Roger Federer was formally inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 29, 2026, on the grass horseshoe court at the Hall's Newport, Rhode Island campus. Per Yahoo Sports, the ceremony began at 6:30 p.m. EDT and aired on Tennis Channel.
Federer, 45, entered in his first year of eligibility. His wife, Mirka, presented him. He spoke for nearly 30 minutes in a tan suit, breaking down several times — over his childhood hero Stefan Edberg, over his longtime coach Severin Lüthi, and over Mirka. "I need tissues and sunglasses, everything to protect me right now," he said early in the speech, which he opened by calling the moment "very high level and a tough act to follow." "I'm thrilled to have made the journey here," he told the crowd, per the Associated Press. Agence France-Presse reported he called the induction one of the "greatest honors of my life."
Federer was the first man to reach 20 Grand Slam singles titles: eight Wimbledons, six Australian Opens, five straight US Opens from 2004 through 2008, and the 2009 French Open that completed his career Grand Slam. He is one of eight men to complete a career Grand Slam, and he reached 10 consecutive major finals. He held the world No. 1 ranking for 237 consecutive weeks, a men's record. He retired in September 2022 at the Laver Cup, the team event he co-founded.
He was not inducted alone. Mary Carillo — a former professional player who became one of the sport's defining broadcasters — went in the same night, presented by Billie Jean King.
Hall of Famers Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Tracy Austin, Martina Navratilova, Stefan Edberg, Marat Safin, Gabriela Sabatini, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and both Bryan brothers traveled to Newport, along with Garbiñe Muguruza.
The induction landed on the eve of the US Open main draw, which begins Sunday, August 30 in Flushing Meadows — the tournament Federer won five years running and the last major of a season in which Jannik Sinner won a second straight Wimbledon title over Alexander Zverev. That Wimbledon fortnight also produced Serena Williams’ return on a singles wild card, part of a 2026 season in which several of the sport’s biggest names circled back to the tour Federer left in 2022. Wimbledon itself paid out a record £64.2M (~$86M) purse this year.
Source: ABC News / Associated Press
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