Roger Federer this year is competing in his 14th Wimbledon championship and as I write has got through to the second week yet again despite a close call against Julien Benneteau who pushed him to 5 sets in his 3rd round match. Roger is bidding to win a 7th Wimbledon crown, a record that would probably remain unsurpassed for many a years to come. Maybe his best days are now behind him as younger players such as Novak Djokovic can outlast him in a fitness sense, however if there is probably still no-one out there who entertains and plays the game with such grace and panache.
Roger is a Sun sign Leo born on 8th August 1981 at 08.10 in Basel, Switzerland. He has a rather intense Scorpio Moon as well as a critical Virgo Ascendant. Looking at the chart, this is a man who does tend to look after himself rather than think of others, shown by most of the planets in the Eastern hemisphere of the chart; there is a touch of selfishness here. The Sun Moon combination is quite a powerful one on this chart. The Sun in Leo is very proud and normally loves the attention of being recognised as being the best and the Moon in Scorpio reinforces the need in Roger to be powerful, in control and ultimately right in everything he does. Emotional and determined he may be, but he will rarely show it in the full view of the public arena that he thrives in. As I will explain, I don’t think he entirely comfortable being out there on view other than playing his beloved tennis, and he will retreat back into the shadows as quickly as he can once a tournament is over.
Roger’s Sun actually sits in the 12th house conjunct his Mercury in the 11th, so for all intents and purposes he is a guy who would prefer to stay out of the limelight, but obviously being an international superstar tennis player, that is not possible. I feel a real battle going on within Roger, especially if you take into consideration that the Sun is also square to his secretive Scorpio Moon. I think he has to go against his natural tendencies of staying behind the scenes a lot of the time. A lot of the work he does is out of the spotlight, associated with helping the needy and less fortunate which does sit well with the 12th house Sun. Roger is an ambassador for UNICEF, and if you asked him, I would venture to say that he sees his charity work as just as important if not more so than his tennis playing.
That Scorpio Moon in the 3rd house is very intense and independent, conjunct as it is to Uranus so it is no surprise his job is one where he works by himself and relies on his natural ability. One thing is for sure, you will never know what is going on with anyone with a Scorpio Moon. These people are always needing to be in control of any situation, are prone to brooding silences and if you get on the wrong side of them, you will know it soon enough as the scorpion’s sting is not to be trifled with. People with Scorpio Moons are normally wonderfully friendly but very guarded and they worry like hell if things are not going their way. Because the 3rd house rules the mind and the Moon is square to Mercury which is also associated with mental faculties, Roger will be a very instinctive person, making decisions on the run and if something feels right. This Moon is central to this chart as it connects to Venus conjunct to Roger’s ascendant by sextile forming with Venus a dynamic link that this chart is based around. The Moon also makes connections to Mars by trine and the Midheaven by quindecile.
Roger is a sportsman, and you an see the link to his profession through Saturn which conjunct Jupiter makes a square to Mars, the planet of action and sport in Cancer and Saturn also rules the 5th house of sports and games with Capricorn on the cusp of that house. Mars in Cancer is not an aggressive placement, so even if he was destined to be a sportsman, he would never have had the inclination to play a “physical game” like soccer or maybe ice hockey. Roger’s skill is far more technical and precise, shown by the Virgo ascendant which Mars makes a trine to. In a way Mars and the Scorpio Moon are in mutual reception (in each other’s signs) as Mars used to rule Scorpio before Pluto was discovered so they work very well together, and this trine focuses onto Venus conjunct the ascendant making a mini grand trine.
This Venus is very conscious of it’s appearance, Roger is always immaculately turned out, and brings grace, balance, skill, technique, timing and an ultra self-critical attitude allied to his sporting ability (sextile to Mars). The Sun and Mercury sit at the midpoint of Venus and Mars and all of these are connected to the Scorpio Moon and Uranus. Neptune makes a trine to Roger’s Sun/Mercury and a square to Venus contributing style, imagination and sensitivity. Add all of these qualities into the melting pot focused around Venus and the ascendant, all of which is enhanced by the brilliant nature of Uranus which brings a genius like quality and speed of thought (Uranus square Mercury the chart ruler) and we have the potential for someone who is supremely talented in what he does. No wonder he has won 16 Grand Slam titles (including a career grand Slam) and 6 times at the end of the year championships.
There is one more reason why this Venus sitting in his first house conjunct his Ascendant is so influential. On the day he was born, Venus was in paran relationship with 3 stars, Pollux, Alhena (in Gemini) and Betelgeuse (in Orion), at the nadir of the sky just as all three stars were rising and hitting the horizon. Bernadette Brady says of all three when this happens that “one has superb artisan or artistic ability or this is someone who lives an alternative lifestyle”. That flair he has translated into sporting skill and I think is fundamental to the way he “floats” around the tennis court more naturally than any other living player.
With three outer planets Jupiter Saturn and Pluto in his 2nd house of personal finance, possessions and self worth, I think there is huge drive here to keep on winning and earning money. There is a nice balance of optimism and realism with Saturn and Jupiter trine his Midheaven, keeping Roger’s feet squarely on the ground and giving him good business sense and acumen. Pluto in the second house brings an obsession on earning and gaining power and the square between Pluto and Mars not only brings him unlimited physical strength and endurance, but also ambition in a big business sense to be successful.
Neptune in the 4th house shows that returning home to the seclusion found in Swiss countryside with the company of his family is something Roger actively loves, and with Pisces ruling his 7th house, this extends to his Czech born wife and partner Mirka who he generally keeps in the shadows. Roger and his wife are parents to twin girls Myla and Charlene who were born in 2009 and as mentioned earlier with Saturn on the cusp of the 5th house which also rules children; he will be very committed father but also likely to be a firm disciplinarian.
Roger, despite being one of the older members on the pro-tour, is still in the top 4 (not bad at the age of 31) and with transiting Jupiter conjunct his Midheaven in the next week, some nice easy transits involving sextiles and trines and Uranus opposing Jupiter and Saturn which could be seen as constructive and fortunate at the same time, he could still have a big part to play at this year’s Wimbledon Championships. Funnily enough he shares almost the same Midheaven degree as Andy Murray and I predicted that these two could meet in the Wimbledon final back in January. With them both still in the draw in week two in opposite halves of the draw, it is a possible match-up that would be a fitting final in Jubilee year to a tournament that has already provided it’s fair amount of shocks and surprises.