Throwback to when Roger Federer was called a "very nice guy" by his wife Mirka at 2002 Hopman Cup
Roger Federer and his wife Mirka have a well-documented relationship. They have been happily married since 2009 and have four children together. Mirka is often spotted cheering the Swiss on during his matches.
Interestingly enough, Federer and Mirka also spent some time together on the court as doubles partners a couple of decades ago. The two teamed up to represent Switzerland at the Hopman Cup in Perth back in 2002.
Federer and Mirka lost their respective singles matches to Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik and did not fare any better on the doubles court as they were beaten in straight sets by the Australian pairing.
The two were interviewed after the match, with the announcer asking Mirka what she thought about Perth.
"Yeah I enjoy it really very much, the hotel is nice, the site is very nice, the people here are very nice."
When asked if her partner, Roger Federer, was nice, she laughed and replied in the affirmative.
"Yes he is very nice," she said.
Mirka had replaced Martina Hingis in Switzerland's Hopman Cup team in 2002. Hingis had partnered Federer the previous year and played an integral role in Switzerland winning the competition.
When asked how she felt about stepping into the shoes of a player of Hingis' caliber, Mirka said it was next to impossible to truly replace someone like Hingis.
"I think nobody can be better than Martina," she added. "She was playing so well, especially mixed doubles with Roger last year. I was in Auckland watching all the matches and it is difficult for me to replace her."
Following their defeat to Australia, Switzerland lost 3-0 to Spain. But they ended the tournament on a positive note by beating Argentina 2-1. Mirka lost to Paola Suarez before Federer beat Mariano Zabaleta. The Swiss pair won the mixed doubles tie.
Roger Federer and Mirka's relationship
Mirka was a professional tennis player until 2002, when she was forced to retire due to a chronic foot injury. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 76 and took part in eight Grand Slams, with her best performance coming in the 2001 US Open, where she reached the third round before losing to sixth seed Justine Henin.
The Swiss also represented her country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where she lost in the first round to eventual silver medalist Elena Dementieva.
Roger Federer and Mirka got married in 2009 in Basel. They have since been blessed with twin daughters and twin sons who often accompany Federer on his travels.