All-round good guy Roger Federer shares his family delight

Roger Federer and his lovely wife Mirka share their joy in their new twin babies with their many fans around the world:


Roger Federer has shared this photograph with his many admirers around the world via his Facebook page, rather than agreeing to accept media sponsorship, to let them share his family's good news, just as he does with many other aspects of his life and tennis career.

I have always been struck by how refreshingly open and honest Federer is in interviews, of which there were numerous around the time of Wimbledon this year in particular. It was tempting to categorise some of his interviews this year as betraying 'arrogance', but in similar interviews last year, when he lost to Rafael Nadal, he accepted his defeat by the better man on that occasion with considerable grace. I believe it is a reflection of the practicality of his Swiss-German origins and no doubt the family environment in which he was brought up. He seems basically to be an all-round nice person who has been and remains a beacon of civilised behaviour on and off the tennis court. Nor does he suffer from false-modesty syndrome, which is refreshing - his simple acceptance of his status as a highly-gifted tennis player without seeming artifice is not something one observes too often, although Rafael Nadal seems to be pretty similar in character, too. It is true that Federer has earned a great deal of money over the years, and no doubt will continue to earn handsome amounts in years to come from his sporting activities and advertsing sponsorship, but he appears to have retained a strong sense of reality.

Hearty congratulations to the happy couple and their new babies!

(thru kenneth in the (212) and thru him Mashable)