Federer quokka selfie shows power of social media

A selfie shot by Roger Federer next to a Rottnest Island quokka has reached 581 million people in 45 countries.

On the request of Tourism Minister Paul Papalia, the Swiss tennis player flew to Rottnest Island by helicopter on 28 December 2017, exploring Parakeet Bay, before heading inland to find a quokka to achieve his 'bucket list' goal of mingling with the marsupial.

Federer posted a shot on his Instagram account with the message "nice to meet you", and referenced his furry friend with the hashtags #newpal, #westernaustralia, #rottnestisland and #happyquokka.

The Instagram post has attracted 525,000 likes, 5000 comments and was shared 2500 times, reaching 5.3 million people across Facebook and Twitter.

It also made headlines in newspapers and on news websites around the world, appearing in 239 publications in the United Kingdom, 53 in Switzerland, 45 in Colombia, 30 in the United States and 41 across Australia, with the post reported on in 13 different languages.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/victormro