International Tennis legend Roger Federer elected to HOF in first year on the ballot

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The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that Roger Federer was elected in his first year of eligibility. While the HOF does not reveal its voting results, it comes as no surprise to anyone that Federer was able to achieve the required number of votes (at least 75%) in his first year on the ballot. 

Federer was the first men’s competitor to win 20 Grand Slam titles, and he accomplished this feat in an era when players like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were also competing on the tour.

“I didn’t predict I was going to have this many majors,” Federer once told The AP. “I was hoping to maybe have one, to be quite honest, at the very beginning of my career.”

In 2003, Federer won his first Grand Slam title at the age of 21 at Wimbledon. At Wimbledon in 2009, Federer defeated Andy Roddick to capture his 15 major title, surpassing Pete Sampras’ previous record of 14. No. 20 came in 2018 at the Australian Open when Federer beat Marin Čilić in a five set final. 

Players can be considered for candidacy once they are five years removed from the tour. The voting group includes tennis media, historians, members of the Hall and industry leaders.

“I’ve always valued the history of tennis and the example set by those who came before me,” Federer explained. “To be recognized in this way by the sport and by my peers is deeply humbling.” 

Federer spent a total of 310 weeks at No. 1 atop the ATP rankings during his career, with 237 of those weeks coming consecutively. In 2014, Federer led Switzerland to the Davis Cup title and won a doubles gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games with Stan Wawrinka in 2008. 

Serena Williams will be up on the ballot for the first time next year for induction in the 2027 HOF class.