Watch: Roger Federer on court in Halle as the guest of honor; receives an honorary award on "Roger Federer Day"
Tennis great Roger Federer was spotted in the stands of the Halle Open as the guest of honor on Wednesday, June 21.
The 41-year-old retired from tennis in 2022 but has been enjoying his life since. From visiting London to holidaying in Disneyland and watching F1 races, the Swiss icon has seen it all.
Earlier in May, it was announced that the 20-time Grand Slam winner would be making a special appearance at the Halle Open. The tournament announced that June 21, Wednesday, will be "Roger Federer Day," and the veteran will be honored on the center court.
A familiar face in the house 😍
@rogerfederer HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING 😎
#TWO23 https://t.co/o0xFdO3FSZ
This special event was planned to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Halle Open. Thus the 10-time Halle Open winner was invited to be the guest of honor.
The Swiss legend respected the invitation and was on the court of the Halle Open, where he was cheered by his fans. He also received a small award for the 10 titles he won in Halle, Germany. The former World No. 1 also received a bouquet of flowers and hugged the tournament mascot.
The icon even clicked pictures with his fans outside of the stadium.
Halle titles! 
An award for winning 1️⃣0️⃣ Halle titles! 👏
@rogerfederer | @ATPHalle
#TWO23 https://t.co/BoVWDejvLq
After extending the invitation to the all-time tennis great, tournament director Ralf Weber sang the praises of the Swiss veteran.
"The rise of our tournament to world-class level is closely associated with Roger, he has acted as an outstanding ambassador for us over all this time and produced headlines around the globe," Weber said.
Some more visuals from the special event can be seen below:
Lucky bear 😉
@rogerfederer | #TWO23 https://t.co/rsIDRfs4n2
Looking back on Roger Federer's 10 Halle Open titles
Roger Federer made his Halle Open debut in 2000 when he lost to Michael Chang in the quarterfinals. He met with the same fate the following year, as this time he was knocked out by Patrick Rafter.
In 2002, the then World No. 10 reached the semifinals of the campaign and lost to Nicolas Kiefer of Germany. The next year, the icon reached his maiden final and beat Kiefer in the summit clash to win his first Halle Open title.
Ranked No. 1, the veteran won his second consecutive title by beating Mardy Fish in the final. He achieved his three-peat by defeating two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin in the summit clash.
In 2006, Federer won his fourth Halle Open title by beating Tomas Berdych in the final. His winning streak continued even next year, as he beat Philipp Kohlschreiber in the final. In his title-winning run, the Swiss did not drop a single set.
The Swiss legend suffered his first loss at the Halle Open after 10 years as he lost to Tommy Haas in the final. Federer last won the Halle Open in 2019, where he defeated David Goffin in the final of the campaign.