11/19/25 04:17:00
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11/19 04:16 CST Roger Federer elected to International Tennis Hall of Fame in
1st year of eligibility
Roger Federer elected to International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1st year of
eligibility
By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer
Well, this will come as no surprise to anyone who's paid any attention over the
past quarter-century: Roger Federer was elected to the International Tennis
Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, the Rhode Island-based Hall
announced Wednesday.
The first man to win 20 Grand Slam singles titles, and part of an era of
unprecedented greatness with rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic --- during
what Federer termed "a golden time for tennis" --- he was the only candidate to
receive enough support in the player category for the Hall's class of 2026. The
Hall does not reveal voting results.
TV announcer and journalist Mary Carillo, who also was a player, was elected in
the contributor category. The induction ceremony is in August.
"I've always valued the history of tennis and the example set by those who came
before me," Federer said. "To be recognized in this way by the sport and by my
peers is deeply humbling."
He is one of eight men with a career Grand Slam, collecting eight championships
at Wimbledon, six at the Australian Open, five at the U.S. Open and one at the
French Open.
"I didn't predict I was going to have this many majors," Federer once said in
an interview with The Associated Press. "I was hoping to maybe have one, to be
quite honest, at the very beginning of my career."
Federer's first Slam title came at the All England Club in 2003, and he broke
Pete Sampras' then-record for a male of 14 major titles by winning Wimbledon in
2009, defeating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set of the final. Federer
claimed his 20th at the 2018 Australian Open.
"I don't really feel like I'm playing for the records," Federer once told the
AP. "I play this game because I love it."
His Grand Slam count eventually was surpassed by Nadal, who got to 22 before
retiring last year at age 38, and Djokovic, who has 24 and is still active at
38.
With a terrific forehand and serve, an attacking, all-court style and footwork
that made everything seem so effortless, Federer won 103 tournaments and 1,251
matches in singles, totals eclipsed in the men's game only by Jimmy Connors in
the Open era, which began in 1968.
Federer finished five years at No. 1 in the ATP rankings, spent a record 237
consecutive weeks and a total of 310 in the top spot, led Switzerland to the
2014 Davis Cup title and teamed with Stan Wawrinka for a doubles gold medal at
the 2008 Olympics.
An ambassador for the game who often answered questions in English, French and
Swiss German at news conferences, Federer played his last match at Wimbledon in
2021. He was a month shy of 40 at the time.
His retirement announcement came the following year; he bid farewell by playing
doubles alongside Nadal at the Laver Cup, an event Federer's management company
founded.
Along the way, Federer established himself as a model for younger athletes such
as Carlos Alcaraz, 22, the current No. 1 who owns six Slam trophies.
"The elegance he has shown on court, off the court --- how he treated people,
everyone; a really humble guy --- everything he does, he does with elegance,"
Alcaraz said. "I appreciate that. He took the game to another level ... that's
what I admire the most."
At the height of his powers, Federer reached a record 10 consecutive Grand Slam
finals from 2005-07, winning eight. That dominance extended to appearing in 18
of 19 Slam finals; he also put together streaks of 23 semifinals and 36
quarterfinals at majors.
Djokovic has called those "results that didn't seem human."
According to the Hall, Carillo was the first woman to regularly commentate on
tennis broadcasts and was a correspondent for HBO's "Real Sports." She won six
Emmy Awards and three Peabody Awards and was inducted into the Sports
Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2018.
"I've been privileged to spend my career sharing the stories of this
magnificent game," Carillo said, "and if I've opened any doors along the way,
it will make this day in August even more meaningful."
Next year's ballot will include holdovers Juan Martin del Potro and Svetlana
Kuznetsova in the player category, while Serena Williams and Ash Barty, who
both played their last matches in 2022, will be eligible for the Hall for the
first time.
___
Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories
here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis:
https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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