Mirka Federer : biography
Miroslava "Mirka" Federer (born Miroslava Vavrinec on 1 April 1978) is a former professional tennis player from Switzerland. She reached her career-high WTA singles ranking of World No. 76 on 10 September 2001 and a doubles ranking of World No. 215 on 24 August 1998. She is the wife of professional tennis player Roger Federer, having first met him at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She retired from the game in 2002 due to a persistent foot injury. She has since frequently been seen on the ATP circuit attending her husband’s matches.
Grand Slam Singles performance timeline
Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | Career W-L |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||
Australian Open | A | 2R | 2R | 2–2 |
French Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0–3 |
Wimbledon | A | 1R | 1R | 0–2 |
US Open | A | 1R | 3R | 2–2 |
Win-Loss | 0–1 | 1–4 | 3–4 | 4–9 |
Personal life
Mirka married Roger Federer on 11 April 2009. On 24 July 2009, Roger announced via his Facebook page that Mirka had given birth to identical twin girls: Myla Rose and Charlene Riva. The babies were born 23 July 2009 in Switzerland. The first Internet photos of the twins were posted on his Facebook page on 7 August 2009.
Early life and tennis career
Born in Bojnice (Slovakia), Miroslava immigrated to Switzerland when she was two years old. Her parents currently own a jewelry shop in Kreuzlingen and reside in Schaffhausen. In 1987, when she was nine, her father took her to watch a tournament at Filderstadt in Germany. Mirka met Martina Navratilova, who thought she looked athletic and should try tennis. Navratilova later sent her a racquet and arranged for her first tennis lesson., Brian Viner, The Independent, 2 July 2005 In 2002 she teamed up with Roger Federer in the Hopman Cup.
Prior to her retirement she was ranked in the mid-80s, though she was fractionally outside of the top 75 during the 2001 season.
Her best Grand Slam performance was in 2001, when she reached the third round of the US Open.
However, a recurring foot injury prevented Vavrinec from progressing further up the rankings, eventually forcing her retirement from competitive tennis in 2002. Following her retirement, she took on the role of Federer’s public relations manager, traveling with him on tour.
Titles
Singles: 3 ITF
Nr. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in final | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 March 1997 | ISR}} Tel Aviv | Hard | ISR}} Natalie Cahana | 6–3, 7–6 |
2 | 22 June 1997 | SWI}} Klosters-Serneus | Clay | AUT}} Evelyn Fauth | 4–6, 7–5, 6–2 |
3 | 31 January 1999 | USA}} Clearwater | Hard | RUS}} Alina Jidkova | 6–0, 7–6 |
Doubles: 1 ITF
- Langenthal (with Nathalie Tschan) (1992)