Roger Federer admits ‘crushing feeling’ at Wimbledon after returning to Centre Court
Roger Federer claims that he did not want to be on Centre Court in 2022, when he appeared as part of the venue’s 100th anniversary celebrations. The Swiss again returned to Wimbledon earlier this year as a spectator, although the visit took on an entirely different feel following his retirement from professional tennis.
Federer was still technically an active player when he was invited to take part in a star-studded Centre Court ceremony last year. The Swiss had been battling injury issues for some time, but it was not until the Laver Cup that September that he formally bid farewell to competitive action.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, the likes of Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver and Venus Williams were introduced by Sue Barker to rapturous applause from the Centre Court crowd. And while Federer acknowledges that his appearance was never in doubt, he admitted that it was not particularly easy.
“When there was the 100th-year celebration of Centre Court, I felt that I maybe didn’t want to be there,” the 42-year-old told the Wall Street Journal.
