"Mirka doesn’t want to be away from me & I don’t from her" - When Roger Federer was grateful to his wife for traveling with daughters to support him
Roger Federer once opened up about his wife Mirka's invaluable contributions to his success on tour. The Swiss credited his wife's willingness to travel with him and their children as a major inspiration to continue his illustrious career.
Federer and Mirka began dating after crossing paths while representing Switzerland at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Although Mirka retired from professional tennis in 2002 due to a foot injury, she was well-positioned to understand the demands of the tour as she took on the mantle of managing his travel, media and sponsorship obligations.
Mirka's steadfast support of her husband's career continued even after they welcomed their twin daughters Myla Rose and Charlene in 2009, just months after they tied the knot. She kept traveling with the Swiss on tour, bringing their daughters and a nanny along.
In an interview with The New York Times ahead of the 2012 Australian Open, Roger Federer reflected on his good fortune in being able to enjoy a happy family life while on tour, sharing that it motivated him.
"I know how fortunate I am. And maybe that’s one of the reasons that makes me very happy when I’m playing and makes me very motivated, because I know this is not a normal situation I’m in, being able to play with a healthy, happy family next to me, because the easiest thing would be to say, 'Let’s just stay home and take care of the kids,'" he said.
Federer emphasized that neither he nor Mirka wanted to be separated for extended periods and had worked out a system to spend most of the year together on tour with their daughters.
The Swiss also expressed his gratitude for his wife's willingness to make the effort to do so, asserting that it would be "impossible" for him to achieve success at the highest levels of the sport otherwise.
"But the kids are healthy, they are happy, and Mirka doesn’t want to be away from me, and I don’t want to be away from her. And like this we make it all work that we are actually together all year long, and maybe miss the girls and Mirka maybe one or two weeks during the year, which is just incredible that she’s willing to make all of that effort," he said.
"I’m happy that it’s this way, because anything else would make it more difficult to compete and to play at the highest levels. It would basically be impossible," he added.
Roger Federer on traveling with wife Mirka: "I’ve never felt lonely on the tour, we’ve hardly had any days apart"
In a 2010 interview with the New Yorker, Roger Federer opened up about inviting his wife Mirka to become his traveling companion after she hung up her racket.
The Swiss emphasized that Mirka's constant companionship prevented him from feeling lonely on tour. However, he revealed that he wanted her to "retreat" from managing his career and enjoy life on tour after having been by his side 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.
Alongside their twin daughters, Roger Federer and his wife Mirka also have twin sons, Leo and Lenny, who were born in 2014.