rogerfederer.com - 08.08.08 - what a day!

08.08.08 - what a day!

Dear fans

It is an absolutely fantastic combination to be celebrating my birthday and the start of the Olympic Games  - on the very same day!

The Olympic opening ceremony here in Beijing will start on the 08.08.08 at 8:08:08 pm - that's quite a few eights! Eight has always been my personal lucky number. And eight is considered one of the luckiest numbers in Chinese tradition because of its unique pronunciation. So being here in China on this specific date and time, celebrating my birthday during such an amazing event... It is almost impossible to find the right words to describe this feeling.

I am looking forward to tonight enormously, leading Switzerland into the stadium with our national flag. The huge crowd, the amazing ceremony and the best athletes from all over the world gathered here, will all make for another memory to last forever. What a privilege it is to be here!

I also want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your unconditional support. I love to come to my website and find you all discussing the future, the present and also the past. Your interest in all different topics around me, tennis and sports in general is fascinating. Thank you for all the time so many of you have invested in writing me messages, letters and cards and making me special gifts. This means a great deal to me and it fills me with pride to have so many of you thinking of me.

Our community is steadily growing towards the barrier of 200'000, what an amazing number. So many individuals from all over the world with a common interest meeting in one spot - precisely like here in Beijing for the Olympics! I would like to say thank you one more time and hope you enjoy the Games, wherever you are.

Sincerely

Roger