Love on the court! Roger Federer met his wife, Mirka Federer (née Vavrinec), while they were both playing the sport they love most: tennis.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner and the Slovakia native first crossed paths at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, while they were both competing for Switzerland. (Mirka’s family immigrated to the country when she was a toddler.)
Neither player medaled at the competition, but they hit it off with each other, sharing a kiss on their last night in the Olympic Village. “It was more than just a kiss, I guess,” Roger told CNN in 2019. “It was something that led to something extraordinary for us. We are still very happy.”
The duo secretly dated for two years before taking their romance public at the 2002 Hopman Cup, where they competed as doubles partners. Mirka retired from professional tennis later that year because of a stubborn foot injury, but she remained immersed in the sports world alongside Roger as he climbed the rankings, becoming his public relations manager.
When the athlete won the Australian Open in 2017, he credited Mirka — his “No. 1 supporter” — with helping him achieve his goals. “She’s been there when I had no titles and she’s still here 89 titles later, so she had a big part to play in [the win],” he told reporters at the time. “She knows it, I know it, everybody knows it. She’s a mum No. 1 and a wife, and only then later does she become the supporter.”
The duo, who tied the knot in 2009, later welcomed two sets of twins: Charlene and Myla (born in 2009) and Lenny and Leo (born in 2014). After becoming a father for the first time, Roger said that his kids made his tennis victories all the more enjoyable.
“Having kids and being a father now and being married enhances everything,” he explained to ESPN in 2010, shortly after winning his fourth Australian Open title. “I’m such a happy person today to see how well everything is working out for me. It just makes me extremely happy, extremely relaxed and it allows me to play good tennis, and I couldn’t ask for more.”
When Roger announced his retirement from tennis in September 2022, he again gave shout-outs to his spouse and their children for helping him on and off the court. “I would like to especially thank my amazing wife, Mirka, who has lived through every minute with me,” he wrote in a statement shared via Instagram. “She has warmed me up before finals, watched countless matches even while over 8 months pregnant and has endured my goofy side on the road with my team for over 20 years.”
Keep scrolling for a look back at Roger and Mirka’s complete relationship timeline:
The couple met while representing Switzerland at the Summer Olympics. “On the last day of the evening before she went to Tokyo and I went back to Switzerland, we kissed and we didn’t know where it was gonna take us, but here we are almost 20 years later," Roger told reporters in 2019. "And we have four children and married and are happier than ever. So, it was a good kiss." Str/EPA/Shutterstock
The twosome went public with their romance while competing at the Hopman Cup, where they played as doubles partners. Tiago Petinga/EPA/Shutterstock
The duo welcomed twin daughters Charlene and Myla. "This is the greatest day of our lives," Roger said in a statement announcing the girls' arrival. "Mirka, Myla and Charlene are all healthy and doing very well." Arnold Slater/Shutterstock
The couple became parents of four with the arrival of their second set of twins: boys named Lenny and Leo. David Fisher/Shutterstock
Roger and Mirka attended the Met Gala in New York City. The eight-time Wimbledon champ joked via Twitter that he found a "potential doubles partner" inside the event (Hugh Jackman) before sharing a photo of him and his wife with the caption, "Actually, I had the best partner already by my side 😍." Taylor Jewell/Vogue/Shutterstock
Roger withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics because of his knee problems after opening up about how hard it was to be away from his family while playing at Wimbledon amid coronavirus restrictions. "I have not seen them, I am not with them and that in itself is not good," he told reporters. ANL/Shutterstock
"We gave in… 😄," Roger wrote via Instagram, introducing the world to his family's new dog. "But we couldn‘t be happier, Welcome to the family Willow❤️." Courtesy of Roger Federer/Instagram
Roger announced his retirement from tennis in an emotional statement, in which he thanked Mirka and their children for their support over the years. "Seeing my family cheering me on from the stands is a feeling I will cherish forever," he wrote. ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
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