"She was with me when I hadn’t won a title, but I want her to retreat": When Roger Federer shared how wife Mirka saved him from being 'lonely' on tour
Roger Federer once acknowledged his wife Mirka's unwavering support during his time on tour, expressing gratitude for her indispensable help over the years. The Swiss also explained his reasons for wanting Mirka to take a step back, while emphasizing the importance of her role in his career.
After meeting while representing Switzerland at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Roger Federer and Mirka began dating. Although Federer went on to establish himself as a legend of the sport, Mirka was forced to end her tennis career in 2002 due to a recurring foot injury.
However, Mirka stayed engaged in the tennis world by taking charge of Roger Federer's travel arrangements and public relations. In a 2010 interview with the New Yorker, the Swiss disclosed that he had encouraged his wife to become his traveling companion 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," he said.
Mirka continued to travel with her husband after they welcomed their twin daughters, Myla Rose and Charlene, in 2009. Federer shared that his wife's constant presence prevented him from feeling lonely on tour, revealing they had rarely spent any time apart despite his demanding schedule.
The Swiss also opened up about his desire for Mirka to "retreat" and simply enjoy the experience of the tour after supporting him since before he even 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.
Roger Federer: "Mirka loved the tour through my career, the travels, and the logistics, being my rock through thick and thin"
During an appearance on the What Now? with Trevor Noah podcast in July 2024, Roger Federer recalled the "super tough" moments of watching Mirka deal with her foot injury. The Swiss disclosed that she had taken him up on his suggestion to retire and accompany him on tour, as he began reaching new heights in his career.
"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.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion also praised Mirka for being an "incredible" source of support, sharing that 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, Roger Federer and his wife Mirka welcomed twin sons, Leo and Lenny, in 2014.