Roger Federer inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame
Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer, the former ATP star, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday during a ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island, Reuters reported.
The 45-year-old Swiss champion retired from tennis in 2022 after winning 103 singles titles on the men’s professional tour, including 20 Grand Slam trophies, making him the second-most decorated player in the Open Era, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.
Federer holds the record for the most men’s singles titles at Wimbledon, winning the tournament eight times during his career. He also claimed six Australian Open titles, five US Open titles and one French Open crown.
His career achievements also include 28 ATP Masters 1000 titles and six ATP Finals trophies.
The Swiss star spent a total of 310 weeks as world No. 1 and finished five seasons at the top of the ATP rankings.
“This is one of the greatest honors of my life. They call it the Hall of Fame, but fame was never the goal,” an emotional Federer said.
“My goal was to spend my life doing something I love, alongside people who love it as much as I do,” he added.
“Tennis meant everything to me. Not just playing, not just winning, but creating something new,” Federer said, while thanking his coaches, doctors and family, including his wife Mirka, who attended the ceremony and praised his character away from the court as a husband, father and friend.
Federer said he felt “incredibly lucky” to have had the opportunity to compete alongside different generations of players, from Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt to Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
As his name entered the Hall of Fame, Federer said he was proud to have Switzerland represented alongside him, recalling how much he loved watching tennis when he was a ball boy in Basel.
“I am still writing my love letter to tennis, and my time as a player is over, but tennis will always sit at the intersection of everything I care about most. My family, our friendships, the last 40 years, the future we are building. Tennis, for me, is responsible for all of it. So this is not a goodbye,” Federer said.
He added that his induction into the Hall of Fame was not only an opportunity to look back at his career but also to consider the future of the sport.
“We all leave the court eventually, but the sport continues to evolve. And as the pace of professional tennis accelerates, as the sport becomes even more global, I sincerely hope it retains some of that amateur spirit. That it preserves the camaraderie among players,” Federer said.
“I hope players remain young at heart and true to their authentic selves and always remember, never stop asking questions or taking risks,” he concluded.
Photo: Instagram/rogerfederer
