Special ceremony planned for Roger Federer at Swiss Indoors postponed, Swiss feels he hasn't fully processed Laver Cup farewell yet
Roger Federer was supposed to appear in a special ceremony in front of his home fans in Basel at the 2022 Swiss Indoors, but the event has now been postponed. Speaking in a press release, the 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed that he was still coming to terms with his recent farewell at the Laver Cup and that it was too soon for him to celebrate in his home country just yet.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion further added that he has a lot of happy memories from the tournament, one he has won 10 times till date, and hoped that the ATP 500 event would continue to remain one of the top spots on tour in the years to come.
"I thank the Swiss indoors for their willingness to have me in Basel this year but I have been trying to absorb everything that took place recently and celebrating at home in Basel will have a very special meaning and comes too soon after London," he said. "I have so many incredible memories from playing so many years at home and my wish is that the tournament continues to be one of the top stops on the ATP Tour.”
Tournament director Roger Brennwald also added his thoughts on the matter, saying that he fully understood the 41-year-old needing more time to process the end of his illustrious career and wished him all the best in his retirement.
“Roger Federer is one of the greatest tennis player of all time and to honor him during our event is a very special occasion in a very appropriate setting," Brennwald said. "We would love to celebrate the impact that Roger’s years of success at the tournament had, but understand that Roger needs more time after the wonderful end of his career."
Despite the absence of the former World No. 1. the Swiss Indoors has put together a very strong line-up this year, including the likes of World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nick Kyrgios, among others.
"People will get a chance to see me again, we'll have moments again" - Roger Federer
Speaking in a recent interview with the ATP, Roger Federer touched on his retirement, saying that he was going to miss his fans the most. The Swiss maestro was thankful to all those who had excitedly waited to see him play over the years, noting that he would soon return to the sport in one capacity or the other.
Having shared several beautiful moments with his fans, the 20-time Grand Slam champion is confident that he will get to spend many more such moments in the days to come.
"If I had all these emotions on the court, it's because of the fans. They know that, I know that, and those are the things I'm going to miss. Traveling around the world, have somebody wait for me, and be so excited to see me, that's why I wrote in the letter that I love tennis and I will see you around," Federer said.
"For me, it was important to remind the fans that I will not leave the game and I will be there. People will get a chance to see me again. We'll have moments again, they might be different, but they will be beautiful moments," he added.