by Rose Conrad

Created on: July 20, 2009   Last Updated: July 21, 2009

In tennis circles they call him the GOAT, which translates at the Greatest Of All Time, and few would argue with that. The current World Number One and reigning US Open, Wimbledon and French Open Champion, his list of sporting achievements is simply staggering. He has recently won his 15th Grand Slam title, has appeared in an unprecedented 20 Grand Slam finals, reached the semi final stages or further of every Grand Slam tournament in the last five years, holds the record for the longest spell as the Number One player (237 weeks), and is one of only six players to have achieved a Career Grand Slam. He is of course, the inimitable Roger Federer.

But these are just the bare facts, the kind of details anyone could find with a few checks in a tennis magazine or on the Internet. Finding out about the "real" Roger Federer is an entirely different matter because he is an intensely quiet and private man, who lets his tennis do the talking and guards his family and private life fiercely. So what do we really know about him?

Roger Federer was born in Binnengen, near the Swiss city of Basel, on 8th August 1981. His Father, Robert, is Swiss and his Mother, Lynette, from South Africa. He speaks Swiss-German, French and English fluently, and can conduct his Press Conferences in all three languages with consummate ease. Excelling at all sports in school, Roger could have become a professional footballer, but decided to concentrate on tennis instead, giving up football at the age of 12, though he still remains a fervent supporter of his local club Basel FC, and goes to watch them whenever his frenetic tennis schedule allows him some time at home. Married to former tennis player Miroslava (Mirka) Vavrinec, who he met during the 2000 Olympics, they are expecting their first child in August 2009.

A deeply emotional man beneath the cool exterior, Roger is keen to "give something back" through his Charity work. He runs his own Roger Federer Foundation, to help disadvantaged people though sports, and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Travelling often to his Mother's home country of South Africa, we has worked hard to promote AIDS awareness, and has also helped victims of the 2005 tsunami.

Roger still lives in Basel, where he was recently honoured with the "E

hrespalebaerglemer" award for outstanding local citizens.

Here the people respect and guard the privacy he craves so much, and he and Mirka can live freely, and conduct their daily lives with no pressure or fan hysteria

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