When eight-time champ Roger Federer wasn't allowed into Wimbledon

No amount of pleading or telling the security guard that he's won the championship eight times would get him entry, because he wasn't carrying his membership card

Roger Federer

When you have not only played at Wimbledon multiple times, but also won the championship more than once, one would expect that people working at the prestigious tennis club would recognize the champ. Well, there was no such luck for tennis great Roger Federer during a recent trip to London.

In the UK for a doctor’s appointment, Roger had a couple of hours to kill before making his way to the airport, which he thought he could spend at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, where he is a member, on account of having won the tournament. On his first-ever visit to the club that didn’t entail playing, Roger tried gaining entrance, but was stopped by security because he could not produce his membership card. Roger, of course, had no idea he needed to carry the membership card along, as all his earlier trips to the club have been to play the tournament.

Recounting the incident in a chat with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show, Roger said, “When you win Wimbledon, you become a member automatically. So, I’m like, ‘No, I don't have my membership card, but I am a member and I’m just wondering where I can get in," and she responded, ‘The other side, but you have to be a member’.”

Realizing that the security guard had no idea who he was, Roger added, “I still can't believe I said this and still feel bad about it. I looked at her and said, ‘I have won this tournament eight times. Please believe me, I am a member!’” There was no reasoning with the security guard, though, so Roger made his way up to another gate, where he was recognized and quickly ushered in for a meeting with the club chairman. “I thought of going over to the other side and giving a wave that I was in but I didn't do it,” he recounted.

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