"The only 2 GOATs of men's tennis" - Tennis fans react to Roger Federer being seen with Novak Djokovic at the centenary celebrations on Wimbledon's Center Court
Roger Federer delighted fans with a surprise appearance at Wimbledon amidst a parade of former champions on Sunday.
Federer walked out to a standing ovation and had a brief conversation with Novak Djokovic during the parade, which was held as part of the centennial celebrations of Wimbledon's iconic Center Court.
With eight singles titles to his name, @rogerfederer π π π π π π π π
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/ucGLn0wW6q
John McEnroe and Sue Barker were the MCs for the event, which began with the one-time champions making their entry and ended with the eight-time champion walking in to a raptorous reception.
After completing the list for the six-time champions, Sue Barker surprised the crowd by heralding the entry of eight-time champion Federer, who stood next to Djokovic.
Tennis fans took to social media to express their delight at seeing the two champions next to each other. One fan reacted to the image of Djokovic and Federer being seen together by calling them the only two GOATS of men's tennis.
@Wimbledon @DjokerNole @rogerfederer THE ONLY 2 GOATS OF MEN'S TENNIS
@RenaMukherjee @Wimbledon @DjokerNole @rogerfederer Nole meeting the real π
@TennisTV @Wimbledon @DjokerNole @rogerfederer Two legends in one frame.
Although Rafael Nadal too was part of the parade, his fans were disappointed that he was not in the frame.
"Rafans feeling left out," one user tweeted.
@TennisTV @Wimbledon @DjokerNole @rogerfederer Rafans feeling left outπ€£π€£π€£
@TennisTV @Wimbledon @DjokerNole @rogerfederer Theses 2. Look like models!!!!
@Wimbledon @rogerfederer So good to see @rogerfederer . Hope to see you play again once youβre fully rehabilitated
The ceremony was attended, among others, by tennis legends like Bjorn Borg, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Rod Laver, and Venus Williams.
Nine-time champion Martina Navratlova could not be a part of the parade as she is down with COVID-19.
While fans were delighted with Roger Federer's entry, one user said that he missed watching the Swiss in action.
"Oh man I miss watching him play so much," one tweet read.
@Wimbledon @rogerfederer Oh man i miss watching him play so much
Roger Federer's Wimbledon journey
Roger Federer first won the Wimbledon title in 2003, which was also his maiden Grand Slam win. After getting past Mark Philippoussis in the 2003 title clash, the Swiss maestro defeated Andy Roddick in the final the following year.
The two clashed yet again in the 2005 final, with Federer prevailing to register his third successive win at the Championships.
The classic rivalry between Nadal and Federer was in its nascent stages during the 2006 finals, during which the Spaniard failed to stop the three-time champion despite having defeated the Swiss legend at the French Open that year.
A fifth successive title win followed in 2007 even as Federer equalled Borg's record after thwarting a strong challenge from Nadal, who stretched the defending champion to five marathon sets.
Roddick faced Federer yet again in the 2009 summit clash but was unable to prevent him from adding another Wimbledon title to his kitty.
Andy Murray raised Britain's hopes by reaching the finals in 2012 but the former World No. 1 had other plans, as he took the title to draw level with Pete Sampras' haul of seven titles at SW19.
After a long wait of five years, Roger Federer won a record eighth title in 2017 with a straight-sets win over Marin Cilic.