Roger Federer elected to International Tennis Hall of Fame

As expected, Roger Federer glided into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

The Swiss star, who held the top spot in the ATP rankings for 310 weeks -- including 237 weeks in a row -- and was the first man to win 20 Grand Slam titles, will join the Class of 2026, the Newport, Rhode Island-based Hall announced on Wednesday.

He was the only candidate in the player category to receive enough support for election. The Hall does not reveal voting results.

Mary Carillo, a former player who excelled as a tennis announcer and journalist, was elected in the contributor category.

The induction ceremony is in August.

Federer, 44, won 103 ATP titles, second only to Jimmy Connors’ 109 championships. He is one of eight men with a career Grand Slam, winning eight Wimbledon titles, six Australian Open crowns, five U.S. Open championships and one French Open title.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and to stand alongside so many of the game’s great champions,” Federer said in a statement. “Throughout my career, I’ve always valued the history of tennis and the example set by those who came before me. It was very special to receive the news at Swiss Tennis, surrounded by the next generation of players — the place where my own journey first began.

“To be recognized in this way by the sport and by my peers is deeply humbling. I look forward to visiting Newport next August to celebrate this special moment with the tennis community.”

Federer reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam event 23 times and reached the quarterfinals 36 consecutive times.

He took a call last week while at the headquarters of Swiss Tennis. Kim Clijsters and John McEnroe, the organization’s and official president, dialed in.

Then, the call took an unexpected turn as Federer was honored by some of the biggest names in tennis as they anticipated his election to the Hall.

Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Tracy Austin, Pam Shriver, Michael Chang and Stan Smith joined the call. Pat Rafter also dialed in, even though it was 3 a.m. in Australia.

There were 33 Hall of Famers in all.

“I thought that maybe they were just going to go like, ‘congrats,’ and then wave into the camera, but every person literally spoke on the call,” Federer later said.

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