Who is Mirka Federer, Roger Federer’s wife?

Roger Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis on Thursday, at the age of 41, after winning 20 Grand Slam titles.  Federer announced his retirement on Twitter. Federer thanked his wife, parents and his sister in his note. 

“The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in grand slams or on the tour,” Federer wrote in a post uploaded on Twitter.  

Of his wife Mirka, Federer wrote: “She had warmed me up before finals, watched countless matches even whole over 8-months pregnant and has endured by goofy side on the road with my team for over 20 years.” 

Also Read| Roger Federer, Swiss tennis giant, to retire from official competition after Laver Cup

Who is Mirka Federer?

Miroslava Federer, born Miroslava Vavrincová on April 1, 1978, later Miroslava Vavrinec, is a former professional tennis player from Switzerland.

Roger Federer met his wife Mirka before winning his first major sigles title. The couple met while representing Switzerland at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000.

Roger and Mirka married in 2009 after nine years of dating and have since welcomed two sets of identical twins.

Also Read| Roger Federer says tennis treated me generously in retirement note

The tennis star attributes his longevity in the sport in part to Mirka’s support. “She was there when I didn’t have any titles, and she’s still here 89 titles later, so she played a big part in,” he reportedly told the press after winning the Australian Open in 2017.

Mirka Vavrinec was a professional tennis player who represented Switzerland at the 2000 Sydney Olympics under her maiden name. After suffering a career-ending foot injury, she was forced to retire from tennis.

Miroslava emigrated to Switzerland when she was two years old from Bojnice (then Czechoslovakia). Her father took her to a tournament in Filderstadt, Germany, when she was nine years old. Mirka met Martina Navratilova, who suggested she try tennis because she looked athletic. Later, Navratilova sent her a racquet and scheduled her first tennis lesson.

Also Read| Asad Rauf, former Pakistan cricket umpire, dies at 66

She competed in the Hopman Cup with Roger Federer in 2002. Her best Grand Slam result came in 2001, when she advanced to the third round of the US Open.

Following her retirement, she became Federer’s public relations manager, accompanying him on tour and frequently seen at his matches. She was ranked in the mid-80s prior to her retirement, with a career high of No. 76 during the 2001 season.