Roger Federer given spine-tingling standing ovation by Wimbledon crowd at Centre Court celebrations
Roger Federer excited the Centre Court fans at Wimbledon as he stepped out onto the grass to celebrate 100 years of Wimbledon’s main show court.
He appeared alongside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray as well as a wide range of former champions.
The 20-time Major champion took his place next to six-time champion Djokovictook as the pair shared a brief chat.
There were rumours prior that the 40-year-old would be in attendance despite being able to compete in this year’s competition as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
Federer confirmed that he hopes to come back to Wimbledon “one more time” following his appearance at Wimbledon’s centenary celebration for Centre Court.
Speaking to John McEnroe, Federer said: “I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of matches on this court. It feels awkward to be here today in a different type of role.
“It’s great to be here with all the other champions. This court has given me my biggest wins and my biggest losses. I hope I can come back one more time.
“I’ve missed it here. I knew walking out here last year, it was going to be a tough year ahead. I maybe didn’t think it was going to take this long to come back – the knee has been rough on me.
“It’s been a good year regardless of tennis. We’re happy at home. I didn’t know if I should make the trip but I’m happy standing here right now.”
With eight singles titles to his name, @rogerfederer