Roger Federer appears to have been snubbed by the Swiss Indoors in his hometown of Basel, with speculation rife that he has fallen out with tournament organisers. The tennis icon won the tournament a record 10 times during his playing days, with his final triumph coming at the 2019 edition.
Federer is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won 20 Grand Slam trophies throughout his illustrious career.
He retired from the sport following the Laver Cup in 2022 and trails only Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the men’s all-time title standings at Majors.
During his childhood, Federer worked as a ball boy at the Swiss Indoors, with his mother Lynette also taking on a role in the accreditation office.
He is the oldest champion after winning the event for the final time as a 38-year-old, with his 75 career victories at the venue also unmatched by anyone.
But, according to Swiss publication Blick, Federer had a falling out with tournament organisers and there is ‘no image, no brochure, no object, no bust and no evocation’ of the blockbuster star at this year’s tournament. In fact, the only real mention of the 43-year-old appears on the list of winners at the main entrance.
The outlet have reported that a disagreement over Federer’s fee in 2012 tainted his relationship with Swiss Indoors boss Roger Brennwald. Tensions may have been eased when he later played at the event without a fee and gave a bonus to his foundation.
But Federer then declined an invitation to return to the Swiss Indoors to say goodbye to his fans a month after ending his career at the Laver Cup in London.
“I would like to thank the Swiss Indoors for their willingness to welcome me in Basel this year,” Federer explained at the time in a statement.
“I’ve been trying to process everything that’s happened lately. The celebration at home in Basel will have a very special meaning and is now too [soon] for me after London.
“I have so many incredible memories of playing at home for so many years and I wish the tournament continues to be one of the top stops on the ATP Tour.”
And Brennwald explained: “Of course we would all have been very happy to honour Roger Federer as one of the greatest players of all time in a worthy setting during our event.
“We would have liked to have celebrated Roger’s years of winning streak at our tournament, but understand that Roger needs more time after the wonderful end of his career.”