Roger Federer to make special appearance at Halle Open 2023
Roger Federer will be making a special appearance at the 2023 Halle Open, where the 10-time winner will be honored on Center Court. The plans come in the wake of the 30th anniversary of the ATP 500 event, which made its debut on the tennis calendar in 1993.
This year, the tournament will be taking place between June 19 and 25, with Federer set to make his visit on June 21. The 2023 Halle Open's defending champion is Hubert Hurkacz, who most famously defeated the 20-time Grand Slam champion in the final competitive singles match of his career, downing him the quarterfinals of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships in straight sets.
At Halle, Federer won his first title in 2003 and went on to retain his crown until 2006. The Swiss took back his title in 2008 and followed it up with two runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2012.
2013-2015 saw the former World No. 1 achieve the threepeat. His final two trophies came in 2017 and 2019, making him the most decorated player in the tournament's history.
Retirement felt like a weight was being lifted off my shoulders, says Roger Federer
Roger Federer recently opened up about his post-retirment life in a Q&A session he hosted on Twitter, revealing that it felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders once he hung up his racquets.
After a glowing career that lasted two decades, the 20-time Grand Slam champion bid farewell to the tennis world at the Laver Cup last year, playing one last doubles encounter in partnership with close friend and arch-rival Rafael Nadal.
"There was a lot of little stuff that I didn't know was creating so much stress that just dropped away, which is really cool. Like a weight being lifted off my shoulders," Federer said.
At the same time, he admitted that he msised everything about life on the tennis tour, especially having dinner with his friends after matches and practice sessions.
“In a crazy way, I miss everything about it. For years of my life I didn't even remember what day of the week it was (other than Monday was the start of a tournament and Sunday was the end),” he said. “What I miss most: having a spontaneous dinner out on tour with friends after a match or practice. And of course, the big stadiums, fans and the thrill of it all."