[2] Scherer is nicknamed Xuxa in his native country, and he became Brazil's Sportsman of The Year in 1995 after winning one gold and one silver medal at the 1995 FINA Short Course World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2009, he took part in the second season of a reality television program called A Fazenda, where one of his fellow contestants was his future wife, the actress and dancer Sheila Mello.

That day, his friends created a nickname "Xuxa", by which Scherer became widely known because his blond hair resembled that of a children's television presenter with the same name.

[5] At the Brazilian short course championship, the Jose Finkel Trophy in Santos on July 7, 1993, the Brazilian team comprising Fernando Scherer, Teófilo Ferreira, José Carlos Souza and Gustavo Borges, broke the world record in the 4×100-meter freestyle with a time of 3:13.97—three centiseconds better than the Swedish team record of 3:14.00 from March 19, 1989.

Scherer participated in the 1994 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, where he won the bronze in the 4×100-meter freestyle—along with Teófilo Ferreira, André Teixeira and Gustavo Borges.

[12] In August in New York City, at the Goodwill Games, Scherer broke the South American record for the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 22.18 seconds, that would only be broken in 2007 by César Cielo.

At the end of 1998, Scherer broke the third consecutive world record by a Brazilian relay team in the 4×100-meter freestyle on short course.

On December 20, shortly after the end of Jose Finkel Trophy, the team of Scherer, Carlos Jayme, Alexandre Massura and Gustavo Borges, in order, fell the pool at Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama and recorded a time of 3:10.45; a record which would be broken in 2000 by the Swedish team.

[5] Also this year, Scherer participated in the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, in which Brazil achieved its best swimming results of all time.

The Brazilian 4×100-meter medley relay team of Alexandre Massura, Marcelo Tomazini, Gustavo Borges and Scherer won the race for the first time in the Pan's history, with a time of 3:40.27, breaking the Pan American and South American records and securing a place in the 2000 Summer Olympics.

[5] At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Scherer broke his own South American record in the 50-meters butterfly with a time of 23.86 seconds.

[21] At the age of 29, Scherer competed in his third Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, where he helped Brazil win 21 medals in swimming—Brazil's all-time record.