Roger Federer leads the nominees for the 2026 International Tennis Hall of Fame class announced Wednesday. He was the first to win 20 Grand Slam singles titles and ushered in an unprecedented era of greatness with young rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Federer made everything look so easy with his excellent forehand and serve, an attack, full-game style and footwork, winning 103 trophys and 1,251 games in singles, only Jimmy Connors was one of the more than that in the men of Jimmy Connors who started in the open era in 1968.
Federer ranked first in the ATP rankings, winning five seasons at that position for 237 consecutive weeks, leading the Swiss team to the 2014 Davis Cup and teamed up with Stan Wawrinka to win a gold medal in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Federer has 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals
At the peak of his strength, Federer reached 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals in 2005-07, winning eight titles in that range. He expanded that dominance by bringing 18 of 19 major finals into 2010. 36 consecutive quarter-finals and 23 consecutive semi-finals wins.
Federer, the game’s ambassador, speaks frequently in English, French and Swiss German at press conferences, and he played his final match in Wimbledon in 2021. He had only 40 months at that time.
His retirement announcement didn’t appear until the second year, and he bid farewell to his appearance in the doubles match with Nadal in the Laver Cup, an event where his management company was formed.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, Juan Martin del Potro is also on the vote
Federer was added to the Hall’s contestant category by two-time main singles champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro. There are two nominees in the writing category: TV announcer Mary Carillo and administrator Marshall are happier.
The inductee will be announced in November.
Federer is one of eight men with at least one singles trophy in the four most important events in the sport, winning eight games at Wimbledon, six at the Australian Open, five at the U.S. Open and five at the French Open. He completed his career in 2009 with Roland-Garros.
His first major title was at the All England Club in 2003, when he broke Pete Sampras’s record at the time, winning a 14-Grandslam man who won the Wimbledon in 2009, defeating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set of the final.
Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles. Djokovic has 24, Nadal retired, 22
Eventually, Federer was surpassed in Nadal’s Grand Slam standings, who retired last year at 22, Djokovic, who became active at 24 at the age of 38.
“I always say it’s great to be part of that selective group,” he said of the so-called Big Three interviewed with the Associated Press in 2021. “How can you compare? Better? Win when you’re old or win when you’re young? I don’t know, you know. Is it better to win on clay or grass? Don’t know? Don’t know that super dominant or come back from injury, I don’t know. It’s really impossible to master.”
Federer opened five consecutive U.S. dollars – no one has won two games in a row since – lost to Del Potro by five goals in the 2009 final. At the time, Del Potro wasn’t 21 years old and seemed destined to be out of an elite career, partly because his forehand flourished, but a series of wrist and knee injuries derailed the 6-foot-6-foot (1.98-meter) Argentinian.
He ended up with 22 Tour titles and a career-high third place, while reaching another Grand Slam final, finishing second in Djokovic at the 2018 U.S. Open. Del Potro won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and helped Argentina win the Davis Cup of that year. His last time in a major competition was in the fourth round of the 2019 French Open.
Kuznetsova won singles titles at the 2004 U.S. Open and 2009 French Open, and won doubles at the 2005 and 2012 Australian Open, ranked 2nd in the WTA rankings, third in singles, third in doubles, and part of three championships with Russia in three matches with Billie Jean King Cup. Kuznetsova won 18 Tour events in singles and 16 Tour games in doubles.
