Roger Federer brought to tears during his induction into International Tennis Hall of Fame
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Roger Federer was brought to tears numerous times during his induction speech at the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday. As sunset crept in at Newport’s grass…
Roger Federer, the 45-year-old tennis legend, broke down in tears multiple times during his induction speech at the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday. As the sun set at the grass horseshoe court on Newport's entrance, the Swiss maestro strode up to the stage, embraced his wife Mirka who had introduced him, and realized the magnitude of the moment.
With a tan suit on, Federer kicked off his speech, joking that he wasn't sure if his wife had been practicing to prepare for this day. He praised his wife's role in presenting him as the 274th inductee into the Hall of Fame alongside fellow broadcaster and former player Mary Carillo, who was honored by the esteemed Billie Jean King.
Federer, known for his record 237 weeks as the world's No. 1 player in the ATP rankings, admitted during his near 30-minute speech that he was feeling stressed. The emotion overwhelmed him halfway through, as he paid tributes to his childhood idol Stefan Edberg and his longtime coach Severin Luthi, which led to him choking up a few times.
The tears were a testament to the impact of his career, which saw him claim an astounding 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
Written by urgent.news from Associated Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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