Roger Federer may boast an Olympic gold medal, but his favourite competition memory came away from the court. The Swiss star competed in four Games during his illustrious 24-year-career, making his first appearance at Sydney 2000, before he eventually scooped gold in the doubles at Beijing 2008. But despite finally securing an Olympic title at the third time of asking alongside Stanislas Wawrinka , Federer appears to favour his maiden experience of the prestigious summer event.
And there is an incredibly special reason for this, with the tennis legend revealing that the Australia-hosted Games was in fact where he met his now-wife Mirka, who he shares four children with. In a 2010 interview with Reuters , the then 29-year-old was given the near-impossible task of choosing his favourite Olympic memory out of his first encounter with his other half, and winning his only gold medal. Federer laughed as he pointed out his many competition highlights, which also included being selected as Switzerland's flag-bearer for both the 2004 and 2008 Games' opening ceremonies.
He recalled: "I've had very emotional Olympics . "Meeting Mirka in Sydney, carrying the flag in Athens for the first time, then carrying the flag in Beijing on my birthday on the 8th of August and then winning the gold. "I've always had something special happening at all the Olympics.
" Ultimately however, the 20-time Grand Slam champion opted for the heart-warming choice, saying: "I couldn't choose (which one was more memorable) but obviously Mirka is long-lasting. "I've had ten incredible years with her, I've two beautiful kids with her so I guess that's my number one pick." While Mirka would become a regular sight in Federer's box throughout his playing days, at the time of their first meeting, she was also a professional tennis player.
The pair both represented Switzerland at Sydney 2000, with Mirka exiting the tournament in the first round, which would prove to be her only Games appearance before injury forced her to retire in 2002. Meanwhile, her husband, then aged just 18, reached the semi-finals, where he was beaten by Germany's Tommy Haas, and later lost out in the bronze medal match against Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale. But it was the budding romance which began after the pair spent two weeks at close quarters in the Olympic village which Federer cherishes most from that summer.
In a 2019 interview with CNN , the tennis great revealed that he owes a great deal to members of Switzerland's then wrestling team at the time, who encouraged him to pursue the relationship. Looking back on the fateful encounter, he remarked: “We were both playing for Switzerland in tennis, and then we spent two weeks together in those dorms. "We were together with the wrestlers and all the other cool athletes.
I guess over the two weeks, we built up some chemistry. "(A wrestler) said: 'Hey, kiss her now’. And I'm like: 'No, I don't know, maybe, should I?' So, anyway, I did.
" Federer will certainly be grateful for the encouragement from his wrestling counterparts, as he and Mirka went on to marry in 2009. Unfortunately for the Swiss star, the Olympic gold medal in the singles event proved to be the only missing piece of silverware in his collection before he retired in 2022 . He managed to reach the final in his last Olympic Games at London 2012, but had to settle for silver after losing to Andy Murray - four weeks after he beat the British icon in the Wimbledon final.
But with his wife having been by his side to witness his countless achievements since their Sydney introduction, Federer would surely not swap his 2000 Games experience for any other trophy..
