It was an emotional year for Roger Federer fans. After decades of excellence at the top of men’s tennis, the 20-time Grand Slam champion retired as a professional player at the Laver Cup in September, leaving those watching, including his peers, teary-eyed after an unforgettable farewell.
However, there was one other significant Federer moment in 2022. And this one gave nothing but joy to his legion of fans.
It was Wimbledon’s Centre Court centenary celebration in the month of July, and the All England Club decided to invite many past singles champions of the tournament. From Federer’s heroes like Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg, to legends of our time like Venus Williams and Martina Hingis, and his great rivals like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon had assembled a star-studded lineup on its hallowed turf at SW19.
The players were paraded out onto the court in ascending order of their titles won. Czech great Martina Navratilova is the player with the most titles (9) but she couldn’t make it for the event. So of course, being second on the list with eight titles, Federer was the last player to walk out.
And the ovation that the Swiss legend received, from fans in the stands as well as the greats who had lined-up ahead of him, is sure to remain an unforgettable memory for his fans.
Federer smiled graciously as he often does and waved to the crowd. Having lost the last set he played at Wimbledon 6-0, after mesmerising audiences with his unparalleled skills for years, this became a priceless memory for his fans from his favourite tournament.
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Thank you Roger Federer, for a tennis experience to last a lifetime
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