Tennis great Roger Federer is to become the first living Swiss to have a
coin minted in their honour, with a commemorative 20 franc silver piece bearing his image being issued in January 2020. In addition to that, it plans to release a second coin with a different
design - the “Roger Federer” 50-franc gold coinin May 2020.
The
38-year-old 20-time Grand Slam champion is regarded by many as the
greatest tennis player ever and is a national hero in Switzerland.
Swissmint
confirmed that 55,000 of the coins, featuring Federer delivering a
backhand, will be produced and will be available for pre-order from
Tuesday until December 19 at
http://www.swissmintshop.ch/
"Roger
Federer's sporting achievements, his charitable commitments, his
easy-going nature and his accessibility to his fans have prompted
Swissmint to dedicate this 20-franc silver coin to him - the first time
it has done so with a living person," a Swissmint spokesperson told
Reuters.
In a statement, the government declared that Roger Federer is the
best-known Swiss person both on and off the court. In addition to his
countless tennis records, including the most Grand Slam men’s singles
titles, he also runs a charitable foundation for children in southern
Africa and was the first Swiss UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
According to Swissmint, Federer is "the perfect ambassador for
Switzerland. He has a unique way of embodying likability,
down-to-earthness, success and eloquence".
With demand expected to be high, Swissmint said another 40,000 coins could be issued in May.
"Thank you Switzerland and Swissmint for this incredible honour and privilege," Federer wrote on Twitter.
Date: 2 December 2019
