Roger Federer

Roger Federer by Simon Graf. "Is he really like that?" is the question I get asked most often about Roger Federer. Since he was a teenager who thought it was cool to dye his hair blonde, I have followed him around the world as a newspaper reporter. He transformed from an eternal talent to a timeless star. To a global icon. Yet, I am repeatedly asked: "Is he really like that?" What is meant is: Is he really that nice? So down-to-earth? After everything he has experienced? Good question. Would he take the time to snap a selfie with everyone when he visits the swimming pool with his family otherwise? Would he be voted the fairest player year after year by his competitors, even though he hands them one defeat after another? But perhaps you only realize why he has been so successful when you sit across from him. However, his story is not without its struggles; he too had his battles to fight. He was a hothead who despaired of himself in his younger years and threw his rackets. And the more successful he became, the bigger the monster he had created. Yet, in his later years, he reinvented himself. We can all take a lot from Federer's biography for our own lives.