Roger Federer was pretty good. That, of course, is an intentional understatement as he was one of the best players to ever play the sport of tennis. He reached 20 Grand Slams faster than any other men's player, and once held the No. 1 ranking for 237 consecutive weeks. He was nearly untouchable for almost a decade.
This is why, when the International Tennis Hall of Fame made its announcement of who would be in the Hall's class for 2026, Federer, in his first year of eligibility, was a no-brainer decision to induct. In fact, not allowing Federer to be inducted on his first chance would have made the ITHF look silly.
The Swiss great was the only person in the player's category to get enough votes for induction. Juan Martin del Potro was among other players up for induction, but he didn't earn the required 75 percent of votes to reach immortal status. Not yet, anyway.
Roger Federer elected to International Tennis Hall of Fame
To be sure, the 2026 class should belong to Roger Federer and Federer alone. His greatness should have a singular focus during the events and ceremony for induction. He earned that by winning 103 ATP titles, second in the Open era behind Jimmy Connors, and claimed a second-best (behind Novak Djokovic) 310 total weeks at No. 1.
Not only was he a fantastic player, but he is also one of the best ambassadors the sport could have. If there is an event that could use his help in selling tickets or getting viewers to watch via TV or streaming, one can assume Federer will do his absolute best in an effort to assist.
Between 2005 and 2007, Federer reached 10 straight Grand Slam finals, winning eight of them. Overall, he won eight Wimbledon titles, six Australian Opens, five US Opens, and one French Open. He is one of eight players with a career slam, which is when a player has won all four majors.
Mary Carillo, who played on the WTA but might be best known for her commentary work during matches, was also included for induction. She will go in as part of the contributor category.
The ceremony to induct Federer and Carillo will take place in August 2026 in Newport, Rhode Island. That is the home to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The potential 2027 class includes Serena Williams, who, like Roger Federer, should be guaranteed to be inducted in her first year of eligibility, and Ash Barty. Juan Martin del Potro will also be eligible again.