Mirka Federer, Roger Federer’s wife, introduced the 103-time tour-level titlist Saturday evening for his International Tennis Hall of Fame induction.
Mirka began her speech reminiscing on their earliest days, starting at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
“Yes, I was the older woman. Apparently Roger decided right away that age was just a number,” she said. “He pursued me anyway and thankfully, he was persistent!”
The former WTA player would be by Federer’s side for all of his tour-level titles. Mirka joked that he had not yet lifted an ATP Tour trophy when they began dating.
“Zero,” she repeated to emphasise.
The pair have been inseparable for the past 26 years. “We shared quite a journey,” Mirka said.
The wife of the new Hall of Famer recalled that she actually warmed up Federer for matches early in his career.
“I still remember Andy Roddick joking after the Cincinnati final, ‘I can’t believe I lost to a guy whose girlfriend warmed him up!’” Mirka recalled, with Roddick in the stands. “He really said that, and I remember. We still smile every time we speak about that.”
But Mirka spent most of her teach speaking not about Federer the player, but the family man. He always wanted his loved ones close to him. As effortless as the 45-year-old made tennis look, she explained that the man behind it all is even more remarkable.
They became parents of two sets of twins. And when she was pregnant with their daughters, Mirka told Roger that her traveling days were probably over. Roger immediately said that he would not play anymore.
“He wasn’t being dramatic. He meant it,” Mirka said. “That’s who Roger is. His family comes first.”
At the end of an emotional speech, Mirka reminded those watching that tennis are only part of her husband’s legacy. What makes her proudest is who he is when nobody is watching.
She concluded: “Tonight, it’s my honour to introduce my husband, my best friend and now the newest member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.”
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