Roger Federer was officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on August 29, 2026, in Newport, Rhode Island, USA [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. Federer retired from professional tennis in 2022 after a 24-year career spanning from 1998 to 2022 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9].
During the ceremony, Federer, who won 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles and spent 310 weeks as ATP world No. 1, became emotional. He described the honor as "one of the greatest of my life" and "the highest honor of my life" [1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. He also shared humorous "alternative statistics," including wearing over 5,000 headbands and more than 7,000 pairs of socks during his career [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9].
Federer's wife, Mirka Federer, introduced him at the event and reflected on their 26-year relationship and early days when Federer had zero ATP titles. She recalled telling him during her pregnancy that she might not be able to travel with him as much, to which Federer responded, "Then I won’t play anymore." Mirka said, "He wasn’t being dramatic, he was serious. That’s Roger — he puts family first." [1, 2, 3, 8]
Former competitors including Novak Djokovic, Gael Monfils, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, and Daniil Medvedev paid tribute to Federer through videos and speeches. Djokovic said, "I don’t think anyone is more deserving of this honor than you." [4]
Federer expressed his enduring love for tennis as integral to his life, stating, "As you can see, I am still writing love letters to tennis." He acknowledged the sport's place alongside family, friendships, and future endeavors even after retirement [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9]. According to reports, Federer does not intend to pursue coaching or commentary roles after retiring [9].
Federer's induction ceremony marked a celebrated milestone four years after his retirement, affirming his legacy in professional tennis.
