At what point in an athlete's career is it appropriate to have a book written about him or her? Leading tennis journalist Rene Stauffer – of Zurich's Tages-Anzeiger and Sonntags-Zeitung – wanted to write a book on Roger Federer soon after his first Wimbledon triumph in 2003, but the player and his family decided that it was too early to embark on such a project.

However, a few years later it became evident that Federer was entering the pantheon of tennis greatness and that his accomplishments should be documented. Thus was born the idea for The Roger Federer Story - Quest For Perfection. Originally published in German in 2006 under the title Das Tennis Genie, the book has now been updated and translated into English for a worldwide audience.

Stauffer, the author, first met Federer in 1996 when the current world's No.1 was just 15 years old. From that initial encounter, Stauffer came away from the interview with a quote that served as inspiration for the title of his book. While explaining some of his bad behaviour on court, the young Federer revealed his philosophy on tennis – "One should just be able to play a perfect game," he said. From then on, Stauffer understood what the Swiss genius was trying to attain perfection.

‘The sport of tennis could hardly have a better ambassador. Federer understands his responsibility as No.1 perhaps more than any of his predecessors in the Open Era’

The book is in two parts. Part 1 deals with the rise of Federer and tracks him from his early days on the court through to the 2007 Australian Open. Part 2 examines Federer the man and what makes him special compared with other athletes and celebrities.

Two of the main themes that Stauffer introduces us to with respect to the rise of Federer are his temper and the impressive variety of shots in his game. In order to ascend to No.1 in the world, the young Swiss would have to learn to control both aspects. From an early age, it was apparent that Roger had a burning temper whether it had to do with tennis, school or board games. If he didn't get what he wanted, he could be very vocal about it. In tennis, this manifested itself into self-destructive behaviour on the court that affected his results all the way into his pro career.

As Federer progressed through the junior ranks in Switzerland, it was obvious to all that he had an amazing array of shots. However, he had no love for practice or training. He considered himself to be purely a match player. This would change over time as Federer learned that fitness was a huge part of attaining the results he wanted on tour. He would also become more and more comfortable with the sheer variety of shots in his repertoire. While many of the world's greatest players won their first Grand Slam titles at an early age – Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Mats Wilander, etc. – Federer did not. Stauffer explains that because of the number of weapons in the Federer arsenal, it took him longer to put his whole game together as opposed to some of the other players previously mentioned who were not quite as multi-dimensional as Federer. They had it easier as their games were more singular in focus. Once the Swiss superstar did put his game together and managed his temper, he became nearly unstoppable. The result was a veritable symphony of tennis that fans had never seen before.