'Most important sportsman of all time' Roger Federer elected into Tennis Hall of Fame
NewsThursday, 20 November 2025 at 10:36
Roger Federer will soon be an International Tennis Hall of Fame member after being elected in a voting.
Becoming one of the International Tennis Hall of Fame members isn't as easy as it might seem. In recent years, the likes of Juan Carlos Ferrero, Ana Ivanovic, and Carlos Moya haven't passed the voting process three years in a row.
In the upcoming years, however, the International Tennis Hall of Fame will most certainly welcome a few players for whom there is no doubt about their legendary status. Roger Federer is the first of those players, with Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Novak Djokovic set to follow in the coming years.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who held the ATP world No. 1 rank for a total of 310 weeks and won 103 Tour-level titles, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2026, something the president of the ITHF, Kim Clijsters, announced to the former Swiss player via a video call, with many legends present.
Federer was joined by many young Swiss tennis players as he visited the Swiss Tennis courts, where his tennis career began. Speaking about his induction, Federer expressed his excitement at being elected to the ITHF.
"It’s a tremendous honor to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and to stand alongside so many of the game’s great champions. Throughout my career, I’ve always valued the history of tennis and the example set by those who came before me. It was very special to receive the news at Swiss Tennis, surrounded by the next generation of players — the place where my own journey first began."
"To be recognized in this way by the sport and by my peers is deeply humbling. I look forward to visiting Newport next August to celebrate this special moment with the tennis community."
Many legends of the game spoke to Federer during the video call, one of whom was Boris Becker. The former German player called Federer "the most important sportsman of all time" because of how he popularized the sport of tennis.
"You really put tennis on a different map. Whenever you started winning, people that had nothing to do with tennis liked tennis. It was because of you. So you’re not only one of the best players in tennis of all time, you’re the most important sportsman of all time."
Legendary Billie Jean King was also part of the ceremony. The former WTA world No. 1 player also shared how exciting it was for her to watch Federer on the tennis court.
"You meant so much to so many of us. You had such guts, such focus, such intensity. I could see how much it meant to you, and just watching you brought out every aspect of your character."
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