Federer Officially Inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame

The 20-time Grand Slam men’s singles champion was overcome with emotion on several occasions as he addressed an audience that included many tennis legends at a ceremony held in Newport, Rhode Island.

The 45-year-old former player began by wiping away tears as he took the stage, after being introduced by his Swiss-Slovakian wife, Mirka Federer, for his official induction.

The “Maestro,” who retired from tennis in 2022, praised his rivals, officials, fans, family, and friends who shared his journey, during a lengthy speech that turned into a genuine love letter to the sport.

Federer said, “This is one of the greatest honors I have received. They call it the Hall of Fame, but fame was never my goal.”

The player, who spent 310 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings, added, “My goal was to spend my life doing something I love... with people who love it as much as I do.”

Opening with humor, the eight-time Wimbledon champion recounted his career by citing some of his lesser-known statistics.

He joked, “I’m talking about numbers that give a real sense of the situation. Between 1998, the year of my ATP debut, and my retirement in 2022, I wore more than 5,000 headbands. That’s more than Swede Bjorn Borg and American John McEnroe combined.”

As he reflected on his career, from his beginnings at age 13 as a ball boy at a professional tournament in Basel, his hometown, to the pinnacle of tennis, he said, “Honestly, there is no way to measure what it means to be here. It’s hard to put into words.”

He was again moved to tears as he recalled his favorite Swedish legend, Stefan Edberg, who played an exhibition doubles match with him the previous day, alongside other tennis stars, his family, and members of his coaching team.

He quipped, “I need tissues, sunglasses, and everything else to protect myself in this moment. It’s a real disaster.”

He concluded, “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 at the heart of everything dearest to me: my family, my friendships, and these past forty years and the future we are building together. For me, I owe all of this to tennis.”