New Delhi: Tennis superstar Roger Federer is the most respected sportsperson and the second-most respected celebrity, next only to South Africa's Nelson Madela. This according to a global study in which 50,000 respondents from 25 countries participated to rate from a list of 54 international figures public.

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The Swiss player was chosen as  the second-most trusted and respected public personality in the world by a survey conducted by the Reputation Institute, a consulting firm.

Respondents were asked to rate pre-listed attributes like degree to which a choice is liked, respected, admired and trusted, on a scale of 0-100. Federer managed to score an average of 72.1, just behind Mandela with an average of 78.5.

The other public figures in the list included Bill Gates, Warren Buuffet and Bono who are known for their philanthropic and charity work. Federer too has founded the Federer Foundation, an organisation that has begun child development programs in South Africa, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Switzerland.