EDITOR’S NOTE: In his 2026 International Tennis Hall of Fame induction speech, Roger Federer reflects on a career that took him from a wooden-racket childhood in Switzerland to 20 Grand Slam titles and a record stretch at world No. 1. He thanks the family, coaches, rivals, and countless people behind the scenes who made the journey possible, and he speaks less about statistics than about the joy, pressure, and beauty of the game itself. Federer closes by celebrating tennis as a living community and urging the sport to keep its amateur spirit, authenticity, and global accessibility for the next generation. Read the full transcript of his speech below:
Opening Remarks
ROGER FEDERER: Oh man, she’s a good public speaker. I didn’t know that. And maybe the last time I heard Mirka speak publicly was probably at our mixed doubles we played at the Hopman Cup 24 years ago, maybe. After one of our mixed doubles, we had to do an interview together, and maybe this is the last time she spoke publicly. So this is very well done. I don’t know if you’ve been — sorry, secretly practicing, but this is very high level and a tough act to follow, but I’m so happy you did it. Thank you so much.
And also a shout out to Fred Stolle, who actually did the interview, also Hall of Famer. So that was obviously special.
So when I — let me just give a shout out to Mary as well. That was amazing. You crushed it. Incredible. So many stories, emotions, laughs. Incredible. Congratulations. And your whole team and your whole family and everyone who has supported you along the way.
Arriving at the Hall of Fame
Look, I’m thrilled to have made the journey here to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. This is a beautiful place, and I’ve really enjoyed every minute so far. I mean, of course I have. You’ve got grass courts here, so my favorite. I was always going to have a wonderful time here.
The museum is just incredible, and I really encourage everyone who comes here to see it. There’s so much tennis history, the rackets, trophies, iconic outfits from the greats, and they say they’ve got more than — I was told — 25,000 artifacts. And now I guess I am one of them too.
It’s amazing to see yourself in a place like this, to walk through the Hall of Fame, to immerse myself in the history of this sport. That means everything to me. To read the stories of my greatest heroes and to realize, I mean to truly realize for the first time, that I have a place here. This is one of the greatest honors of my life.
The Real Meaning of Fame
They call this the Hall of Fame, but fame was never the goal. My goal was to spend my life doing something I love, like what Mirka said, with people who love it as much as I do. And so many of those people are here today. Family, friends who mean everything to me, fans who have traveled here to join us, some maybe over there, I saw you before. Give me a shout out. Help me out. They still show me so much support for so many years. And wow, what a privilege to be with so many legends. Excuse me. So many legends are all sitting right here.
The Real Numbers Behind the Hall of Fame
Now that we’re here together, I can tell you what it really took to get into the Hall of Fame. Let’s look at the numbers, okay? Not the obvious stats like the number of majors or number of weeks at number 1. I’m talking about the numbers that really paint a picture.
Between 1998 — when I first went on the ATP Tour — and when I retired in 2022, I wore more than 5,000 headbands in my career. That’s more than Borg and McEnroe combined. That’s right, Johnny Mac. I mean, I think it’s more. For some reason, the tour doesn’t keep count of the headbands, but of course I do.
If you think that’s impressive, I wore probably over 7,000 pairs of socks. That’s probably twice as many as most of my opponents because I doubled them up. And at one time in my first round match at Wimbledon, I was so nervous I even wore 3 pairs of socks. I realized after the match.
Also, my stringers strung about 10,000 rackets over 25 years, and that’s 2 tight stringers, Ron and Nate. Thank you, guys.
The Privilege of the Court
But really, there’s no way to measure what it means to be here. It’s hard to put it into words, but I’ll try.
I’ve had the privilege of walking onto the grass of Centre Court at Wimbledon, of course, looking up at Mirka and our 4 kids, Myla, Charlene, Leo, and Lenny, seeing my parents, Robbie and Lynette, seeing my team, and looking across the net and seeing some of the greatest competitors who have ever played the game.
I’ve had the privilege of stepping onto the red clay of Roland-Garros for the French Open, the privilege of looking up at thousands of tennis fans at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open, of course, that is. The US Open at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday night was epic. Thank you guys for playing part in that. Thank you, Andy. And then of course the ATP Finals in Houston, Shanghai, and London.
Images like these are imprinted in my mind and they’re all part of me today.
A Memory That Stays With Me
Yet when I close my eyes and think and dream of the game I love, here’s what I see. I just need a sip for this one. One sec.
All right, I’m in Basel, Switzerland. I’m 13 years old and it’s the Swiss Indoors.
I’m not competing, I’m a ball boy. I’m standing against the back wall, hands behind me, eyes on the ball. I’ll never forget how the game looked from there and how it felt. The thrill of standing so close to the players, feeding them the ball, handing them the towel, seeing them sweat, watching them fight it out, figure it out, the adversity, the intensity. I remember the next morning my legs were gone. Standing all day is a lot of work.
So I really want to thank every ball kid who ever stood through my matches, or all our matches for that matter, for hours on end. I see you. I thank you. I was you.
Growing Up in Switzerland
By the time I was 13, I had been in love with tennis for a decade already. My parents tell me I picked up a racket when I was 3, my dad’s wooden racket. That’s right, I grew up with the wooden rackets and white tennis balls. That’s how old I am. And that racket was so heavy, I used to play double-handed forehand and double-handed backhand. Who knew I was going to become a single-handed player? And are there any one-handers left in the game today or here tonight? All right, the proud few guys, thank you.
And Switzerland was honestly an amazing place to grow up. My parents gave my sister Diana and me a wonderful childhood. I had a lot of support to do what I love to do, and as a kid, that meant hitting balls against bedroom cupboards, my grandparents’ garage door, and all the walls at the tennis clubs. It meant playing football with my friends. I was Maradona or Zidane. I played basketball. I was Jordan or Shaq, of course. We had the Walkman on while we rode our skateboards and bikes, and after all, it was the ’80s and the ’90s. We played table tennis. We played badminton over the fence with our neighbor, and for a minute, I even had a cricket bat. But tennis for me was the main event.
Mom Made It Happen
Tennis became the fabric of my life. Mom had a full-time job, but she found time to work the badge office for the Swiss Indoors and probably did some badges for you guys. So she was also the one who organized my lessons, signed me up for matches, and supported my coaches. Mom made it happen. Thank you, Mom.
And she played tennis herself at our local club. I’ve been told my dad played too. Just kidding. He can take a joke. He likes to joke around. Thanks to both my mom and dad for all the time spent on the court with me. What I remember was my dad’s total ban on moonballs when I played him. He had the old continental grip. That made me for sure a more aggressive tennis player. Thanks, Dad. Robbie Federer, the real RF.
The Sense of Play
On our street, next to the community gardens, my friends and I would use chalk to draw a court and stretch out a net and play mini tennis with a softball. We played deep into the summer nights. Or longer. And that word play says a lot. We play tennis. We’re tennis players. That for me is what it’s about, the sense of play. Yes, this sport takes work and practice, but the sense of play always carried me through. And when the work and play blend together, that’s the best feeling of all.
Which is why I turned pro. I didn’t see myself as a professional athlete, I was a tennis player, plain and simple, and I was part of a community of tennis players and tennis people. It was on me whether I won or I lost. I was the guy on court serving, slicing, smashing, winning, losing. I loved that.
The Tennis Ecosystem
But I also learned that tennis is never about the players alone. It’s a whole ecosystem. It’s moms and dads like mine taking their kids to matches, cheering them on. It’s coaches who teach children how to win and how to bounce back when they lose. It’s people who sweep the courts or pick up the balls. It’s young players like me who get a chance to be a ball kid. And also, by the way, it’s linespeople. That’s right, when I played tennis, like with all of us here, we used to have linespeople, remember?
And tennis is an ecosystem of all those people, and of course the fans. Just making sure we’re still — now with the night coming — we’re still awake. And the long speech, I hope it’s not too long.
And I was a tennis fan before I was a player, and I’m still a fan and will always be. And if you want to know how I played, you can find the answer here at the Hall of Fame or on YouTube. But if you want to know why I played, the answer is found in Switzerland, on Wasserhaus Street, and at the Old Boys Club in Basel, and at Swiss Tennis in Écublens and Biel.
My Personal Hall of Fame
Why is a question I’ve asked a lot. Pierre Paganini, my fitness trainer and mentor, will tell you that when I was at Écublens, I had a lot of questions. I mean, a lot. I nearly killed Pierre with my curiosity. Pierre, I’m thankful you survived my time at Écublens. Your invaluable guidance and long-term strategy helped me for my whole career. That bald kid had a lot to learn: skills and shots, stamina and strategy. Also, that kid had to learn not to throw his racket so much, ideally not at all, not to let his emotions get the best of him, to find the balance between fire and — and thankfully I had a lot of incredible role models.
Here’s my personal Hall of Fame. Pierre’s in there. So are all my coaches. I’m talking about the phenomenal Peter Carter, super cool Peter Lundgren, 2 men who unfortunately are no longer with us, who not only helped my game but helped me grow up fast on the road. I love you guys. Miss you.
Also legendary coaches José Higueras, Paul Annacone, and Tony Roche. I love my time with them and I learned so much from their stories and expertise.
And I was lucky to have my childhood hero, Stefan Edberg. It’s not a first, I’m — God, those are happy tears. I had you in my corner, who provided huge personal inspiration for the everyday grind on the tour.
And my amazing friend Reto Staubli, who helped me during an amazing stretch while balancing his banking life with coaching.
And Ivan Ljubičić, who had a tremendous impact working with me for the last 6 years in the twilight of my career. Ooh, it’s getting tough now. I thought it was going to be easy, this one.
Severin Lüthi and the Team
Oh, and Severin Lüthi, my longest-tenured coach. 18 long years together. Severin’s role in my life and my career is even bigger than that number. He kept me motivated when I needed motivating. And he protected me when I needed protecting. Yeah, we’ll get through this, promise. Until the sun rises, guys. Oh God.
Your insides were super crucial. Thank you to all my success, and together we had a blast.
Physios and my doctor Roland are in my Hall of Fame too. I thought I was doing so well for a second. Oh man, okay, where are we? No, so I needed a lot of the help from Roland, Danny, Steph, Gary, Pavel, helped a young body get strong and an old body keep working. Thanks for all the good times and the late hours, guys. One at a time, right? Almost there.
Tony Godsick and the Team Beyond the Tour
Thank you, Martina. Yes, any help at this point, but this is a good one. Thank you.
Tony is in my Hall of Fame, and every athlete has people who help shape a career. Tony’s done even more than that. For over 20 years, he’s helped me think bigger and bolder about the world beyond the tour. We built things together that make me incredibly proud — new ventures, new partnerships. And along the way, the agent became a friend and the friend became family. That includes the wonderful Mary Jo, who plays a special role.
Tony and I have had the chance to develop the greatest relationship with some of the greatest global brands, and I just want to thank my sponsors and premium partners for believing in me from the early days to today and for being incredible creative partners who have become friends over the years, making life on tour even much more fun. Thank you, guys.
And that includes people like Roy, who along with other teammates has supported me with a million things over the years, plus the many tournament directors and everybody who supports them. The ecosystem is incredible. Thank you, guys.
The Official Hall of Famers Who Inspired Me
All right, my Hall of Fame also includes some official Hall of Famers like Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg. I remember sitting on the floor in our living room watching those guys play in the Wimbledon finals again and again and again. And of course, there’s Pete Sampras, the best serve ever. What a privilege to have shared a court. Your turn now. Oh, okay.
And 2, not one, but 2 Martinas. First, Martina Hingis, Swiss like me, world number 1 by the age of 16, unlike me. And Martina Navratilova, you know her for winning 59 majors. But in our house, she’s famous for inspiring Mirka to play tennis.
I need tissues and sunglasses. I need everything to protect me right now. Oh man, okay, so yeah, okay, oh my God, now we’re getting to the Mirka bit. Oh, this is such a mess.
So she inspired — Martina inspired Mirka, and Mirka inspires me every day.
Mirka and the Hall of Fame
As you know, Mirka is my wife, duh, which is the greatest understatement I can make because she’s also been my coach, my hitting partner before matches. Andy, sorry, man. My reality check. Also my stylist. I definitely needed one at the time. Maybe, I don’t know now.
But Mirka is the person who showed me how to get more focused about tennis and take joy in everything else. A wonderful mother to our 4 kids who make the impossible happen in all our lives. She and I grab each other’s hands and we run through walls. Thank you. Oh God.
So she’s all of these things, and that’s my Hall of Fame.
Legends Who Paved the Way
Although the list of legends who have paved the way is even longer than that. Laver, Emerson, Rosewall. Borg, McEnroe, Marc Rosset, who was like a brother to me on the tour, who won the Olympics for Switzerland 16 years before my man Stan and I had the honor to do the same.
I learned from all of them, and eventually I had to figure out my own identity. Okay, we’re— it feels like more downhill now.
Staying True to Myself
Which evolved over time, and this meant one thing. In 1998, when I became the junior world number one, that version of me had bleach blonde hair, which has caused me a lot of embarrassment to this day. It meant something different in 2022 when I played my last match in London. That version of me had 4,040 total sets on his knees, and that’s just singles matches, doesn’t include the doubles. Qualies, Challengers, Futures, Satellites, practice sets, same knees. Still got them, by the way, and if I, I don’t know, fall, please catch me, okay?
But at every stage of my career, I tried above all to stay true to myself, and I tried to show my love for the game because it really mattered to me, and I also wanted it to matter to you. To be worthy of your attention, worthy of your attendance, because people don’t have to come watch us play. They come to be entertained, inspired, excited. They could always decide to go somewhere else, but they chose tennis, they chose us.
Everywhere I played, you made me feel like I had home court advantage.
The Beauty of Tennis
I’ve always wanted people to see how great it feels to play this game, how great it feels to have a ball hit hard at you, the way it spins, the sound it makes, the way it bounces, how geometry shifts as the ball moves towards you, and how the court itself opens or shrinks. Tennis is a complex and beautiful thing. It is spectacular to watch. You, the fan, you see it all. You live it with us, every point.
As you know, there’s a lot of pressure in tennis, a volcano of pressure. Volcano of emotions. And when the match was over, win or lose, you probably saw what I was feeling inside. What can I say? Tennis meant the world to me.
Creating Something New
Not just playing, not just winning, but creating something new. It’s a mentality I have. I used to play serve and volley. I had a transition game. I played way beyond the baseline sometimes, or on top of the baseline, and I would even try to sneak up on my opponents on my return, and some call it the SABR today. This is what was important to me on the court.
But so much of what really— what was really important happened off the court. The camaraderie in the locker room, guys, playing cards with the team until the last second before matches, laughing with everyone, even my opponents sometimes. So many of us have become friends through our shared experiences and battles on the court that connect us through life. Those are some of the best memories of playing on tour.
Family Life
But there’s another kind of play, the kind that happens with friends and especially family. Family again, okay. With Mirka, we started out doing things like playing video games and doing clubbing. Oh yeah. And having late dinners with friends. Then it’s shifting into changing diapers and staying in hotels with elevators big enough for double strollers and goodnight stories with the kids.
Myla, Charlene, Leo, and Lenny, you definitely changed our lives and you inspired us and make us— you inspire and make us happy every day. Thank you, guys.
Switzerland
Our family has traveled together across the world. Yep, we always return to our home country, Switzerland. It has always been an immense honor to represent the flag of Switzerland. And tonight, tonight, as my— don’t have to laugh about it. Tonight, as my name enters the Hall of Fame, I’m proud that Switzerland comes with me.
Looking Ahead
It’s been an incredible journey. For me, the International Tennis Hall of Fame provides a great opportunity to look back, but also to look ahead. As you can tell, I’m still writing my love letter to tennis. My time as a player is done, but tennis will always stand at the intersection of everything I care most about. My family, our friendships, the past 40 years, the future we’re building— tennis for me is responsible for it all. So this is not a goodbye.
Hopes for the Sport
But before I close, I want to share my hopes for this sport. The International Tennis Hall of Fame shows the evolution of tennis, and I’m honored to be part of that. And I’m incredibly lucky to have bridged the generations from Pete and Andre, the superstars, to champions my own age. Like Roddick, Hewitt, Safin, and Ferrero, to the epic rivalries I have with the next generation— Andy, Novak, and Rafa.
We all leave the court eventually, but the sport keeps evolving. And as the pace of professional tennis speeds up, as the sport becomes even more global, I so hope it will keep some of that amateur spirit, keep the camaraderie among the players. I hope the players will stay young at heart and stay true to their authentic selves.
And always remember, never stop asking questions or taking risks. Do things with the game we’ve never seen before. Keep pushing this sport we love to the next level and keep getting better, better, and better.
And I hope— yeah, let’s give it a round. Come on for the future generation, guys. Let’s do it.
And I hope you will find other ways to give something back, to share your passion. There are a thousand ways to do that. For me, it was creating a foundation which does work in Southern Africa, where my mom is from, and Switzerland, where my dad is from. My team and I also created the Laver Cup to honor the legends of all generations. Thank you.
A Bridge for Tennis
And to everyone here, I hope you will be a bridge between the tennis that happens at the level of the ATP, WTA, ITF, and all the slams, and the tennis that’s played as the sun goes down on like a quiet street like Wasserhaus where I grew up. Tennis that’s played everywhere from Switzerland to South Africa, Slovakia, India, and Brazil, anywhere that kids draw courts in the streets with chalk like I did, where they hit against walls with borrowed rackets, where parents get the kids to practice, where coaches work and fans show up.
In the blazing sun or the bitter cold, where the ball kids have their knee on the ground and are ready to move. I will always see the sport through their eyes.
So this boy from Basel thanks you for the incredible honor, and I thank you, all of you, for sharing the journey that brought us together.
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