Here are some photos of the annual Wimbledon Championships dinner, which is held every year after the last day’s matches. Roger Federer attended the dinner with his wife and partner of 17 years, Mirka Federer. While it’s great to see Roger here, those of us hoping for some kind of cathartic epic at the Wimbledon men’s final were sorely disappointed. Marin Cilic burned through the draw like a man on a mission, then as soon as he got to the final, Roger Federer was able to break him pretty quickly. The summary of the match was Cilic openly weeping in his seat after the first set. So, Roger won. He won his eighth Wimbledon singles title, which is more than any other man in history. This was also his 19th Slam title overall, the most of any man in history. For such a historic occasion, many of us were hoping for a more memorable match, but oh well. Immediately following his win, his wife brought out their kids – two sets of twins – to see their dad get the trophy. The Federer kids have gone viral:
Roger also did press this morning, doing a link-up interview with the Today Show. This is one of the classic Federer quotes to explain his many tearful emotions: “I was just so deeply touched by my performance in the tournament from the beginning to the end. I looked up in the stands and saw my kids … then it started to sink in that I was a Wimbledon Champion for real.” I love that Federer never stops bragging about himself. He was brought to tears by his own performance. He touched… himself. He was weeping because he realized his own greatness. I mean, it’s true – Roger is arguably (or not so much) the greatest tennis player who has ever lived. But imagine if Serena Williams told a reporter that she cried after a win because she was so moved by her own performance.
Also: Savannah Guthrie is a Federer super-fan. It’s kind of annoying.
WATCH: Is this #Wimbledon title "extra special"? @savannahguthrie asks @rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/yAayVJxJeN
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 17, 2017
WATCH: @savannahguthrie and Vale are clearly @rogerfederer’s #1 fans pic.twitter.com/pZsTUWIeOR
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 17, 2017
I’m also including some pics of women’s singles winner Garbiñe Muguruza. She really wanted to dance with Roger, but I haven’t seen any videos of a dance if it happened? When Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams danced together a few years ago, they released the video.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Oh Garbiñe is so pretty.
She is gorgeous isn’t she! So elegant and so beautifully proportioned.
Federer is nice enough and gracious enough that when his ego shows through, it’s ok. He’s the greatest tennis player in history and winning a 19th slam at age 35 after not doing well the past few years is a big achievement. I’m not surprised he got emotional about it but LOL at how he phrased it.
My favorite Federer moment was this little video of all of the male tennis players being interviewed about what their favorite movie is. The responses were split about evenly between Gladiator and Braveheart. Federer said Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing.
Pretty Woman? Really? Huh. Well, maybe he’s not had the time to watch a lot of movies.
i dont think he needs to feel badly about his statements, he is the goat and why shouldn’t he think so
but the movie choices are basic AF, I’m kind of embarrassed that m tv husband is an 11 yr old girl at heart
He’s often not very gracious though. In his early years he was a terribly sore loser, and while he eventually learnt to keep it in check somewhat, if you listen to his post game pressers regularly you’ll hear a lot of shadiness coming from him. He can be incredibly patronising and is prone to trying to add asterixes onto everyone else’s win’s against him.
Plus he’s always letting the ego come through, and was long before he could be called the GOAT.
Yup, Roger’s treaclely self regard was too much. And after the match he barely noticed his wife after hugging her. She’s the one he owes the most to–giving him four kids, raising family in his abscence, being incredibly supportive, yet he pranced around gathering up the triple kiss by KM and reveling in the adoration.
I used to love Roger for his gorgeous single handed backhand. But the Midds got their tentacles into him (that story about bawdy, brazen Carole crushing on him is sickening), and I can’t stand him.
I wonder what kind of charm Carole has. William likes her, which is kind of understandable. But someone like Roger doesn’t need her validation. So, I wonder what techniques she has to get these guys to like her.
What are you even talking about? The video I saw of him just before he stepped out for the presentation had him barely shake the Cambridges’ hands but he hugged Mirka for a full minute and then appeared to tell her that he needed to go out front but she should stay near him. Check out the Wimbledon Twitter account with all the videos.
I think after everything he’s achieved he’s allowed to brag….
But it’s so much classier not to…
I’m really really sad about Marin. He’s a great player and such a lovely guy, but his nerves almost always get the best of him.
And the media gave him so little attention this whole tournament. But then, the media ( and crowds) always prefer western players, don’t they? You can see it with Djokovic too, and he’s one of the big 4.
As for Roger, I don’t like him. His rabid fan base is beyond annoying, and he seems smug. I don’t care if you’re freaking Leonardo DaVinci, you don’t say something like this about yourself.
I’m Croatian, so I might have cried a little when Čilić lost. And he is a lovely lovely guy, but his mental strenght is his biggest weakness. Two Wimbledon winners from such a small country would be amazing.
I can’t stand Roger. He’s my least favourite of the big 4. Serena is the best tennis player EVER and she would be crucified if she said something like this. He appears to be fake humble.
And the fact that crowds are always on his side and that you can’t even find threads on places like reddit without the constant fawning of him makes him even more annoying. In most sports people root for the underdong, but I guess in tennis they like the status quo.
I’d take Đoković, Nadal or Murray any day.
Cilic was seeded 11th and definitely a dark horse, I don’t see why he would get a lot of attention. The commentators yesterday tried to drum up some excitement for the final, saying that he might give good game and not let it be a “coronation” for Federer, and then Federer destroyed him and it was so boring.
I like him, but I’m not seeing media bias – and certainly not against Djokovic, who is one of the big four.
He was seeded low, but they could have given him at least a little attention when he made the semi-finals, no?
I think you can see bias, sometimes from the media, especially from the crowds. Not just with Roger, who is a special case, but with other players too. They will always prefer a nice western guy over an Eastern European with a weird sounding name. You can see it with Đoković especially.
Amen, Maple Girl!!
I love his wife, Mirka. I think she’s very cool and love that she was a tennis player in her own right rather than some vapid model. That being said: who put her in this dress? She has a really beautiful figure and is a beautiful woman. This dress does nothing for her! My guess….Roger’s #1 stalker did this to her: Ms. Anna Wintour!!! Lol. I love to imagine fan fiction about this love triangle. Sometimes I throw in Roger’s #2 stalker, Kate Middleton. Team Mirka!!!
Also. Let’s not joke about this: Serena is the GOAT.
Wait don’t Serena, Steffi Graf, and other women have more titles than him yet he is being called the greatest ever? Why because he’s a guy? Isn’t that sexist?
I’m pretty sure he meant he was overwhelmed that he was not only able to win again, but do it in the way that he did without dropping a set, or ever going down a break. Watching him breakdown it was clear to me for the first time that despite putting on a brave face for years while everyine nagged him about retirement, that deep down he really did have serious doubts that he would actually ever win Wimbledon again. I think standing alone above Sampras as having won the most Wimbledon titles was super important to him, and he really started to believe that it would never happen.
I agree with this. I think he was just overwhelmed. In light of what happened last year, he just never thought he would be able to get back to this level again.
Yeah, athletes do need a certain amount of self absorption to beat the head game. I really think this might have been a poor choice of words, to convey how happy he was to have performed at peak ‘at his age’ lol. Also, if Venus had said this, this article would’ve been all YAS QUEEN.
Honestly, I think his phrasing is strange here. I could understand him saying “I am deeply touched by getting the chance to win another title.” But when he says he’s deeply touched by his own performance, he makes it sound like he’s a ballet dancer watching one of his old reels from 20 years ago.
Geezus. Nobody loves Roger like Roger does. Come on, it was evident that Maran Cilic was suffering from severe blister pain, which affected his performance from the very first set of the final. If you can’t move around on the court properly because of great pain in your foot, that will affect whether you can make your shots properly! It was probably the main reason why Roger was able to take it in straight sets. And now Federer admits he was weeping at the greatness of his own overall performance in the tournament? Lord.
Even Roger himself admitted in an interview after his Wimbledon win that he was expecting Cilic to take the third set, because it was improbable to win the final there in straight sets. Also, I think it’s important to remember that Djokovic and Murray were eliminated at the QFs stage this year at Wimbledon due to injuries. If they had been healthy, I think there’s a good chance at least one would’ve made it into the final–Roger might not have even had a spot in it. Heck, if Cilic hadn’t been suffering from that blister and had been able to play like himself, I think he would’ve had a decent chance of winning his first Wimbledon title. The guy is hungry, talented, and saw this as a prime opportunity.
All right, yes, I’m not a Roger fan, although I admit that he’s been a great tennis player in the past. Mainly, he irks me because in spite of his history of excessive trash talking and self-aggrandizement, people still love to talk about how classy he is.
Exactly. He won against an almost injured opponent. He could have been humble.
Congratulations Roger!
I love Roger, I have from his ponytail days and when he was still throwing tantrums on court. From winning his first major to now. He is a legend.
But he is not humble. That ego is massive. Remember when he cried after losing to Nadal at Wimbly (I think).
Sometimes I cringe and hope it’s a language issue, that maybe he just lost some eloquence in the heat of the moment -yes I know he’s fluent in like 5 or 6 languages but maybe the thrill of the win throws him off? I try to give the benefit of the doubt but there are too many instances over the years where he says something that on anyone else would be deemed obnoxious but is always given a pass by the press and public because he’s Roger.
Now I just shake my head. That’s just him. But I love his game.
And he does charitable work. It could be far worse.
What bothers me more about Roger is some of his stances on controversial issues.
Also, not to diminish Rogers achievements but I find it interesting that they have to qualify his milestone. He has the most Wimbledon titles of any male player (8) but Martina Navratilova has the most of all (9).
You know if this was a female player (especially Serena) they would be very quick to point that out and emphasize the difference in their coverage. Now it’s subtle.
Anyway, congratulations again Roger!
I always appreciate it when people at the top of their game keep it real, LOL. How many times a day do most of them think “I am SO amazing!”
Yeah Roger is not humble, but that’s ok he deserves it & people should see it humour, like there is this twitter called Not Roger Federer that pretends to be him & it’s pretty funny w his whole humblebrag. But I think Roger has done so much for the sport & he’s truly the GOAT. I know you guys support Serena bc she’s from US & she’s great as well, but Serena doesn’t have the competition that Federer has, so that makes him the GOAT in my eyes. Besides as a feminist myself I would love women to play 5 sets in GS as well. Equal pay for equal work ladies.
I didn’t even think he was humble bragging. I thought he was straight up bragging, (and this is coming from someone who likes him).
I have to grudgingly admit his phrasing is kind of funny here.
In fact, the entire interview at Wimbledon came off a little funny.
Maybe it is a language issue because, yeah, the whole interview sounded kind of (oddly) conceited. All I can figure is maybe the nuance of faking humbleness is hard to master if English isn’t your first language.
Federer’s English is impeccable. He comes off as conceited in multiple languages because he is.
But he always remembers to give what sounds like sincere praise to his opponents and their achievements. He’s well liked on the tour and he wouldn’t be if he were constantly lording his achievements over the other players.
I do think his English is impeccable too, in terms of grammar and syntax. But he also has a certain directness, which I think native English speakers tend to mask, since the language is flexible enough to allow it. I think other languages are more direct, and I would think that carries over into how one speaks English.
But, yeah, I’m leaning towards the idea that he just might be really conceited.
The reason why I’m not inclined to give him a pass is because I’m half Swiss and I can’t imagine anyone in my family saying anything like what he says. My cousins have English that’s a little rustier than Fed’s and they are super polite and humble. There’s no cultural difference that makes people more direct in Switzerland – if anything, it’s just the opposite.
I do agree that I think he what he said here is pretty odd. I am a little surprised he doesn’t know how to hide thoughts like that, because, yes, I do think his English is very fluent.
And yes Serena is GOAT!
Hoping she has a healthy pregnancy and delivery and both she and baby and Alexis are well.
Then hopefully she can come back to complete her slam goals (as she reportedly intends to.).
Spot on, Pamela.
This GOAT discussion on this site is really becoming tiresome, in my opinion. It seems there is is this almost frenzied desire to promote women at the expense of sometimes blatantly ignoring reality and facts. Am a guy, a tennis fan, love Serena, can’t stand Sharapova, am a fan of Roger, appreciate BOTH their achievements, but surely it is obvious who is the greatest tennis player? Yes, The title of the most successful grand slam winner ever won would certainly go to Serena, but she is not the greatest. She would not have a chance against the top four male players, never mind lasting a punishing five setter with any of them. The men’s game is simply more physically taxing, and that is why men and women play seperately and why women okay best of three. There are some things between men and women, especially in sports where you just can’t push the equality thing about. Can you imagine the ladies having to now play a five setter because there has been such a public outcry about being “equal”? Women can do just as well in anything as men, often better, but as far as physical effort goes, men just have an advantage. That’s just the way it is.
Can’t we understand, appreciate and accept that?
But it’s silly to look at it like that.
Men play angainst men, women play against women – it’s two separate categories. And if all men are physically stronger, than the level of difficulty is the same. So if Serena is better in her category, how can Roger be the GOAT?
I think it’s possible Serena could be mentally tougher than a lot of male players though. She’s an African-American in an all-white sport and has to deal with a fair amount of criticism from the media when she slips up. She also doesn’t come from a privileged background in terms of money. She had push through all those obstacles to win time and time again at the Grand Slam level (not simply once, but over 20 times). So, I do think there are some variables where she could be tougher than both males and females combined.
She may be physically weaker than male players, simply because that’s how biology works, but mentally I think she could potentially come out on top.
Kata
I think there is a difference between being the most successful player of all time and being the best(or greatest player).
Serena is at the moment the most successful grand slam winner of all time, and she has earned that.
Roger is however viewed as the greatest player of all time because he has won more grand slam titles in a game where the standard of competition is much higher on all fronts than in the women’s game. That is why they are also paid more. When someone is viewed as a GOAT it generally means they are/were better than anybody else, man or woman- in whatever era. In that context can you then really say Serena is better than Roger? I don’t think so.
Again, not trying to troll women or women’s achievements here- just having a healthy discussion.
But is the standard higher? Men are physically stronger, it’s biology, but that’s not the issue, but they’re not going head to head – we’re looking at a differential.
If say one person is 160 cm tall and they want to reach 190, they have to jump 30 cm. If the other is 180 and wants to reach 210, they have to jump 30 cm too. Did the other really work harder just because they reached further, if both of them jumped 30 cm?
If all men are physically stronger then when men play angainst men the level of difficulty is the same as when women play against women.
I don’t know if I’m explaining myself well, English is not my first language.
Yes, the standard of men’s tennis is higher- which is part ofthe reason why they are paid more,and also the reason why men and women don’t go head to head- because men are at a physical advantage here.
Roger has been his own biggest fan for many years. Never afraid to give himself a great big pat on the back.