Roger Federer was in the stands during the Masters 1000 in Shanghai.” data-image-id=”3793151357182309″ class=”watson-snippet__image bg-light block h-auto w-full “/>
In mid-October, Roger Federer was in the stands at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai. Image: Andy Wong/AP
A simple stroll through the Saint-Jacques hall, where the tournament is being held this week, reveals how inextricable the situation between the Swiss Indoors and Roger Federer is.
Simon Häring
Roger Federer closed the most important and impactful chapter of his life by retiring from the professional tour around two years ago. After his tearful farewell to the Laver Cup in London, he promised to become “neither a ghost nor a stranger” in the world of tennis. And the Basel man kept his word.
In early October, he traveled to Shanghai, where he even picked up a racket in public for the first time since his retirement. He played with singer Eason Chan against a pair consisting of Zhizhen Zhang and table tennis player Fan Zhendong.
This trip coincided with the 10th anniversary of his first victory in the Chinese metropolis. The previous year, Federer had already gone to Shanghai, and these trips must undoubtedly be seen as the Rhinelander’s obligations towards his sponsors.. Many of them have economic interests in the Asian region, whether it is the Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo, but also Lindt & Sprüngli, Rolex, Mercedes and the Swiss clothing brand sports club On, of which Federer is a partner.
At the Laver Cup in Berlin, the competition he helped create and which represents his legacy for tennis, Federer was as ever omnipresent. Before that, he was at the US Open, and this summer he spent several days at Wimbledon with his whole family.
Roger Federer during his first appearance at the Swiss Indoors in 1998. Image: keystone
However, Federer is not at the Swiss Indoors in Basel and that is not even surprising. A year and a half ago, he declared to CH Mediathe group to which “watson” belongs, that he did not want to say goodbye to his home tournament. For him, who grew up in the immediate vicinity of the St. Jakobshalle and started in the tournament as a ball boy, the fairy tale was over since 2019 and his 10th title. A record.
Today, the 43-year-old has almost gone unnoticed at the Swiss Indoors. We only see him from behind, in a photo located at the main entrance, while Björn Borg is shown from the front.
Federer’s poster in Basel. Image: keystone
The discreet presence of the Rhineland contrasts sharply with the respectful heritage of traditions that we cultivate in tennis and which is also close to the heart of the tournament director, Roger Brennwald.
Everywhere else, players who marked a tournament by setting the title record are omnipresent. In Halle, an alley bears the name of Federer. At Wimbledon, photos of the Swiss are hung everywhere. At Roland-Garros, a three-meter-high steel monument to Rafael Nadal has already been erected during his lifetime. And in Newport, in the United States, where the Tennis Hall of Fame is located, a hologram gives visitors the illusion that they are in a room with Federer, although the latter has not yet been officially admitted into the circle illustrates tennis legends, since less than five years have passed since his retirement.
The statue of Nadal in Paris. Image: AP
You should know that the relationship between the tournament director (Roger Brennwald) and Federer was put to the test after a disagreement over the participation fee in 2012. In 2014, the man with twenty Grand Slam titles came to play without stamp. The dispute was resolved and Federer donated his bonus in each subsequent edition to his foundation.
Roger Brennwald and Roger Federer at the awards ceremony in 2018. Image: KEYSTONE
Currently, Roger Federer hovers like a ghost above the Swiss Indoors. If he were to one day go to Saint-Jacques as a spectator, he would see that the tournament is entirely focused on the future and does not give pride of place to the child of the country and record holder of titles.
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