A Wimbledon,
Center Court has witnessed his exploits over the years. The official Wimbledon Twitter account shared a photo of the Swiss this morning, along with a caption “Good morning”. The Swiss maestro, who arrived by plane from Zurich after performing on stage at a Coldplay concert on Sunday, accompanied by his wife Mirka and his parents, made a very remarkable appearance on the legendary court at 1:27 p.m., just before the entry of the 2022 winner Elena Rybakina against Shelby Rogers.
The organizers had planned a ceremony in honor and in the presence of “RF” who holds the men’s record of eight titles at Wimbledon (Martina Navratilova has nine for women). And the Maestro was placed alongside Kate Middleton in the royal box. As the stadium announcer said, “Roger, thank you for the memories”, the former world number one obviously got a standing ovation from the fervent London crowd. Dressed in a smart beige suit and sunglasses, Federer appeared in fine form as he entered the Temple for the first time since officially announcing his retirement last fall.
No speech from the person concerned, but a tribute video from his first victory here in 2003 to his last in 2017. His last game at Church Road remains a defeat in 2021 against Hubert Hurkacz in the quarters. Moved, on the verge of tears, the eight-time winner simply greeted the crowd. The 41-year-old Swiss legend, who announced his retirement in September last year, has taken some distance from his sport since his emotional farewell at the Laver Cup. But Wimbledon holds a special place in his heart, as it was at Church Road that he won his first-ever Grand Slam title in 2003.
The former homemaker reached seven consecutive finals between 2003 and 2009, and won five of his finals between 2003 and 2007. Although he came close to winning a sixth consecutive title in 2008, he was beaten by Rafael Nadal in a match considered one of the greatest ever played. His last title dates back to 2017 and in 2019, the Swiss lost in the final against Djokovic after an anthology match.
