Roger Federer gets own Swiss coin…and you can buy it
Looking for a Christmas gift for a Roger Federer fan? Your search might have come to an end.
Swissmint is honoring the tennis legend with a commemorative 20 Swiss franc ($20) silver coin, the first time that distinction has been bestowed to a living person. Federer has won 20 grand slams, the most of any man.
You can buy the coin — which features Federer in his trademark headband preparing to strike a backhand — for 30 Swiss francs.
“As well as being probably Switzerland’s most successful individual sportsman, he is also the perfect ambassador for Switzerland,” Swissmint said in a press release. “That is reason enough for Swissmint to honor Roger Federer with a 20-franc silver coin.
“There is no other Swiss person in the world as well known as Roger Federer,” it added. “One could almost lose count of his tennis records.”
Swissmint cited his 237 straight weeks at world No. 1 and his grand slam haul before mentioning his off-court charitable work, including his foundation.
“He is just as active off the court,” the release said.
The pre-sale of the coin began Monday and ends December 19 — or earlier if the first run of 55,000 units sell out.
Official dispatch then starts January 23 before a gold Federer 50 franc coin with a different design is issued in May 2020.
“Thank you Switzerland and thank you Swissmint for this incredible honor and privilege,” Federer tweeted.
A testament to how much he is loved around the world, Federer’s exhibition clash in Mexico City with Alexander Zverev in late November drew 42,000 people, which was cited as the most ever for a tennis match. That record could be broken in February when Federer and Rafael Nadal play an exhibition in Cape Town.
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Highlights of Federer’s 2019 on the tennis tour included reaching the Wimbledon final — where he lost a heartbreaker to Novak Djokovic — and a semifinal showing at the French Open upon his return to Roland Garros.
