WATCH: Roger Federer returns to Wimbledon, with 6 bodyguards

Sunday, 03 July 2022 at 13:30

Updated at Monday, 18 November 2024 at 12:11

byZachary Wimer

Roger Federer is back at Wimbledon, and he brought some company as six bodyguards accompanied him on the grounds of the event.

Federer is one of the most famous athletes in the world. Most sports fans, regardless of how dedicated they are to tennis, know who Federer is. It’s impossible to walk by him and not notice him, which can be a bit problematic at times.

As such a high-profile individual, Federer is also vulnerable to the wrong kind of attention, and he knows it very well. The incident that saw Monika Seles stabbed on the tennis court certainly changed tennis and sports forever, which is why there are guards on the tennis courts these days.

That wasn’t the case always in the past and it’s why one fan was able to get on the court and stab Seles many years ago. When Federer made his return to Wimbledon this year, he was accompanied by six bodyguards as he walked around the premises.

It was quite a sight to behold because it looked almost like a James Bond movie. Federer was dressed nicely in a suit, as always, and the bodyguards just made the scene even more iconic than it was.

There is a specific reason as to why Federer returned to Wimbledon this year and it’s because of the centenary of the Centre Court, for which the tournament organizers announced a ceremony. Federer famously played many great matches on that court lifting eight trophies on it as well.

"Celebrating the centenary of Centre Court at Church Road and looking ahead to what the next 100 years may bring is the focus of this year's Wimbledon. On Sunday 3 July - the first time that Middle Sunday has been a permanent part of the event schedule - there will be a special ceremony taking place on Centre Court."

Read also

WATCH: The moment when Rafael Nadal "distracted" Lorenzo Sonego at Wimbledon

His name is forever written in Wimbledon history so it was only right for him to be there as one of the most iconic Wimbledon stars and generally tennis players ever.

As for his playing career, the eight-time Wimbledon champion should play the Laver Cup, with the Swiss Indoors in Basel later this year also reportedly being in discussion.

However, he skipped the Wimbledon Championships for the first time during his lengthy career. As a result, he will drop from the ATP Rankings after the tournament, not playing in more than a year.