Video - Federer's emotion after his 10th title in Basel: "Before, I was afraid to show my emotions, now it's natural"
A living tennis legend, Roger Federer has left his mark on the sport and won 103 ATP Tour titles in his career, second only to Jimmy Connors (109) in the Open Era.
While the Swiss player won 20 Grand Slam titles, including 8 at Wimbledon, Federer was also highly successful throughout his career at the Basel tournament. Carried by his home crowd, he won the indoor tournament ten times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019).
In 2019, the day of his 10th title (and his last one as it turned out), Federer dominated the tournament, not dropping a single set on his way against Peter Gojowczyk (6-2, 6-1), Radu Albot (6-0, 6-3), Stan Wawrinka (walkover), and Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-4, 6-4).
In the final, the Swiss made quick work of Alex De Minaur (6-2, 6-2), defeating the Australian in their only encounter. Deeply moved by what he had just accomplished, Federer couldn't hold back his tears, very emotional after winning his tenth title at a tournament that was particularly dear to his heart.
"I am moved by the music and the ball kids. I think of my family, my team, my fans. These ten titles mean an enormous amount. At the beginning, I was embarrassed to show my emotions, now it's natural, it's me," Federer had stated, cheered by the crowd during the trophy ceremony.
Affected by a knee injury towards the end of his career, Federer played his last match on the main tour in the quarter-finals of the 2021 Wimbledon tournament against Hubert Hurkacz, before retiring a year later, after one final doubles match alongside his friend and former sporting rival, Rafael Nadal, at the 2022 Laver Cup.
