Eight-time champion Roger Federer’s achievements at Wimbledon will be honoured by a special ceremony on Centre Court on Tuesday. Federer, who retired from tennis last year, will be celebrated before the start of play. The Swiss, 41, won five successive Wimbledon titles between 2003 and 2007, adding further victories in 2009, 2012 and 2017. His final win saw him pass Pete Sampras’ men’s record of seven titles. The Associated Press has the story:
Roger Federer will be celebrated at Wimbledon
Newslooks- WIMBLEDON, England (AP)
Roger Federer will be back on Centre Court at Wimbledon on Tuesday. No, not to compete: He’ll be feted for his record-setting career at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
Federer, who announced his retirement last year, won eight of his 20 Grand Slam singles championships at the All England Club, the most ever by a man — a mark that Novak Djokovic will try to equal this year.
Martina Navratilova set the overall standard by claiming nine women’s singles titles at Wimbledon.
“Pleased to say that Roger will be with us tomorrow, and we will have a special celebratory moment on Centre Court before play starts, just to honor him as the man holding the most Gentleman’s Singles titles here at Wimbledon,” All England Club chairman Sally Bolton said Monday, the first day of action at the two-week event.
“We’ll have a moment just to celebrate his achievements and to say thank you, I think, for us, certainly, for all the memories,” Bolton said.
She said that Serena Williams, who won seven of her 23 major singles trophies at Wimbledon, was invited, too, “but … she’s pregnant, so understandably couldn’t travel.”
Williams also retired after last season.
“(We) of course wish her lots of luck with the remainder of her pregnancy and we hope maybe we might see her next year,” Bolton said.
