Visibly moved, Roger Federer rightfully earned his place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The 45-year-old Swiss, one of the greatest players of all time and a 20-time Grand Slam champion, couldn’t hold back his tears at the special ceremony, which took place in Newport, Rhode Island.
“This is one of the greatest honors of my life. It’s called the Hall of Fame, but fame was never my goal,” emphasized the tennis legend, as his wife, Mirka, looked on. “My goal was to spend my life doing something I love… with people who love it as much as I do,” added the man who spent 310 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings.
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“I’m talking about the numbers that really give you a sense of the situation. Between 1998, when I made my ATP debut, and my retirement in 2022, I wore more than 5,000 ribbons. That’s more than Björn (Borg) and John (McEnroe) combined,” he joked. “But honestly, there’s no way to measure what it means to be here. It’s hard to put into words,” he added.
He made a special mention of his idol, Stefan Edberg, with whom he had played an exhibition doubles match the previous day, as well as other tennis stars, his family, and the various members of his support team. “I need tissues, sunglasses, and everything I need to protect myself right now. It’s a complete disaster,” he said with a smile, trying to explain his emotional reaction, and added: “It’s been an incredible journey. For me, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a wonderful opportunity to reflect, but also to look ahead. As you can see, I’m still writing my love letter to tennis. My career as a player has ended, but tennis will always remain in the hearts of everyone I love most: my family, my friends, the past forty years, and the future we’re building. I owe all of this to tennis.”
*photo source: AP
