Roger Federer’s speech on the evening of his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame was emotional, memorable and full of laughs. It was an iconic moment in Newport to cap an unforgettable career for the 45-year-old superstar.
Federer joked it might take until the sun rises to complete his speech because of the amount of time he paused to recompose himself through tears. But in reality, Roger was speaking from the heart, like he always has.
“It's amazing to see yourself in a place like this, to walk through the Hall of Fame, to immerse myself in the history of this sport. That means everything to me,” Federer said. “To read the stories of my greatest heroes and to realise, I mean to truly realise for the first time, that I have a place here. This is one of the greatest honours of my life.”
The Swiss legend explained that while he is now part of the Hall of Fame, fame was never his goal. Instead, it was to spend his life doing something he loves.
“We play tennis, we’re tennis players. That for me is what it's about: the sense of play,” Federer said. “Yes, this sport takes work and practice. But the sense of play always carried me through. And when the work and play blend together, that's the best feeling of all.”
Federer took fans back to his home country, where he served as a ball boy in Basel as a 13-year-old.
“I’m standing against the back wall, hands behind me, eyes on the ball. I'll never forget how the game looked from there and how it felt,” Federer said. “The thrill of standing so close to the players, feeding them the ball, handing them the towel, seeing them sweat, watching them fight it out, figure it out — the adversity, the intensity. I remember the next morning, my legs were gone. Standing all day is a lot of work.”
The teen had been in love with tennis for a decade by that point. His parents, Lynette and Robert, told him he picked up a racquet aged three.
“My dad's wooden racquet, that's right. I grew up with the wooden racquets and white tennis balls, that's how old I am,” Federer said. “And that racquet was so heavy, I used to play [with a] double-handed forehand and double-handed backhand. Who knew I was going to become a single-handed player?”
But that was the extent of the talk about his game. Federer spent nearly no time on his records and accomplishments. He was more focused on the more than 5,000 headbands he wore, and more than 7,000 pairs of socks, doubling up each match and tripling up for one first-round match at Wimbledon.
“But really, there's no way to measure what it means to be here,” Federer said. “It's hard to put it into words, but I'll try.”
Despite growing up with plenty of sports around him, tennis was his “main event”, he said.
“Tennis became the fabric of my life. My mom had a full-time job, but she found time to work the badge office for the Swiss Indoors, and probably did some badges for you guys,” Federer explained. “She was also the one who organised my lessons, signed me up for matches, and supported my coaches. Mom made it happen. Thank you, mom. And she played tennis herself at our local club.
“I’ve been told my dad played, too. Just kidding. He can take a joke. He likes to joke around. Thanks to both my mom and dad for all the time spent on the court with me.”
Federer called his father “The Real RF” and recalled that ‘Robbie’ banned moonballs against him, which helped him play more aggressively.
Perhaps the most emotional moment of the speech for Federer was paying tribute to his wife, Mirka, whom he said “inspires me every day”. She also delivered his introduction for the evening.
“Mirka’s the person who showed me how to get more focused about tennis, and take joy in everything else,” Federer said. “A wonderful mother to our four kids, who makes the impossible happen in all our lives. She and I grab each other's hands, and we run through walls. Thank you.”
Federer was clear that throughout his career, he “tried above all to stay true to myself”.
“I tried to show my love for the game. Because it really mattered to me, and I also wanted it to matter to you,” Federer said. “To be worthy of your attention, worthy of your attendance, because people don't have to come watch us play. They come to be entertained, inspired, excited. They could always decide to go somewhere else, but they chose tennis, they chose us.”
Although Federer is no longer competing, he was adamant that tennis will always be “at the intersection of everything I care most about”. The sport has been responsible for everything, so he is not saying good bye.
“This boy from Basel thanks you for the incredible honour,” Federer said. “And I thank you — all of you — for sharing the journey that brought us together.”
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