Halle, Germany: Roger Federer has had his name on the trophy. Now he has it on the street sign as well. The small town of Halle in western Germany hosts the Gerry Weber Open, a grass court tournament that serves as a Wimbledon warm-up.
Federer has won at Halle five times and has a "lifetime contract" with the tournament — if the Swiss great plays a pre-Wimbledon event, then it is the one in Halle.
Since the start of May, a street leading to the stadium, known as Weststrasse, is now called the Roger-Federer-Allee.
"It was this personal commitment to us and the fact that he is highly respected the world over that led us to consider how we could honour him," tournament director Ralf Weber said on Tuesday.
Federer, 30, has used the event in the sleepy Westphalia town for more than a decade to prepare for Wimbledon. Most of his top rivals opted in the past to play the event at Queen's in London. World number one Novak Djokovic and world number two Rafa Nadal are set to join Federer at this year's tournament.
Tournament officials released a letter from Federer in which he said he is "extremely humbled" by the gesture, calling it an "amazing honour."
Federer, a former No. 1 now ranked third, has won 16 Grand Slam titles.
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