Proposal to name Basel stadium after Roger Federer hits roadblock
Roger Federer has a stellar record at his hometown tournament in Basel, having won the title a staggering 10 times. In lieu of his achievements in the city, a proposal was launched last year to rename the Basel St. Jakobshalle Stadium - which hosts the ATP 500 Basel Open - as the 'Roger Federer Arena'. But there is now a big roadblock in the way.
The proposal, started by former Basel bidder and GLP district administrator Hans Furer in conjunction with Basel FDP councillor Martina Bernasconi, required 3000 signatures in a period of 18 months to go through. But limited enthusiasm from the public has meant that only 1200 signatures have been garnered till date.
The fact that Roger Federer won't be in action again this year has only exacerbated the situation.
The proposal, which Hans Furer calls a 'matter of honor', requires a further 1800 signatures by November for it to be passed by the parliaments of Basel City and Basel Country. Furer and Bernasconi now think that there may not be enough time to get the remaining signatures before the 18-month period gets over.
Furer and Bernasconi are now considering to pool the signatures for the initiative and submit it as a petition instead. They also recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic could play a big role in the move.
A communique from the duo said:
"The corona crisis has drawn a thick line through our accounts."
The two local politicians had raised similar proposals to rename the St. Jakobshalle Stadium to Roger Federer Arena in the past, but hadn't been successful. Their latest attempt to do so appears to be going the way of their previous attempts.
In Basel, streets or squares cannot bear the name of a living person. So under present laws, there is no possibility of any Basel street or square being named after the living legend Roger Federer.
However, it is to be noted that the Western Swiss city of Biel and the German city of Halle have streets named in honor of Roger Federer.
Roger Federer's record in Basel
Basel is one of the happiest stops on the ATP tour for Roger Federer. It is one of two tournaments that Swiss legend has won 10 times, the other being Halle. Roger Federer's 75 match wins in Basel are the most he has tallied at a non-Slam tournament.
A 396th-ranked Roger Federer made his Basel debut in 1998 but went down to American Andre Agassi in straight sets. Two years later, the then teenager made his first final at his hometown tournament, where he was beaten in five sets by Swede Thomas Enqvist.
Another final defeat in Basel followed in 2001, this time to Tim Henman. After skipping the tournament in 2004-05, Roger Federer arrived in Basel as a nine-time Grand Slam champion and broke his hometown title drought by beating Fernando Gonzalez in straight sets.
That title run kick-started a record run of 13 consecutive Basel finals, during which period Roger Federer emerged victorious nine times. The last such occasion, a straight-sets win over Australian Alex De Minaur in 2019, made Roger Federer the first player in history to win 10 titles at a hardcourt tournament. It also made the the 38-year-old the first to win 10 titles at a tournament on two different surfaces.