Roger Federer is one of the greatest sports personalities in the world. He inspired a lot of people with his hard work. The list includes not only tennis fans but also people from outside the sport. With 20 Grand Slams under his belt, the Swiss Maestro is enjoying retired life. What Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did in basketball, he did in tennis. People fell in love with his smooth, butter-like strokes, and he left his critics spellbound. His popularity knows no bounds.
But people often ask, how did Roger Federer gain so much popularity? The most common answer would be that he won 103 singles titles in his career. But apart from that, the other reason is his vast vocabulary and mastery of several languages. He can do interviews in several languages, which attracts the local crowd more. So how many languages does Roger Federer speak? Everything will be detailed later in the article, so keep reading.
How Many Languages Does Roger Federer Speak?
Roger Federer can speak as many as 9 languages – Swiss German, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Mandarin, and Afrikaans. Most people know two to three languages, but Roger Federer is way too special for that. In real life, he is like Harry Potter, but a racquet replaces the wand.
Where Did Roger Federer Learn So Many Languages?
Roger Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland, and the Swiss people speak Swiss German fluently. He can also speak German fluently due to his upbringing. During childhood, his family talked in German and English, strengthening his German and English foundation. His fluency in French came from moving to Ecublens near Lausanne to the Swiss National Tennis Academy. In that part of Switzerland, the people speak French. Swiss people are multilingual, so it is natural for them to speak several languages. One main reason is that Switzerland shares its borders with Germany, France, and Italy.
Roger Federer had to learn French to mix with the other kids at the tennis academy. But when he came back, his mastery of French remained the same. He also speaks good Spanish and Swedish. Many have seen Federer speak Spanish while talking to his on-court rival, Rafael Nadal. Little is known about his Mandarin and Italian fluency, even though he did address the crowd using these two languages at the Shanghai Masters and the Italian Open. Reports say that he just knows enough to have a conversation. Roger Federer learned little Afrikaans from his mother, Lynette Federer, who was born in South Africa.
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Roger Federer’s Feeling About Being Multilingual
In a word, Roger Federer enjoys his life as a multilingual. Being multilingual has its perks, but there are a few drawbacks. It can be great to attract a large crowd with all the languages known, but on the other hand, everyone feels to have interviews with the person in their language. But Roger Federer is not affected by these. After winning the first round, he attended a press conference during the 2018 Australian Open. He said that he enjoys speaking so many languages and finds it interesting.
Roger Federer is one of the main reasons tennis is such a popular sport. Even after retiring, he does interviews and acts as the tennis brand ambassador. Unlike most sports personalities, he loves the media and believes that the media acts as a connector between him and his fans. For the moment, Roger Federer knows nine languages. Now that he is retired, he has unlimited time to learn more languages. Being a maestro, his hunger for news things never changes.
Who has won the most Wimbledon? Click here to know – Who won Most Wimbledon Titles in Tennis History?