“She was with me when I hadn’t won a title”: Roger Federer on How Wife Mirka Saved Him from Loneliness on Tour

Roger Federer has always acknowledged the unwavering support of his wife, Mirka, throughout his tennis career. In numerous interviews, he has expressed deep gratitude for her indispensable help over the years. Federer also shared his reasons for wanting Mirka to take a step back and simply enjoy the tour, while emphasizing her crucial role in his success.

The couple met while representing Switzerland at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and began dating soon after. While Federer went on to become a legend in the sport, Mirka had to end her tennis career in 2002 due to a recurring foot injury. Despite retiring from professional tennis, Mirka remained deeply involved in the sport by managing Federer’s travel arrangements and public relations. In a 2010 interview with the New Yorker, Federer disclosed that he had encouraged Mirka to join him on tour after her retirement.

“I said, ‘Why don’t you just travel with me, help me out? I’d split with my coach, and I didn’t have a management team. And she said yes,” Federer recalled.

Mirka continued to travel with Federer even after they welcomed their twin daughters, Myla Rose and Charlene, in 2009. Federer shared that her constant presence prevented him from feeling lonely on tour, and they rarely spent time apart despite his demanding schedule. He also expressed his desire for Mirka to “retreat” and enjoy the tour more after supporting him since before he won his first ATP title.

“I’ve never felt lonely on the tour. We’ve hardly had any days apart in the last six years. She helped me for so long—she was with me when I hadn’t won a title yet—but now I want her to retreat a bit and just enjoy it more,” he said.

In a July 2024 appearance on the “What Now? with Trevor Noah” podcast, Federer recounted the challenging moments of Mirka dealing with her foot injury. He shared how he suggested she retire and accompany him on tour, a decision that coincided with his rise to the top of the tennis world.

“Super tough moments, she was in crutches for a long time. Over a month I think… She was doing rehab, always pain and then I told her, ‘Why don’t you just retire, I mean this is not the idea of playing tennis with pain all the time, and then we can be on tour together?’, and I was on the ascend of… starting to win Wimbledon, top 10, World No. 1. And she was like ‘Yeah you’re right, I’m done, it’s good!'” he said.

Federer praised Mirka for being an “incredible” source of support, noting how she developed a love for the tour by traveling with him throughout his career, both before and after they had children.

“I think she [Mirka] loved the tour through my career, the travels, and the logistics behind… being my rock through thick and thin. She’s been incredible throughout, the first half thankfully we had with no children and thankfully we had with children the second half,” he added.

Following the birth of their twin daughters in 2009, Federer and Mirka welcomed twin sons, Leo and Lenny, in 2014.