This authoritative and affectionate biography traces the rise of Federer, from his first tentative strokes with a tennis racket to how he dealt with being sent away to a training academy where he struggled to communicate in a French-speaking part of Switzerland; and how he handled the sudden death of his first real coach and mentor. It also examines how Roger has bounced back from arguably one of the most challenging periods of his career as, following a serious illness and a dip in form, he broke his run of successive Wimbledon championship wins and was toppled from the Number One spot by rival Rafael Nadal. In characteristic style, Roger silenced his critics by once again winning the US Open title in August 2008. Roger's professionalism and charm, as well as the time he devotes to his charitable foundation, have won him huge amounts of respoct from both his fellow sportsmen and tennish professionals alike.