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Roger Federer is certainly a #celebworthcelebrating, but that wasn’t always the case…

3 min read

Good Stuff
Source: Facebook/Federer

According to his parents, the tennis ace and tireless charity fundraiser we all know today could be quite a handful as a boy.

The King of Tennis used to be a menace

From on-court childhood tantrums to organising huge charity events for disaster relief, Roger Federer has come a long way, and here at BrightVibes we would like to celebrate that.

The King of Tennis was once a menace “On court, if it didn’t go his way, then of course he did lose his temper.” — Lynette Federer, Roger’s Mom. Source: Facebook/BrightVibes

The Roger Federer Foundation supports educational projects in Africa and Switzerland

Roger grew up and became a far calmer person. The married father of four has managed to win 20 Grand Slam titles, eight Wimbledon titles and six Australian Open titles.  These days, he combines tennis with his charitable work. He started the Roger Federer Foundation, which supports educational projects in Africa and Switzerland, and travelled to Malawi to witness the results of their Early Childhood Education Program. 

“I believe every young child should have the opportunity to spend some years in such a center because early education is the foundation of learning
,” Federer sad of the program. “I’m so happy and emotional that I can see a preschool of this quality here in Malawi. I must say it’s extraordinary and it makes me really really happy.”

Federer supports other charities such as IMBEWU, which helps children with life-skills and health awareness, and he has organised several events for disaster relief, such as the Rally for Relief, to raise money for the victims of the Queensland floods. Happy as he is to play tennis, it seems that Roger Federer’s true joy comes from helping others.

“I love doing everything I do. I love field visits, I love the fundraising, I love meeting people, I love talking about the foundation. and here we are on the verge of touching the lives of one million kids, I think it’s really really exciting and of course i’m looking forward to the future to see what’s gonna happen…”


The best tennis players in the world participated together in the humanitarian tournament for helping flood victims in Australia, during the Australian open.
2011 Australian Open — Rally for Relief charity match The best tennis players in the world participated together in the humanitarian tournament for helping flood victims in Australia, during the Australian open. Source: Tenisweb.com

“We want to provide one million children with the opportunity for an education by the end of 2018.”

Federer has been the recipient of the Laureus “World Sportsman of the Year” and has already been described by fellow players as one of the game’s true greats, having won eight Grand Slam Singles titles and holding the World number one position since February 2004, which is the third longest consecutive stay at World number one.

Federer also started his own charitable foundation to assist in providing sports and education to children.

He is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and starred in a 2007 World AIDS Day public service announcement to raise awareness about the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children.

Charities Federer is known to have given his support include:

  • Elton John AIDS Foundation
  • Humpty Dumpty Foundation
  • Make-A-Wish Foundation
  • Mines Advisory Group
  • Roger Federer Foundation
  • Small Steps Project

“I believe in the power of people. We know that a good education is a decisive factor to empower children by allowing them to take their future into their own hands,” said Federer. “With my foundation, we want to provide one million children with the opportunity for a quality education by the end of 2018.”

“The Match for Africa 5 in San Jose will help us reach our ambitious goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with Bill Gates, who in my opinion is the world’s leading philanthropist.”

Federer said of Match for Africa 5 in San Jose that it “...will help us reach our ambitious goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with Bill Gates, who in my opinion is the world’s leading philanthropist.”
Gates, set and match Federer said of Match for Africa 5 in San Jose that it “…will help us reach our ambitious goals. I am very grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with Bill Gates, who in my opinion is the world’s leading philanthropist.” Source: Facebook/Federer

Federer’s tireless charity work is as awe inspiring as his tennis career

Aside from his sporting achievements, Federer has been busy with charity work. Since May 2004, citing his close ties with South Africa, including that being where his mother was raised, he began supporting the South Africa-Swiss charity IMBEWU which helps children better connect to sports and social and health awareness. 

Later, In 2005, Federer visited South Africa to meet the children that had benefited from his support. Later that same year, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.

At the 2005 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Federer arranged an exhibition involving several top players from the ATP and WTA tour called Rally for Relief. The proceeds went to the victims of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. In December 2006 he visited Tamil Nadu, one of the areas in India most affected by the tsunami. 

He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in April 2006 and has appeared in UNICEF public messages to raise public awareness of AIDS.

In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Federer arranged a collaboration with fellow top tennis players for a special charity event during the 2010 Australian Open called ‘Hit for Haiti’, in which proceeds went to Haiti earthquake victims. He participated in a follow-up charity exhibition during the 2010 Indian Wells Masters which raised $1 million.

The Nadal vs Federer "Match for Africa" in 2010 in Zurich and Madrid raised more than $4 million for the Roger Federer Foundation and Fundación Rafa Nadal. In January 2011, Federer took part in an exhibition, Rally for Relief, to raise money for the victims of the Queensland floods.

In 2014, the "Match for Africa 2" between Federer and Stan Wawrinka, again in Zurich, raised £850,000 for education projects in southern Africa. 

On 24 November 2017 Federer received an honorary doctorate awarded to him by his home university, the University of Basel. He received the title in recognition for his role in increasing the international reputation of Basel and Switzerland, and also his engagement for children in Africa through his charitable foundation.

Make an Impact

10 Wonderful and Wacky Ways to Be Charitable Every Day!

Want to be more charitable like Federer? You don't even need money! Just by doing fun things and living your life to the fullest, you and your family can spread good deeds from home to globe. Here are ten wonderful, and sometimes wacky, ways to give back, support your favorite causes, and simply make things better.