When Roger Federer steps onto the court tonight at the Laver Cup in London, it will be the last time the Swiss maestro plays professional tennis.

After making his debut on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour in 1998, a knee injury has forced the 41-year-old to call it a day after a career of more than 1 500 matches and 103 ATP singles titles, including 20 Grand Slam crowns.

Announcing his retirement last week, Federer said in a statement released on his website: “I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on Earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis, and I did it at a level that I never imagined, for much longer than I ever thought possible.

“When my love of tennis started, I was a ball kid in my hometown of Basel. I used to watch the players with a sense of wonder. They were like giants to me and I began to dream. My dreams led me to work harder and I started to believe in myself. Some success brought me confidence and I was on my way to the most amazing journey that has led to this day.

“I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, to everyone around the world who has helped make the dreams of a young Swiss ball kid come true.”

SA roots

Federer has made Switzerland proud – he was the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam, the only Swiss tennis player to win all four Grand Slams and the only Swiss man to hold the number one world ranking – but throughout his career, South Africans have also proudly claimed every Federer victory as their own.

He does after all have a South African passport, thanks to mom Lynette who was born a Durand on the East Rand. It all started with a chance meeting with Swiss-born Robert Federer in the canteen of the company they both worked for in Kempton Park. They were married in 1973 and moved to Switzerland, where they welcomed their first child, Diana Vanessa, in 1979. Roger was born in 1981.

Federer started playing tennis when he was eight, but never in her wildest dreams did mom Lynette think that three decades later, her son would be regarded by many as the ‘goat’ (greatest of all time) of tennis. “People often said how exceptional his talent was or how well he knew how to handle the ball from an early age. But we couldn’t have foreseen the incredible success he had afterwards,” she told Blick newspaper last year, shortly before Roger’s 40^th birthday.

His success is reflected not only in the countless titles he collected, but also in his impressive bank account. Federer is one of only six athletes in the history of the sport to make more than $1 billion ($130 million in on-court earnings, more than $870 million in endorsements) – and he has not been shy to share his wealth through philanthropic endeavours.

Much of his goodwill has been directed at Africa. He launched the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003, which supports educational projects in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia and Malawi.

Federer remarked in an interview with ESPN that his mom was the main reason behind the foundation, and that he wanted to use his success as a way to give back.

“I decided to create my own foundation and really try to give a quality education in South Africa to unprivileged children and 15 years later, I am able to support one million children… I still feel like we are at the beginning; I would like to do much more … ”

In 2020 Federer and Rafael Nadal played in the Match for Africa at the Cape Town Stadium to raise money for his foundation. The attendance of 51 954 spectators made it the highest ever for a tennis match. Of the more than $3 million raised for the foundation and in front of his ‘home crowd’, Federer said at the time: “This is so much more than just tennis. I really hope we can do it again… I’m so proud to have roots down here…  It really is so, so special.”

Federer’s parents and his own family, wife Mirka and 12-year-old twins Myla and Charlene, and seven-year-old twins Leo and Lenny, have kept that personal bond with South Africa, returning regularly for charity work and holidays.

The question is, can Federer speak Afrikaans, his mother’s home language as a young girl? He chuckled when asked about this during a press conference for the Match of Africa. “I mean, I don’t know, a little bit. I have to still go through them before I crack them out.

“I still hear her (mother) speak Afrikaans to her family all the time when she is on the phone. I like my Afrikaans and I understand maybe 20, 30%… so my Afrikaans is very, very limited.

“Afrikaans is still on the to-do list (to teach the children). I have to tell Granny to do a better job.”

His final professional appearance will be alongside long-time rival Nadal in a doubles match at the Laver Cup today that will take place after three singles matches. Time to be confirmed. For the schedule, visit the Laver Cup website.