The 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer was honored at this year’s Wimbledon at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in London, England. The tennis tournament started on July 3, and at a special ceremony the next day, a long ovation awaited the Swiss pro tennis player acknowledging his iconic achievements.
The patron of the All England Tennis Club, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, accompanied Federer in the Royal Box in front of 15,000 fans on Centre Court. Federer’s wife, Mirka Federer, along with his parents, his coach and his agent were also present at the event.
This was his first time back in this venue ever since he retired last year, as he passed Pete Sampras‘ men’s record of seven titles with his last win as an eight-time Wimbledon champion. The 41-year-old won five successive Wimbledon titles between 2003 and 2007, then won again in 2009, 2012, and 2017.
As one of the greatest male tennis players of all time, also just in general, Federer’s ovation lasted a few minutes as he received a guard of honor in the United Kingdom. While he didn’t speak, fans got to see a nostalgic video montage on the big screen of his Wimbleton wins from 2003 to 2017, and after, the announcer thanked him for the memories he has provided Wimbledon fans over the years.
Federer was also one of several former champions honored at the 2022 tournament in a ceremony honoring 100 years of Centre Court. Seven-time women’s singles champion Serena Williams was invited to this year’s tournament but was unable to travel due to her pregnancy.
Having spent 310 weeks as world number one with 103 ATP titles, Federer was there to witness Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina opening her title defense and winning against the American Shelby Rogers in the women’s single match.
