Roger Federer has officially been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, describing the milestone as “one of the greatest honours” he has ever received.
The winner of 20 Grand Slam singles titles, who hung up his racket in 2022, grew emotional during the induction ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island, as he looked back on his legendary career in front of iconic figures like Billie Jean King and John McEnroe.
Following his professional debut in 1998 at just 16 years old, Federer went on to capture a men’s-record eight titles at Wimbledon, six Australian Open championships, five US Opens, and a single French Open crown.
“Receiving this is truly one of the biggest privileges of my life,” the 45-year-old Federer remarked during the ceremony.
“While this is known as the Hall of Fame, seeking fame was never my objective. My goal was simply to spend my life doing what I love, surrounded by people who love it just as much as I do.”
In the men’s game, only Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who holds 22 majors, and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, with 24, have surpassed Federer’s tally of Grand Slam singles titles.
He secured his maiden Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon in 2003 and subsequently spent 310 weeks as the world’s top-ranked player—a milestone that stood as a record until Djokovic eventually surpassed it.
In addition to his 20 major trophies, Federer secured an Olympic gold medal in doubles for Switzerland alongside Stan Wawrinka at the 2008 Beijing Games, followed by a singles silver medal at London 2012.
He was also a key member of the Swiss squad that claimed the nation’s inaugural Davis Cup victory in 2014.
During his acceptance speech, Federer, whose journey began as a 13-year-old ball boy at an ATP event in Basel, shared some of the more unusual statistics of his career.
“These are the kinds of statistics that truly illustrate the story. From my professional debut in 1998 until my retirement in 2022, I went through upwards of 5,000 headbands,” Federer joked.
“That number exceeds the careers of [Bjorn] Borg and [John] McEnroe put together.
“If that seems remarkable, I also went through roughly 7,000 pairs of socks. That is likely double what my peers used, simply because I wore two pairs at a time.
“Ultimately, though, the significance of this moment cannot be calculated. Finding the right words for it is incredibly difficult.”
Dabbing his eyes, Federer expressed his gratitude to his wife Mirka, his childhood hero Stefan Edberg, and “every single ball kid who assisted” during his playing days.
He also noted his immense fortune in competing across multiple tennis eras, facing rivals ranging from Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt to Andy Roddick, Nadal, and Djokovic.
“I feel like I need some tissues and dark sunglasses to cover myself up right now. I’m completely overwhelmed,” Federer teased.
“It is clear that my love letter to the sport is still being written. Although my active career has concluded, tennis remains central to everything of value in my life: my family, lifelong friendships, my last forty years, and our path ahead.
“I truly owe everything to this game.”
