Roger Federer was the very definition of a model professional, which he attributed largely to his marriage to wife Mirka. The tennis legend, who turns 43 this Saturday, believed it gave him an advantage over his “one-wife-a-year” rivals.

He celebrates his birthday almost two years after retiring from his illustrious career in September 2022. His 20 Grand Slam victories, including eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles, put him third on the all-time list behind Novak Djokovic (24) and Rafael Nadal (22).

Federer believes this wouldn’t have been possible without his wife Mirka, whom he met while competing for Switzerland at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and married in 2009. He believes having a stable private life is better for his on-court performance than having regular relationships.

He told Spanish newspaper AS in 2019: “As a player it is always good to have it because some players take one partner a year and then change her. Everything can make you happy but it can also distract you.

“My life is perfect like this. I’ve always been in love with the same girlfriend from the same partner, I’ve run the family and protected them from the press. He hasn’t given interviews in 12 to 15 years, so people don’t know what he’s doing.”

Federer is a staunch follower of the mantra “happy wife, happy life” and explained the benefits he gets from having former WTA pro Mirka by his side, benefits that some of his fellow tennis players don’t get due to their off-court antics.

“If I talk about tennis, it has a big influence, not on my game but on my personality, because he was a professional before me, when I came in I had more experience,” he continued.

“I worked very hard. He helped me grow and mature at an early age. His support is incredible, he always helps me, no matter what I win or lose, he makes my life easier. He is a natural worker. He is great. I hope he doesn’t change. I am always there for him and vice versa.”