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Roger Federer has quite a cheering section behind him.
The father of four, who has been married since 2009, has a reputation as one of the most prominent family-men in all of sports. It isn’t unusual for Federer’s wife Mirka to be front and center in the stands of international matches with the pair’s twins, two boys and two girls, trailing behind.
It’s a picture-perfect family and one of the most supportive groups in all of tennis. Now, as Federer looks to make history on Sunday when he takes on World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the US Open final, he’ll need all the cheering he can get. Here’s what you need to know about the Federer family:
1. Roger & Mirka Met at the 2000 Olympics & Got Married in 2009
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The pair met when they were both competing for Switzerland in the 2000 Olympics, sparking a relationship that would last for nine years before they tied the knot in 2009.
The ceremony, which was first announced on Roger’s website, was a small event in his home town of Basel, Switzerland. Mirka was already pregnant with the couple’s first set of twins at the time.
2. The Pair Welcomed Twin Daughters in July 2009
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Roger and Mirka became first-time parents to twin daughters in 2009 when they welcomed Myla Rose and Charlene Riva that July. The twins were born just a few weeks after Federer had won his sixth Wimbledon title and his 15th overall Grand Slam title.
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He wrote on his Facebook page:
I have some exciting news to share with you: Late last night, in Switzerland, Mirka and I became proud parents of twin girl. We named them Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and they are both healthy and along with their mother, they are doing great.
Both daughters are frequent spectators at Federer’s matches, usually in matching outfits, and, earlier this year, stole the spotlight when he became just the third man in ATP history to record 1,000 on-court vicotires.
3. Mirka Gave Birth to Twin Boys in May 2014
It was all love-love for the Federer family last year when Roger and Mirka announced that they were expecting their second set of twins. The couple welcomed twin boys in May 2014, Leo and Lennart. Federer withdrew from the Madrid Masters tournament when Mirka went into labor.
Federer joked about having a third set of twins during a recent Twitter Q&A:
The twins made their first courtside appearance in January when Federer competed at the Australia Open.
4. Federer Grew Up in Switzerland With His Parents
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Federer was born on August 8, 1981 and grew up in Switzerland. His father, Robert, grew up in Berneck near the borders between Switzerland, Austria and Germany. His mother, Lynette, meanwhile, was born in South America and Federer holds dual citizenship from both Switzerland and South Africa. Lynette also works on the Board of the Trustees for the Roger Federer Foundation.
Federer was raised as a Roman Catholic and actually met Pope Benedict XVI while competing in the 2006 Inernatzionali BNL d’Italia tournament in Rome.
5. Roger’s Older Sister, Diana, Also Has Twins
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Federer has just one sibling, an older sister Diana, who is 20 months his elder. She works as a nurse in Switzerland and, much like Federer, is also the parent of twins.
Diana is mother to a set of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, and the trend seems to run in the Federer family. Roger told The Telegraph that his maternal grandmother was also a twin, adding, “I guess that we jumped a generation.”
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