BASEL: Fans of tennis legend Roger Federer have campaigned to get the St. Jakobshalle, the arena where the Swiss Indoors tournament is played every year, to be renamed after him.
However, it has gone in vain entirely. The local council in Basel reportedly voted against rebranding the area, with the conflict going on for months.
One of the councillors, Thomas Gander believes that it is early for Federer to have such an honour, despite the 36-year-old winning a record 20 Grand Slam titles.
“It can be a nice gesture later to put such a memorial on for Federer,” Gander said.
“But today it is still too early. And I’m almost sure he sees it that way.”
Another concern surrounding the St.Jakobshalle is of having no lucrative sponsor who can buy the naming rights for up to £750,000.
Newspaper BasellandschaftlicheZeitung claim companies such as Credit Suisse, Sunrise, Rolex, Nike and Jura – who all sponsor Federer – could make an offer.
Whether or not Federer will be commemorated in the future remains to be seen.
He is still going strong despite his advanced age, having won the Australian Open earlier this year.
