Roger Federer earns standing ovation in surprise appearance honoring Wimbledon Centre Court

Roger Federer made a long-awaited return to Centre Court to celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd in what was already a legend-studded affair.

Emceed by Sue Barker and John McEnroe, Centre Court’s Centennial featured a parade of former champions, from Rafael Nadal and Rod Laver to Venus Williams and Bjorn Borg. Six-time winners Billie Jean King and Novak Djokovic emerged as a pair before Federer took his unexpected stroll into the stadium.

The former world No. 1 was last on Centre Court when he reached the quarterfinals of the 2021 Championships and endured a three-set defeat to Hubert Hurkacz. That would prove to be his final match of the season and Federer has not been on court since, though he has teased a possible return to action later this fall.

"I've missed being here," he said. "I would have loved to be here. I knew walking out here last year, it was gonna be a tough year ahead. Maybe I didn't think it was gonna take me this long to come back but the knee has been rough on me. But I've been happy."