Roger Federer to visit Wimbledon for celebration of his career on Centre Court
Wimbledon will celebrate Roger Federer’s achievements at the All England Club with a special ceremony on Centre Court on Tuesday.
The eight-time champion, who announced his retirement last September, will visit the scene of many of his greatest moments and be honoured before the start of play.
“For those lucky enough to have a seat on Centre Court tomorrow I’d encourage them to get into their seats about 1.15pm and we’ll have a moment just to celebrate his achievements and to say thank you for all the memories.”
Federer has mostly stayed away from tennis since bowing out in emotional scenes at the Laver Cup in London but was similarly honoured at the grass-court event in Halle, Germany last month.
His last match at Wimbledon came in 2021 when, struggling with knee trouble, he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals. He also visited the club last year as part of the celebrations to mark 100 years of Centre Court.
Bolton revealed that Serena Williams, who bowed out a few weeks earlier at the US Open, had also been invited but was unable to travel.
“We invited Serena similarly this year but as you’ll know she’s pregnant so understandably couldn’t travel,” said Bolton. “We of course wish her lots of luck with the remainder of her pregnancy and we hope maybe we might see her next year.”
As the gates opened on Monday morning, fans faced enhanced bag searches as organisers bid to prevent Just Stop Oil staging a protest at Wimbledon.
Banned items this year include cable ties, glue, chains and padlocks and powder substances, while there will be selected body searches and police spotters among the crowd.
Bolton said: “We are very committed to being environment positive and it’s important that we recognise the context. It really shapes a lot of the things that we do here.
“Of course we’ve taken account of what we’ve seen elsewhere so security has been uplifted in various places around the grounds.
“We would really appeal to those attending the championships to respect that others want to view the tennis enjoyably, quietly and in a safe environment, and that is what we’re very much focused on.
Another potentially disruptive influence is the return of Russian and Belarusian players following last year’s ban.
Spectators are not allowed to bring flags of those two countries or any pro-war symbols into the grounds while Russian and Belarusian players have all signed declarations stating they will not express support for either regime and that they are not receiving any direct or indirect government support.
“It’s all gone very smoothly,” said Bolton. “The players have engaged very well with the process.”
The chief executive, meanwhile, offered Andy Murray no guarantees that he will not play his matches last on Centre Court, which has become the norm in recent years.
Changes to the schedule mean the final contests on Centre Court are now routinely bringing the roof into play.
Bolton said: “It’s always challenging to try and fit all of the pieces of the jigsaw together.
“Andy is of course a hugely popular figure, particularly in the UK, so the ability to show him at prime-time in the UK is one that’s obviously hugely appealing. But we take on board all the feedback on scheduling and try our very best to keep everybody as happy as we can.”
Murray will avoid the prime-time slot for his opening match against fellow British player Ryan Peniston on Tuesday, with the pair scheduled as the second contest on Centre Court.