
From tailored tennis rackets to Swiss mansions, here’s how Federer makes and spends his fortune.
This is 36-year-old Roger Federer, the highest-paid tennis player in the world. He has an estimated net worth of $450 million (£340 million).
Source: Celebrity Net Worth.
Federer recently reached the finals of the Halle Open in Germany, where he lost to Croatian Borna Coric. He said he plans on taking it easy before Wimbledon starts.
Sources: Tennis Magazine.
Federer will be the top seed at Wimbledon, even though he's currently 2nd in the world in ATP's ranking — Rafael Nadal is currently ranked 1st.
Source: ATP.
His success trails back to the age of eight, when he started playing tennis. Born in Basel, Switzerland, on August 8, 1981, his Swiss father, Robert Federer, and South African mother, Lynette Du Rand, encouraged him to play from an early age.
His parents both worked for the same pharmaceutical company.
At 14, Federer became the national junior champion in Switzerland. He joined the junior tennis circuit in 1996, and won the junior Wimbledon title in 1998. In this photo, from Wimbledon 2000, he is 19 years old.
Source: Biography.com
Federer's first big windfall came in 2003, when he won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon against runner-up Mark Philippousis. He was just 21 at the time. He received £575,000 ($714,460) for his victory.
Source: British Tennis
One year later, he signed a sponsorship deal with watchmaker Maurice Lacroix. Later, Rolex struck an endorsement deal with Federer worth £12 million ($15 million).
http://instagr.am/p/BHHlwQ7Bapx
Roger Federer is one of Rolex's best known ambassadors, and you won't see him lifting a trophy without one of the luxury watches on his wrist, each of them hand-picked to match the tournament.
You can read more about the most expensive watches worn by the world's most elite athletes here.
The majority of his $77 million income is thanks to endorsement deals and partnerships, which he is known for across the globe. Around $12.2 million of his earnings come from winning tournaments.
Source: Forbes.
In 2007, he was signed by Gillette, and starred in a number of adverts for the company.
In 2008, Federer signed a 10-year sponsorship deal with Nike worth almost £96 million ($120 million). His Nike deal ended in March 2018, and he is now free to strike other deals.
Source: Forbes.
In 2009, Federer signed another 10-year contract, this time with Credit Suisse. The firm declined to comment on the contract's value at the time, but it's thought to be worth around £16 million ($20 million).
Source: Telegraph.
He's also known for his charity work. He founded the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003, which supports educational projects in Africa and Switzerland. In 2017 alone, the foundation raised $8.5 million. He still finds time to visit children who benefit from his charity.
http://instagr.am/p/BiARu8ZF6Id
Source: The Roger Federer Foundation.
As a dedicated athlete, he spends a lot of money on his equipment. He has his rackets made by P1, a company which also counts Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray as clients.
Source: The New Yorker.
He likes the finer things in life, too. In 2014, Federer completed the construction of a modern-looking mansion on Lake Zurich worth around £6.5 million ($8.1 million).
As well as owning other properties in Switzerland, he also keeps a penthouse in Dubai, where he spends much of the year training.
Source: Basel Shows.
Thanks to his role as a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, Federer has a large car collection too.
Federer partnered with Mercedes-Benz in 2008, and renewed the deal earlier this year. The multi-year partnership is estimated to earn the tennis star $5 million a year.
He won a brand new CLS 450 4MATIC Coupé (worth £57,640/$76,000) at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, Germany, earlier this year.
When he's not on the court, Federer is a keen hiker. Last year, he appeared on "Running Wild" with Bear Grylls. "Just slightly upset that he beat me at mini ping-pong on the top of the cliff face," Grylls said.
http://instagr.am/p/BQswjmrBMxd
But that's not to say the athlete doesn't like to party in his downtime. He's an ambassador for Moet & Chandon champagne, which recently released a limited-edition bottle to mark his 20th year in professional tennis.
http://instagr.am/p/BR9qc4yhLK5
The 20 bottles sold for $23,000 a pop - but all the proceeds went to the Roger Federer Foundation.
After winning his eigth Wimbledon title, Federer complained of a 'head-ringing' hangover the day after. "[I] got to bed at 5 a.m., then woke up, and just didn’t feel good. The last hour or so I’m somewhat okay again. I'm happy with that."
Source: Business Insider.
When Federer goes out for dinner, variety is clearly the spice of life. "I am a lover of Italian, Japanese, and Indian restaurants," he said recently.
http://instagr.am/p/wVduYzAv07
Source: International Business Times.
Some of his fortune also went on his wedding to former professional tennis player Mirka Vavrinec in Basel, Switzerland.
http://instagr.am/p/BEC7o4yxw2s
They first kissed at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, and got married in 2009.
Source: Telegraph, MailOnline.
They have two sets of twins together. Daughters Charleyne Riva and Myla Rose are eight, while sons Lenny and Leo are four.
His wife is his source of fashion advice. "I used to wear jogging shoes, jeans and a practice shirt, then when Mirka met me, she would look and go, 'Errr, are you sure about this look?'"
Source: GQ.
Federer's worst fashion mistake came when he won Wimbledon in 2007. "I went to receive the trophy, and as I walk down I'm a bit nervous, and as I put my hands in my pockets I realise that the pockets are going backwards. "I was like: 'It's too late! I can't change them anymore!' I lifted the trophy, and the pants were on backwards." If you look closely in this picture you can see that his trousers are on back-to-front.
Source: Business Insider.
He may be turning 37 in August, but Federer is still the bookies' favorite to win Wimbledon this summer, where he'll hope to take the title for the ninth time.
This is an updated version of a post originally written by Edith Hancock and published on January 31, 2017.