NEWPORT — One great among the greats. Roger Federer was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on an emotional night in Newport, where North American commentator Mary Carillo was also honoured.
Emotions were running high when Mirka Federer honoured her husband: “Tonight, it’s my honour to introduce my husband, my best friend, to the Tennis International Hall of Fame. The newest member… Roger Federer.”
Who better than his life partner to officialise Federer’s induction into the sport’s most exclusive club. It was quite a surprise to hear her, as the former player had always chosen to stay away from microphones and social media.
Despite rarely stepping into the spotlight, Mirka set the bar high for Federer with her speech.
“People know that Roger is one of the greatest tennis players of all time: the titles, the records, the rivalries. All of that is part of his legacy. What makes me proud is who you are when nobody is watching,” the former player said.
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“We met at the Sydney Olympic Games. I was 21, he was 18. Yes, I was the older woman. He soon showed his interest in me, and I’m grateful he was persistent… back then he had zero ATP titles. Zero. I was by his side for his 103 titles,” she said.
Possibly, the venue in Rhode Island had never received so many people before. The thousands of fans in Newport, the tennis legends and the guests from Federer’s inner circle gave a standing ovation when Mirka finished her speech, just before hearing from the 20-time Grand Slam champion, who had to pause several times throughout his own speech due to emotion.
“I’m thrilled. This is one of the greatest honours of my life,” the Swiss confessed.
Federer began by admitting that even he was surprised by his wife’s ability to speak publicly: “The last time I had seen her speak in public was for the Hopman Cup, like 24 years ago.”
The blond-haired teenager who used to smash racquets evolved into the elegant figure who is difficult to deny the title of the most beloved player of all time.
The person most responsible for that transformation was Mirka: “My hitting partner, my coach, my friend, my stylist… Mirka taught me to stay more focused on my tennis. She and I grab each other’s hands and we go through walls.”
“With Mirka we went from clubbing to changing diapers and travelling through hotels with double strollers. Myla, Charlene, Lennart and Leo changed our lives — I love you,” he said to his four children, two pairs of twins, seated in the front row.
Federer travelled back to his childhood: “I’m 13, I’m in Basel, I’m a ball boy. I’m super close to the players, I see them sweating… the next day my legs were so sore. It’s difficult to be on your feet for so many hours. I want to thank all the ball boys in this sport…”
The world number one for 310 weeks recalled that as a child he played every sport. The Swiss learned to ski in the Alps, played hockey, basketball and golf. He was a young footballer (“I wanted to be Maradona, Zidane…”), but tennis was always in his blood, and his parents were responsible for nurturing that talent.
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“My mother organised my lessons and found me coaches. Thank you, Mum. Thank you Mum and Dad for being with me on the court since I was a kid,” he said, looking at Lynette Federer, who was in tears, and at Robbie Federer, “the real RF.”
Federer paid tribute to his own Hall of Fame — the people who were invaluable throughout his career, beyond his family.
“My coaches Peter Lundgren, Tony Roche, Paul Annacone… Stefan Edberg, the hero of my childhood; Ivan Ljubičić, who guided me in the twilight of my career. And of course, Severin Lüthi, who was by my side for 18 years. He motivated me when I needed motivation, he protected me when I needed to be protected,” said Federer, his speech interrupted once again by tears. He wiped them away and cracked a joke: “We keep going until dawn.”
On Tony Godsick: “The agent who became my friend. The friend who became my family.”
On Pete Sampras: “The best serve ever… what a privilege to have played against Pete.” And he broke down once more.
A very brief mention for his greatest rivals in the race for Grand Slams, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, after having named other legends such as Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis, Björn Borg and Boris Becker.
He closed his remarks with good wishes for the new generations.
“I hope the players stay real and push the sport to the next level. Never stop asking questions and work hard,” said the winner of 1,251 official matches.
