Roger Federer to deliver commencement speech at Dartmouth College

Roger Federer will be in New England this summer.

No, it's not for early induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.. Rather, the 20-time Grand Slam champion will grace Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H., during its 2024 Commencement. On June 9, the 42-year-old will address the college's graduating class, and receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

The announcement was revealed on YouTube, with Federer donning Dartmouth green, and President Sian Leah Beilock and groundskeeper Tommy Shea getting plans in order for the Commencement, taking place on Dartmouth's Big Green.

“I am so excited and honored to be your Commencement speaker this year,” said Federer. “I hope I see you on the Big Green in June.”

“Roger Federer is undeniably one the greatest athletes of all time, but it’s the evident joy that he always found on the court that stays with me, and that I think will resonate most with the Class of 2024,” says Beilock, who describes herself as a Federer fan.

Federer is becoming familiar with the American college scene this year. He made a surprise appearance at Stanford University earlier this month; Nico Godsick—son of Federer's longtime agent Tony Godsick, a Dartmouth alum—plays for the Cardinal.

The Swiss took in Stanford's match with UNLV (which the Cardinal won 7-0), before joining the team for dinner.

Nico made sure to tell his teammates that the all-time great was coming beforehand.

“I didn’t want them to be (at) break point, deuce point, first game, then look up and see Roger and then double-fault,” Godsick told SFGATE. “They were super excited and I don’t think it could have gone any better.”

Yesterday, back in Palo Alto, he was spotted hitting some forehands:

Federer's swing still looks silky as ever on a hard court. How about on grass?

Hanover's Big Green beckons.