Roger Federer moved during his induction into the Hall of Fame

The 45-year-old, winner of 20 Grand Slam singles titles, was overcome with emotion several times as he addressed an audience of many tennis legends at a ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island. He began by wiping away a few tears upon his arrival on the podium, after being inducted by his wife Mirka Vavrinec.

The Swiss legend, who retired from tennis in 2022, paid tribute to his opponents, officials, fans, family and friends who shared his career, during a long speech which proved to be a true love letter to the sport. “This is one of the greatest honors of my life,” Federer said. “We call it the Hall of Fame, but fame was never my goal.” “My goal was to spend my life doing something I love... with people who love it as much as I do,” said the man who spent 310 weeks at first place in the ATP rankings.

In a humorous introduction, the eight-time Wimbledon winner took stock of his career by discussing some of his lesser-known statistics. “I’m talking about the numbers that really give an idea of ​​the situation. Between 1998, when I made my debut on the ATP Tour, and my retirement in 2022, I have worn more than 5,000 headbands. “It’s more than (Björn) Borg and (John) McEnroe combined,” he quipped. “But really, there’s no way to measure what it means to be here. It's difficult to express in words,” said Federer, looking back on his journey, from his debut at 13 as a ball boy at an ATP tournament in Basel, his hometown, to the top of tennis.

Federer once again had to wipe away tears as he cited his idol Stefan Edberg with whom he had played an exhibition doubles the day before, other tennis stars, his family and successive members of his management. “I need tissues, sunglasses and whatever else I need to protect myself right now,” he joked. “It’s a real disaster.” “It’s been an incredible journey,” Federer said. “For me, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a great opportunity to take stock, but also to look to the future,” he added. “As you can see, I continue to write my love letter to tennis. My playing career is over, but tennis will always remain at the heart of everything that is most dear to me: my family, our friendships, these last forty years, the future we are building. For me, it’s tennis that I owe all of this,” he concluded.