Federer fans are still in a state of grief as some admit to no longer watching tennis after his retirement while others say they cheer for anyone his old rival plays
WIMBLEDON — Three years on from his retirement and four since his last match here, the legacy Roger Federer has left at Wimbledon is still plain to see.
The 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, born three months before Federer won his fifth title in 2007, bashfully admitted it was a dream to see the 43 year old in real life as he watched her win from the Royal Box on Monday.
Away from Centre Court, brand Federer is everywhere. His distinct “RF” logo is easy to spot on baseball caps and signals some of his fans are still happy to attend, even if they are unsure who to cheer for.
“We’ve got to find someone,” Wendy Lo tells The i Paper. “I’m a big fan of Carlos Alcaraz but I don’t know, this is what’s tough.
“I’m up and down with Novak Djokovic. I still prefer the old guard and was really sad about Grigor Dimitrov [who retired hurt on Monday].”
Federer superfan Wendy Lo, sporting the RF cap, at Wimbledon (Photo: Michael Hincks)
Her hesitation is mirrored by a couple, Alison and Len (spotted with the latter wearing an RF cap), who both need a second to think before admitting to supporting Djokovic and home hope Jack Draper, who exited in the second round.
The lack of certainty speaks to Federer’s transcendent popularity, the Swiss winning the ATP Fans’ Favourite award 19 years in a row, including in 2020 – when he played just six matches, at the Australian Open, before injury – and finally 2020, his final year when he made five tournament appearances.
Curiosity abounds therefore over the Federer fans who had spoken to The i Paper outside The O2 in 2022, when he bowed out at the Laver Cup.
There to witness his last dance, an emotional weekend perhaps best remembered for Federer and Rafael Nadal tearfully holding hands courtside, it was clear these supporters loved the player more than they loved the sport.
Federer officially retired from the sport in 2022 (Photo: Getty)
Almost three years later, that remains the case.
“Honestly, I haven’t really been following tennis much after Roger retired,” Erica Zhao tells The i Paper.
“For some reason it isn’t the same, even though I love watching the sport.
“I miss waking up at 3am and hiding underneath a blanket to watch him play a slam final with my heart rate going all over the place. I miss yelling at the TV and jumping in joy when he finally wins that match.
“It’s just this feeling that I used to have with watching Roger that I don’t have anymore with any player. I’m so grateful to have met and seen Roger play so many times before he retired and I will forever treasure those moments with him.”
Federer waves to the crowd from the Royal Box on Monday (Photo: Getty)
Vishnu Thirumurugan, meanwhile, has not been to a grand slam since Federer retired, having previously travelled over from Australia four times to attend Wimbledon, once for the French Open and four times for the US Open.
“My mum is much happier now I don’t spend so much money on Roger,” Vishnu says. “It’s been very hard for me to get back into tennis.
“I’ve been keeping tabs on it and can see the next generation [Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner] have taken the mantle and are doing great things for tennis.
“No one person is bigger than the sport but to me Roger was tennis. I think seeing how happy Roger is in retirement and all the fun he’s having makes things easier. It takes the sting off the retirement knowing Roger is living his best life.”
Vishnu’s call out on X led to dozens of responses from fellow Federer fans, with many still in a state of grief and unable to fill the “vacuum”.
One fan, who had seen Federer play five times at Wimbledon hasn’t been back since, admitted to being depressed for a long time after Federer’s retirement “because it was like an emptiness”.
“He provided so many beautiful moments and memories for 20+ years of my life so when he stopped it was very difficult,” they said. “I miss seeing him play still now, like all of his fans do I am sure.”
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Several said they have stopped watching tennis altogether – “No Roger, no tennis” – while others have been slow to regain their interest but are nowhere near as emotionally invested as they once were.
Those who do watch have scattered their support far and wide. Draper, Dimitrov, Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Felix Auger–Aliassime, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Lorenzo Musetti, Alexander Bublik, Joao Fonseca, Daniil Medvedev, Iga Swiatek, Karolina Muchova and Coco Gauff are all mentioned.
The more popular picks are Alcaraz and Sinner, while very few support Djokovic, with “anyone but” or “whoever faces Novak” a popular reply, perhaps unsurprising given the partisan nature of the Big Three fandom in that golden era’s pomp.
At the time of writing, a poll on X had below eight per cent of Federer fans now rooting for Djokovic, and while more than 50 per cent supported either Alcaraz (32 per cent) or Sinner (26 per cent), the most popular answer was “no one” (34 per cent).
A damning indictment on the current crop? That is perhaps a stretch, although less so is the prospect tennis may never witness an army like this again.