Roger Federer Given Standing Ovation In Spine-Tingling Return To Wimbledon

Roger Federer was greeted with a hero's welcome as he made his return to Wimbledon.

The Swiss tennis legend was given a standing ovation by spectators as he walked onto the icon Centre Court ahead of Novak Djokovic's match again Tim van Rijthoven.

In footage posted on social media by Wimbledon's official account, the rather cool 40-year-old can be seen donning a suave suit, looking more like James Bond himself than an athlete.

The doors then swing open and Federer is met with a roar from the crowd as he casually struts onto the court.

It took a while for the applause and the whistles to stop as the record eight-time Wimbledon champion stepped foot on one of his most successful stomping grounds.

If there's anyone more deserving of a standing ovation in tennis, it's him.

Federer has been sidelined for a year with a niggling knee injury, meaning fans have been starved of seeing perhaps the greatest of all-time in action.

And at 40 years of age, there has even been whispers that Federer may never return again.

Thankfully, the man himself was on hand to put those rumours to bed.

“I hope I can come back one more time. I’ve missed it here,” Federer said as he attended the 100th anniversary ceremony of Centre Court.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of matches on this court.

“It feels awkward to be here today in a different type of role but great to be here with all the other champions.”

Most tennis players competing at Wimbledon will probably breathe a quiet sigh of relief after seeing the 20-time Grand Slam champion not in the draw for the tournament.

But for Nadal, being the consummate professional he is, he knows the sort of impact having someone like Federer around can have on the sport.

“Well, it’s a negative thing [him not being here],” Nadal said.

“But the life, that’s the circle of life, you know. Time happens, and the watch, the clock never stops. This kind of stuff we need to get used to. But in a personal way, of course my personal relationship with Roger have been always great, and probably my greatest rival.

“At the same time all the things that we shared together on court is something difficult to describe, the emotions, all the things. And of course I personally miss him in the tennis tour, and tennis of course miss him, tournaments, fans, everyone.”