Roger Federer broke down in tears as he paid tribute to wife Mirka at his induction to the Tennis Hall of Fame.
The 20-time grand slam winner followed a rare speech from his wife, where she shared the sacrifices they made and revealed a moment Federer almost quit playing.
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He began by saying: “Oh man. This is very high level and a tough act to follow.
“I don’t know if you have been practising secretly.”
You can watch Mirka’s speech in the player above.
Federer then continued with his speech and began to get tearful when he mentioned his childhood hero, Stefan Edberg.
Then the tears fully flowed when he spoke about his wife.
“Now the Mirka part. Oh gosh, this such a mess.
“I need tissues and sunglasses, everything to protect me right now.”
Moments before Mirka had given her own heartfelt speech, praising Federer for his skills on the court as well as his devotion as a father.
Mirka even revealed Federer was willing to quit when they found out they were expecting their first set of twins, Myla and Charlene.
“Tennis was never what impressed me the most. The man behind it all is even more remarkable,” she said.
“He’s the most devoted father that our four children could ever ask for.
“When I found out we were expecting twins, for the first time, I told Roger that my travelling days were probably over.
“Without missing a beat, he said: ‘Then I won’t play anymore.’ He wasn’t being dramatic. He meant it. That’s who Roger is. His family comes first.
“Fortunately we found another solution and that involved babies, strollers, toys, books and eventually two sets of twins travelling all over the world with us.
“They know him as papa. The papa who read bedtime stories, played games with them, who ran their bath, who made them laugh, no matter how busy he was.
“Whether he won or lost, he always made time for them. I know him always as the kind husband, funny, thoughtful and endlessly supportive.”
Federer’s twin girls were born in July 2009 – nine years after the couple met at the Sydney Olympics.
Twin boys Leo and Lenny followed in 2014, with both sets of twins present for Federer’s induction to the Hall of Fame.