Miroslava "Mirka" Federer (born Miroslava Vavrincová on 1 April 1978, later Miroslava Vavrinec) is a Swiss former professional tennis player of Slovak origin.
She is married to tennis player Roger Federer, having first met him at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She retired from professional tennis in 2002 due to a persistent foot injury. By the time she closed her career, she was a top-100 ranked player.
Early life and tennis career
Born in Bojnice (then Czechoslovakia), Miroslava emigrated to Switzerland when she was two years old. 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.[1]
In 2002, she teamed up with Roger Federer in the Hopman Cup. Her best Grand Slam performance was in 2001, when she reached the third round of the US Open. Monica Seles defeated her twice.
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, often seen attending his matches.[2] Prior to her retirement, she was ranked in the mid-80s, with a career high of No. 76, during the 2001 season.[3]
Personal life
Mirka married Roger Federer on 11 April 2009.[4] They were married at Wenkenhof Villa in Riehen near Basel, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family.[5] In 2009, Mirka gave birth to identical twin girls, Myla and Charlene.[6] The Federers had another set of twins in 2014, this time fraternal twin boys, Leo and Lenny.[7][8]
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | Career W-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 2R | 2R | 2–2 |
| French Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0–3 |
| Wimbledon | Q2 | 1R | 1R | 0–2 |
| US Open | Q2 | 1R | 3R | 2–2 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 1–4 | 3–4 | 4–9 |
ITF Circuit finals
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
Singles: 13 (3–10)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 12 September 1994 | ITF Cluj, Romania | Clay | Adriana Gerši | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 23 January 1995 | ITF Bastad, Sweden | Hard | Katalin Miskolczi | 6–1, 2–6, 5–7 |
| Winner | 3. | 8 March 1997 | ITF Tel Aviv, Israel | Hard | Nataly Cahana | 6–3, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 2 June 1997 | ITF Bytom, Poland | Clay | Jana Pospíšilová | 6–7, 7–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 5. | 22 June 1997 | ITF Klosters, Switzerland | Clay | Evelyn Fauth | 4–6, 7–5, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 30 June 1997 | ITF Lohja, Finland | Clay | Maria Persson | 6–3, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 12 January 1998 | ITF Delray Beach, United States | Hard | Louise Latimer | 2–6, 0–6 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 18 January 1999 | ITF Boca Raton, United States | Hard | Stephanie Chi | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 9. | 31 January 1999 | ITF Clearwater, United States | Hard | Alina Jidkova | 6–0, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 10. | 8 February 1999 | ITF Rockford, United States | Hard (i) | Samantha Smith | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 11. | 15 March 1999 | ITF Noda, Japan | Hard | Shinobu Asagoe | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 30 August 1999 | ITF Huixquilucan, Mexico | Hard | Vanessa Webb | 6–1, 4–6, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 13. | 14 August 1999 | ITF İstanbul, Turkey | Hard | Tatiana Perebiynis | 4–6, 3–6 |
Doubles: 4 (1–3)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 18 October 1993 | ITF Langenthal, Switzerland | Carpet (i) | Natalie Tschan | Anne De Gioanni Heidi Sprung | 6–4, 4–6, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 25 October 1993 | ITF Jurmala, Latvia | Hard (i) | Aleksandra Olsza | Natalia Bondarenko Elena Tatarkova | 6–7, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 19 May 1997 | ITF Brixen, Italy | Clay | Luciana Masante | Caroline Schneider Patricia Wartusch | 3–6, 0–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1 June 1998 | ITF Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Hard | Larissa Schaerer | Melissa Mazzotta Fabiola Zuluaga | 2–6, 1–6 |
References
- 1.Viner, Brian (2 July 2005). "Roger Federer: A smashing guy". The Independent. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007.
- 2."Martina set up mixed doubles". The Sunday Times. London: The Times. 24 August 2003. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- 3.Oliphant, Vickiie (24 January 2018). "Roger Federer wife: Who is the tennis star married to? Who is Mirka Federer?". Daily Express. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- 4.Roger Federer (11 April 2009). "Off Court - Mr. and Mrs. Federer". Roger Federer. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
- 5."Off Court — Mr. and Mrs. Federer". Roger Federer Official Website. 11 April 2010. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
- 6."Roger Federer and wife are proud parents of twins". OneIndia. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
- 7."Roger Federer: Mirka and I couldn't be happier with twin boys – and now we know how to cope with babies on tour". The Guardian. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- 8."Roger Federer's wife gives birth to second set of twins". BBC News. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.