Federer to be inducted into tennis Hall of Fame

Former tennis players (from left) Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe embrace following the ‘Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York’ exhibition match on Tuesday. Keystone-SDA

Roger Federer is back – on the tennis court and in the spotlight. Following a special appearance in New York, he will be inducted into his sport’s Hall of Fame on Saturday in Newport, Rhode Island.

The term Hall of Fame is not as common in Europe as it is in North America, and particularly in the US. Even those who know nothing about a particular sport realise that if someone is in the Hall of Fame, they are among the greatest in their field. It comes as no surprise that Roger Federer is to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport this week – naturally in his very first year of eligibility.

The way his induction is being celebrated says a great deal about the status of the now 45-year-old from Basel. When he was told the good news in November, it was the manner in which it was delivered that stirred emotions for Federer. During the live broadcast, which reached him while he was surrounded by 50 junior players in Biel/Bienne, no fewer than 33 members of the Hall of Fame offered their congratulations – from Chris Evert to Stefan Edberg, and from Martina Navratilova to Rod Laver. Pat Rafter even joined in at 3am Australian time.

This doesn’t happen to everyone who receives this honour. “Hearing all these heroes at a moment like this means a great deal to me,” Federer admitted, visibly moved. The Basel native generally keeps a low profile on the tennis scene; he is nowhere near as visible as, say, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Evert or Navratilova.

Now, however, he is once again being given a fitting send-off in America. For an exhibition match with McEnroe, Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi in New York, he even picked up a racket in public once again. The fans in the huge arena at Flushing Meadows – where he won five US Opens in a row from 2004 to 2008 – were absolutely thrilled. And an unprecedented drone show captured Federer bathed in bright light over Manhattan.

However, he also made it clear that a comeback is out of the question. “I’m glad you asked,” he said with a smile. “But no, there are far too many obstacles.” He feels comfortable. “But I can hardly find the time to play an exhibition match, let alone go on a professional tour. I’m done with that. Now I’m just a fan and I’m enjoying watching the game.”

Only the second Swiss

The first man to have won 20 grand slam titles is enjoying the week in the US surrounded by his entire family. Parents, wife, children – they’re all there.

As is customary in other sports, a tennis player becomes eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame five years after retiring or after their “last genuine competitive match”. In Federer’s case, this was the 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinal, which he lost to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. He is only the second Swiss player after Martina Hingis (2013) to be inducted in Newport.

The official ceremony will take place on Saturday evening local time in the historic holiday resort favoured by wealthy industrialists in the late 19th century. The question of who will deliver the laudatory speech is now adding to the excitement. Some are tipping Rafael Nadal, whose career is so closely linked to Federer’s. There could well be tears once again.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.