Birthday boy Federer: 18 surprising facts

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He is only half-Swiss. He holds Swiss and South African citizenship. His father Robert comes from German-speaking Switzerland. His mother Lynette hails from South Africa. (RDB) RDB

His wife, whom he married in 2009, is no slouch at tennis either. Mirka Vavrinec is a Slovak-born Swiss former professional tennis player. She reached 76th in the women’s world rankings in 2001. They met while both were competing for Switzerland in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. (Keystone) Keystone

There are three pairs of twins in the family. Roger and Mirka have a pair of girls (Myla and Charlene born July 23, 2009) and a pair of boys (Leo and Lenny born May 6, 2014). His older sister Diana also has twins. (Keystone) Keystone

He won a couple of cows in his career. They came from the Swiss Open. One he named Juliette in 2003. The other, which he won 10 years later, was named Desiree. (RDB) RDB

He has a special edition stamp of him released by the Swiss Post on April 10, 2007 in Basel. It was the first time that a stamp was issued for a living person of Swiss origin. (Keystone/Schweizer Post) KEYSTONE/Swiss Post

He had a Swiss street named after him in 2016 in Biel, canton Bern, where he completed part of his junior training. “Allée Roger Federer” connects with the national tennis centre. (Keystone) Keystone

He is an omnivore. He has said he eats everything. But until the age of 16, he was vegetarian on grounds of taste rather than ethics or health. (Keystone) Keystone

As a kid, he played badminton, cricket, football and basketball, all of which improved his hand-eye coordination, agility and fitness. (RDB) RDB

He was known as an exceptional football player until the age of 12, when he decided to focus on tennis, which he began playing at age 8. To this day, he supports his hometown team FC Basel and the Swiss national football team. (RDB) RDB

He spent his childhood in the Swiss communities of Birsfelden, Riehen, and Munchenstein, all located around Basel and close to the French and German borders. Villa Wenkenhof in Riehen, where his wedding party took place. (RDB) RDB

Federer’s mother tongue is English, but he grew up speaking native Swiss German and German. He also speaks French fluently. (AFP) AFP

His original tennis role models and idols were Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg. (Keystone/Photopress) Keystone

He became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title with his victory at Wimbledon in 2003. (Keystone) Keystone

He has been named Swiss Athlete of the Year six times, in 2003-2004, 2006-2007, 2012, and 2014. (Keystone) Keystone

The London School of Marketing named him the world’s most marketable sports star in 2015. (Keystone) Keystone

The foundation he began in his name in 2003 has raised $15 million so far. It focuses on education in South Africa and Switzerland. (Keystone) Keystone

His likes water sports and fast cars, particularly Mercedes, and owns luxury homes in Dubai and in Wollerau, on the hills overlooking Lake Zurich, and in Valbella, part of a ski area in canton Graubünden. His favorite vacation spots are the Maldives, Dubai and the Swiss Alps. (Keystone) Keystone

He first became world No. 1 in 2004, and has held that position for 302 weeks. His longest single streak at No. 1 was for 237 weeks. Both feats are records since the inauguration of the ranking in 1973. (Keystone) Keystone

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Happy birthday, Roger Federer! The Swiss tennis star is 36 today and is going from strength to strength, winning two of the three grand slam titles played so far this year and with a good chance of regaining the number one spot. But everyone knows that! swissinfo.ch brings you some trivia with which you can really impress your friends, such as which football team he supports and the names of his two cows…