Roger Federer has officially been honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in overwhelming emotion. He described this as one of the "greatest honors in his life".
The 45-year-old legend, owner of 20 Grand Slam singles titles, has repeatedly been moved when speaking to a crowd gathering top names in the tennis world at a ceremony held in Newport, Rhode Island.
The Swiss legend, who retired from his tennis career in 2022, expressed gratitude to his opponents, referees, fans, family and friends - who have shared his career with him - in a lengthy speech on Saturday (local time), the speech was like a love letter to this sport.
“This is one of the greatest honors in my life,” Federer shared, “People call this the Hall of Fame, but fame has never been my goal.
My goal is to dedicate my whole life to doing what I love... with people who love it as much as I do.
In the humorous opening, the player who has won Wimbledon 8 times reviews his career through a few less-known statistical milestones.
Not the clear statistics like the number of major titles or the number of weeks in the number 1 position," Federer said, "I'm talking about the numbers that really paint a picture. From 1998 when I started playing on the ATP Tour until I retired, I wore more than 5,000 headbands. That number is more than [Bjorn] Borg and [John] McEnroe combined.
And if you think that's impressive, I've probably worn more than 7,000 pairs of socks. That number could be double that of most of my opponents, because I carry two pairs at the same time.
But really, there is no way to measure the meaning of being here. It's hard to describe it in words," Federer confided when looking back at his journey from a 13-year-old ball boy at the ATP tournament in Basel to the peak of tennis.
I really want to thank every little ball picker who stood and endured throughout my matches or all of our matches, for hours," he said, "I see them. I thank them. I used to be them.
Federer had to wipe away tears when mentioning his idol Stefan Edberg, along with other tennis stars, family and support team - those who inspired him throughout his career.
Now I need paper towels, sunglasses and everything to cover my expressions," he joked, "Everything is messed up.
“It was a great journey. For me, the Temple of International Tennis Legends offers a great opportunity to look back at the past, but also to look to the future.
As everyone can see, I am still writing another love letter to tennis. My playing time has ended, but tennis will always stand at the intersection of everything I cherish most: family, friends, the past 40 years and the future we are building. For me, tennis is the origin of everything.
Notably, introducing Federer to speak at the ceremony was his wife Mirka, who also had to try to keep tears from falling: "My husband, my best friend... and the latest person in the Temple of International Tennis Legends".
