<p>When Roger Federer arrived in the Royal Box at Centre Court on Tuesday for a short ceremony honoring his career and his men’s-record eight Wimbledon singles titles, the crowd gave him a standing ovation that lasted for one and a half minutes. Princess Kate was among the spectators.</p>
<p>The retired Federer made his way to his seat in the reserved area above one of the baselines in the Grand Slam tournament’s main stadium while donning a cream-colored suit with his purple All England Club member’s pin affixed to a lapel, a striped shirt, and a polka-dot tie.</p>
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On a wet Day 2 at the grass-court competition that he once dominated, Federer waved and patted his chest while repeatedly exclaiming, “Thank you,” as the cheers and adulation poured below the closed retractable canopy.</p>
<p>Federer was recognized before the match at Centre Court began for “his contributions to tennis — and, in particular, to these very special lawns,” according to an announcer.</p>
<p>Following a number of knee surgeries, Federer, who turns 42 on August 8, announced his retirement at the conclusion of the previous year.</p>
<p>His last contest was a 2021 All England Club quarterfinal defeat against Hubert Hurkacz.</p>
<p>A video highlight loop of Federer playing, triumphing, and speaking at Wimbledon, where he won the first of his 20 career Grand Slam championships in 2003, was shown at the event on Tuesday. That was the beginning of a streak of five straight victories that lasted until 2007, then more titles there in 2009, 2012, and 2017.</p>
<p>After winning his first-round match on Monday, Novak Djokovic is attempting to tie Roger Federer’s record at Wimbledon this year by capturing his fifth straight championship and eighth overall. The overall record at the competition belongs to Martina Navratilova, who won the women’s singles championship nine times.</p>
<p>“The competition will continue even after I quit. In tennis interview that was shown in the movie on Tuesday, a younger Federer said, “The tournament is greater than any player that has ever lived. I eagerly anticipate the moment when I may retire and just have tea on the patio when I get home.</p>
<p>There were clips of many players praising Federer throughout the film.</p>
<p>Roger is an icon. Ons Jabeur, the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022, said, “He makes every shot appear simple. Alex de Minaur praised Roger Federer for his “masterful elegance on a tennis court.” He was described as “inspirational” by Taylor Fritz. Iga Swiatek, the current No. 1 in the women’s rankings, called Federer a “really special player,” while Coco Gauff used the term “icon.”</p>
