Roger Federer’s Hometown Falls Short In Petition To Honor Tennis Legend

KEY POINTS

Citizens of Basel missed the required 3,000 signatures to rename their sports complex
In Switzerland, renaming streets, squares, and the like after public figures is typically a posthumous honor.
A local politician has second thoughts of having an arena named after Federer

Roger Federer’s greatness on the tennis court prompted those from his hometown of Basel to start a petition to rename the St Jakobshalle stadium to the “Roger Federer Arena.”

While the intention was applaudable, the effort to honor the Swiss legend still fell short. It was revealed that the appeal to formally change the name of the main sports complex did not reach the number of required signatures. Yahoo Sports reported that it lacked 1,800 signatures of the necessary 3,000.

The petition has been ongoing for over a year. Basel-based politician Martina Bernasconi explained that the plan to change the name of the arena has many drawbacks.

“The main arguments have been that Switzerland and Basel only honor dead people,” Yahoo Sports reported in 2019. “And that Federer is a brand and he wants money."

Despite this, Bernasconi still recognizes the global influence of Federer and how he’s served as the most popular ambassador of Switzerland.

The tennis star is currently tied with Rafael Nadal with the most Grand Slam championships in the men’s division with 20 titles. Ever since winning Wimbledon in 2003, Federer has been argued by fans and experts alike as one of the best to ever play.

However, 2020 has been a rough year for Federer, missing the majority of the tour as he recovers from knee surgery.