Roger Federer to be enshrined in International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport on Aug. 28, 2026
Roger Federer will be enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, on Saturday, August 28, 2026. He said he "had the best time" during his career.
Federer said he loved to win and, at the peak of his career, almost always did, but those victories and trophies were only part of why he enjoyed playing. He told reporters he liked travelling to tournaments, meeting people and making friends whether they were opponents or fans. Only after retiring did he realise how much that off-court behaviour had shaped how he would be remembered. "I think when you retire, I think I said it before, that there was a lot of talk also about maybe my personality and what I brought to the game overall when I wasn't on court, which I was a little surprised," Federer said.
The 45-year-old Swiss will be honoured in Newport alongside broadcaster and former player Mary Carillo, and the ceremony will mark his first trip to the Rhode Island city. The induction gives Federer an opportunity to reflect on a 25-year tour career he has described repeatedly as enjoyable. Tournament organisers and Hall of Fame officials are listed in the event schedule published with the induction, which takes place on Saturday.
Federer’s itinerary during his career ranged from regular Grand Slam stops in New York, London and Paris to exhibition matches in cities such as Cape Town and Mexico City. An exhibition in Cape Town against Rafael Nadal drew nearly 52,000 fans, and a later exhibition in Mexico City against Alexander Zverev drew more than 42,000. Those large crowds came near the end of his career, a period when he said he had to limit his schedule for health reasons.
On the subject of missing life on tour, Federer reflected on friendships and the response from fans. "For me, if I look back, that's kind of what I'm very happy about, that I went through 25 years on tour, and actually felt like I made a lot of friends and a lot of people miss me," he said. "Same with fans. They come up to me and say, What a shame you're not playing anymore.' Then I get a flashback saying it was an amazing time, and I say it every time. I loved it, and it's a shame I can't be on the tour anymore. But it was a great, great time and I miss it dearly."
His appearance at the U.S. Open this week for an exhibition was his first match in Flushing Meadows since 2019 and drew heightened public interest; organisers said lines of fans waiting to get into Arthur Ashe Stadium resembled a night in the second week of the tournament well before play began. Federer's record includes five consecutive U.S. Open titles from 2004-08, a 247-15 record from 2004-06, and a run of 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals from 2005-07 in which he won eight. He compiled 1,251 match wins and 103 tournament victories, including 20 Grand Slam titles.
Before Federer took the court on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the U.S. Open showed a video in which Andre Agassi, Federer's opponent in the 2005 final, said: "He's the best I've ever played against." Federer's on-court reputation was complemented by awards: he won the ATP Tour's sportsmanship award every year from 2004-09 and again from 2011-17, and the tour's fan favourite award every year from 2003-21. His career prize money totaled nearly $130.6 million.
Federer remains involved with tennis in limited ways: he hits sometimes with his children, he and his wife Mirka are parents of two sets of twins, and he tries to attend a few events each year to stay connected to the sport. "I'm in a very comfortable place today, but I'm still happy to be out there and being in the tennis world from time to time, because it is the glue to everything that surrounds me still today," Federer said. "I had the best time, had a lot of friends on tour, from players to people who were organisers, et cetera. So I hope that a lot of the players who retire also feel the same way about the game, because I care dearly."
Federer's induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is scheduled for Saturday, August 28, 2026, in Newport, Rhode Island, where he will be enshrined alongside Mary Carillo.
