[music playing]
ANNOUNCER: Coming to you from New
York City, the only city in America, it's The Daily Show.
Tonight, Warnock wins Georgia, China eases up
on COVID, and Roger Federer.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to The Daily Show.
I'm Trevor Noah.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Thank you for coming out in person.
Thank you so much for being here.
Take a seat, everybody. Take a seat.
Thank you so much.
We have got a great show for you tonight.
Mozzarella sticks are getting sued.
We find out why Christmas comes on January 6 this year.
And Herschel Walker just got more time
to spend without his family.
Plus, our guest tonight is the GOAT himself,
Roger Federer is here, everybody!
Man, I'm excited for that.
Let's do this, people.
Let's jump straight into today's headlines.
[music playing]
All right, before we get into the big stories,
let's catch up on a few other things going on in the world,
starting off with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,
who today was officially declared Time
magazine's Person of the Year.
And you might be happy, but I'll tell you now,
Vladimir Putin is going to be so mad,
the next time he's in the waiting room at the dentist,
yeah, he's just going to be like, (RUSSIAN ACCENT)
now to read magazine.
What?
(NORMAL ACCENT) But congrats to Volodymyr Zelensky
and the Ukrainian people.
And congrats to Time magazine on its annual reminder
that Time magazine still exists.
In more international news, German authorities
this morning arrested 25 of QAnon, QAnon followers, 25
members, for plotting to storm parliament and overthrow
the government, which, yes, is disconcerting news,
but once again, proof of how inspiring American culture is
all around the world.
Yeah, even in Germany, they were like, (GERMAN ACCENT)
we should also storm the capitol,
and we should also overthrow the government,
and then we're going to hang Mike Pence!
Mike Pence!
(NORMAL ACCENT) Oh, in technology news,
Apple Music has just announced a brand new karaoke mode
that will allow you to turn down the vocals on songs
so that you can sing them instead.
Yeah.
And I love this.
This is great news for anyone who
is thinking, I love this Adele song,
but what if it was sung by someone who sucks?
No, I think it'll be a lot of fun, you know.
And now Spotify is also adding this feature to its podcast,
so you can shout your own COVID theories over Joe Rogan.
It's going to be cool.
Oh, in some legal news, an Illinois woman
is suing the makers of TGI Friday's mozzarella sticks,
get this, because she discovered
that they contained cheddar cheese but no mozzarella.
That's why she's suing.
And if you ask me, I'm impressed
that these cheese sticks have cheese in them at all.
Yeah, I feel like most American cheese products,
if you look at the fine print, it's,
like, technically this is sawdust and corn syrup,
but we were thinking about cheese when we were mixing it.
All right, let's move on to some of the bigger stories
of the day, starting with Georgia,
the state sitting on Florida until the police can arrive.
Because after a year of campaigning, an election
in November, and then another runoff election
yesterday, the Senate race in Georgia is finally,
mercifully over.
REPORTER: In Georgia's closely watched Senate runoff,
Democrat Raphael Warnock walking away with the win.
In the nation's final contest of the midterms,
the incumbent narrowly defeating
his Republican challenger Herschel Walker and cementing
the Democrats' majority in the Senate, now a 51-49 advantage.
NIKOLE KILLIAN: Walker was handpicked by former President
Trump and is at least the fifth Trump-backed Senate
candidate to be defeated.
Warnock's win gives the party an extra seat
to help advance their agenda.
It is my honor to utter the four most powerful words
ever spoken in a democracy--
the people have spoken.
OK.
Congratulations to Raphael Warnock.
I mean, I thought the four most powerful words
in American democracy were "here is your sticker."
But sure, I guess, the people have spoken works too.
But yes, Democrats have now won 51 seats in the Senate.
And you realize what that means?
Basically nothing.
No, because they lost the House.
But still, 51 is bigger than 50, so it's cool.
It's cool.
And you couldn't have had a race
between two more different candidates
when you think about it.
Like, when you take a moment, when
you step away from the race, do you
understand how crazy this was?
You had Raphael Warnock, a pastor,
a pastor who was preaching at the same church as MLK,
and Herschel Walker, a man who thinks
MLK is how you spell milk.
But despite that, it was close.
It was really, really close.
In fact, if I was Raphael Warnock,
my victory speech wouldn't have been me smiling.
I would have been a lot more different.
He's a gracious man.
He was talking about democracy and America's promise.
I would have been up there, like,
are you people kidding me with this shit?
You guys are giving me a two-point win over this
walking vasectomy commercial?
Are you kidding me?
But he's a better man.
So that's that.
Senator Warnock returns to Washington,
and Herschel Walker goes home in defeat.
But don't feel bad for Herschel, guys.
He actually took the news quite well.
Yeah, his people were, like, don't get this-- don't let
this get you down, Herschel.
And he was like, let what get me down?
Like, the Senate race.
He's like, you think I should run for the Senate?
Yeah, OK!
What is it?
But let's move on to some major news about coronavirus.
For most Americans, COVID has become something you just
try to ignore while you live your life,
like mosquitos or jury duty.
Meanwhile, in China, they've been treating COVID
like an existential danger, all right, so
every man, woman, and child.
But believe it or not, after weeks
of historic protests from the Chinese people,
that is all about to change.
China's government has made a radical shift this morning,
officially moving away from its strict zero-COVID policies.
Now, this move appears to be in response
to widespread protests in recent weeks,
including some of the boldest demonstrations this country
has seen in decades.
REPORTER: China's National Health Commission held a press
conference to announce that mandatory COVID testing
for most people will end immediately.
They'll no longer have to show a negative test result
in public places, and those armies
of health workers in hazmat suits
will stop locking down apartment complexes.
Also, people with COVID won't be
forced into state quarantine.
They'll be able to recover at home.
All that and a commitment to vaccinating the elderly sounds
like common sense, but it's a huge climbdown for Xi Jinping
and the Communist Party, who watched
protests erupt in over 20 cities with calls
for freedom not lockdowns.
I'm happy for the people of China.
I genuinely am.
Because I don't know if you were following this,
but these restrictions were truly wild.
I mean, they wouldn't even let you quarantine at home.
You had to spend it at a government
quarantine facility that looks like a terminal at LaGuardia.
And that's really messed up.
Because the one silver lining of getting COVID
is having an excuse to get out of plans, you know.
But China was like, no, no, no, no, no.
You've got COVID, and you've got plans with 600 strangers.
That's what you got.
And after hearing this story, I would
love to see an American citizen and a Chinese citizen
sit down to talk about COVID because you always hear
Americans talking about how they
feel as though they were oppressed by the COVID
restrictions here.
Yeah, the Chinese person would be like, it was brutal.
I was literally boarded up in my home,
beaten up by the police, and sent to a quarantine camp.
I'd be like, I feel you, brother.
This one summer, I got asked to leave an Applebee's.
We are not different at all, my friend.
We both suffer.
But let's move on to some news from the world of air travel.
If you fly a lot, then you know how boarding a plane goes.
You get to your gate, you try to sneak in line
with the boarding group ahead of yours,
you put your luggage into the overhead bin
sideways so no one else can use it, and then you sit down,
and you put your phone into airplane mode.
And it has to be in airplane mode
because if anyone calls you while you're on a plane,
the plane immediately crashes into an elementary school.
That's how it works.
It's science, right, we know this.
Well, it turns out, in Europe, all of that
is about to change.
REPORTER: Could this be the potential end
of putting your phone on airplane mode
maybe when you take a flight?
Starting in June, airplane mode won't be mandatory on flights
in the European Union.
The European Commission recently
ruled that airlines can provide 5G technology on board
the plane, which allows passengers to send and receive
calls and text messages.
Yes, finally.
Passengers in Europe can make phone calls
while on a plane because every time I've been on a plane,
I've always thought, man, I wish
everyone was having a different loud conversation right now.
That baby can't be the only one who's allowed to make noise.
Come on, man.
I know some people like this.
I think it sucks.
I feel like, as a society, we're quickly
running out of places that give you
an excuse not to take a call.
You used to be able to say, sorry, I wasn't home.
I missed your call.
And then the cell phone killed that.
Yeah.
Then you have to pretend you were going into a tunnel.
Oh, yes, Uncle Jimmy, I would love to hear that story,
but I'm going into a tunnel, bye.
And then the tunnels got reception.
Then subways got reception.
Now the planes have reception?
Pretty soon the only excuse you'll
have for not being able to get a call
is that you're on T-Mobile.
But I was-- [gibberish]
But-- but I mean, I guess if you really
need to make a call on a plane, it's
not the worst thing in the world to have an option.
But I just hope the pilots don't
have access to this feature.
Folks, we're having a major storm system.
Please return to your seats and buckle up.
I'll let you know when we've gotten through it.
It could be quite bumpy and dangerous.
All right, Greg, this is going to take
all of your concentration and skills as a pilot,
but you can do this.
Just focus.
[phone rings]
Oh, shit, it's Wendy.
It's Wendy.
Hey, girl, what's going on?
No, I'm not doing anything.
You know me, I'm just living my life.
[yells]
Terrible.
All right, that's it for today's headlines.
Let's move on to something that everyone loves.
It's time to check in on today's lotto numbers
with Dulcé Sloan, everybody.
[blowing kisses]
What's going on, Dulcé Sloan?
So good to see you, friend.
Hello!
Yes.
Dulcé, what are today's winning lotto numbers?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen.
Listen.
Trevor, now, I hear what you're saying.
Nobody wants people on a plane on the phone.
But have you ever overheard a good argument?
I'm talking about tea, hot, poured fresh from an exit row?
Come on.
Picture this.
You're on an international flight.
The movie's trash.
You already ate.
There's nothing to do.
And then suddenly, you hear Stacy in the middle seat
call her husband and tell him she's
pregnant because she took a pregnancy
test in the terminal bathroom.
And then he says, pregnant?
How?
We haven't had sex in six months?
What?
Can you even get a pregnancy test at a Hudson
News in the airport?
Did she bring it from home?
Whose baby is this?
So now we got something to do.
Now all of us in row 18 need to decide if he is
going to divorce her, right?
But you're all the way in row 23,
and the good shit is in row 18.
So now the flight attendant has to get on the PA
and go, listen, Stacy is pregnant.
We don't know if it's her husband's or somebody else.
But there's more information to come.
Also, we're at 30,000 feet, blah, blah, blah, right?
So now, everybody on the plane got to go,
is this a miracle or a sin?
Right?
Is Stacy a hero or is she Jezebel Harlot Incorporated?
Either way, this is my in-flight movie now.
And this is people coming together as a people, OK?
Because what do people love to do?
Be in other people's business!
And that is why I think that we should
have phone calls on airplanes.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
- OK, wait.
Wait. Wait.
But go back. Go back.
Yeah, but, so what happened with the baby?
I don't know!
See, that's what I'm saying.
I wasn't going to Scotland, but now I have to follow this lady
to hear the rest of the story.
I was on my way to Dubai.
And now I got to go to cold-ass Scotland
to see what this heifer's up to.
OK, well, I can't wait to find out, Dulcé.
But we're running out of time.
Can we get to the lotto numbers, please?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Listen, by the way, now you know, she's an Atlanta girl.
She's a Georgia peach.
And Atlanta was going wild last night
over the Warnock victory, OK?
It was so turned up, my friend's son
was late to school this morning, and he's 10.
Now, Trevor, this was the real battle of Southern
politics, OK?
A pastor and a football player?
The god of football and the god of God?
And I'm glad Herschel didn't win, OK?
We are all very happy that that block-headed man did not win.
But the problem is now that he's not running,
we don't know where he's at.
During the election, I felt safe.
He was on camera all the time, OK?
But now he's "incognegro" and free.
Listen, this man is a menace.
He's going to be running around,
impersonating FBI agents, OK?
Getting everybody and their mama pregnant.
This is a public safety emergency.
And when I say everybody and their mama,
I'm worried because my mama lives in Georgia.
We got to find this man, OK?
Listen, now, I know a couple of places he won't be--
a library, the condom section of a CVS, family court.
We know where he's not going to be.
And listen, America, for just $0.65 a day,
you can help me find Herschel Walker.
OK, well, Dulcé--
Dulcé, people will have the money
to help you if we can help them with the lotto numbers.
Can we just get the winning lotto numbers, please?
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course.
So today's winner is Herschel Walker.
Mr. Walker, you just need to come down to the studio
and claim your prize.
And please, do not pay attention to the giant cage
above your head.
Dulcé Sloane, everybody.
The weirdest lotto number I've ever gotten.
All right, when we come back, we're
going to get a sneak peek at the season's best
Christmas movie of all time.
Plus, the legendary Roger Federer, still joining me
on the show, so don't go away.
[music playing]
(HISPANIC ACCENT) Hey, patron, you ever
had one of those days where you thought
you had something in your pockets,
but you check and then it's missing?
(GERMAN ACCENT) I think we should all proceed carefully.
(NORWEGIAN ACCENT) Hello, I don't know if you know this,
but Kamala Harris likes fjords.
(FRENCH ACCENT) Hello, Margaret, I need
those documents on my desk by the end of the day.
(NEW ZEALANDER ACCENT) Luckily though, I've
been going to speech therapy, and I'm slowly getting
better, mate.
(ARABIC ACCENT) Here, do this sword dance.
Dance with the sword.
Dance.
Now, put your hands on the glowing.
Oh, my god, he's doing it, guys.
He's doing it.
(BRITISH ACCENT) Man United are shit this season.
Arsenal!
God save the Queen.
I miss her so much.
Arsenal!
(INDIAN ACCENT) You know, I still wish
you went to medical school.
A billion is cool, but you know what's cooler?
Being a doctor!
(UKRAINIAN ACCENT) Yes, I have voted for your mama.
Oh.
Oh, look at that.
Oh, I voted twice. Oh.
[music playing]
[cheering]
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
It's the holiday season, the time of year
when we bring a tree into our living room
so we can sing songs around it while we watch it slowly die.
It's also the time when TV networks drop dozens
of holiday movies where white people
meet and fall in love thanks to the power of Christmas.
It's a tradition that we at The Daily Show love so much,
we wanted to get in on ourselves.
So please, enjoy this trailer for our own upcoming
holiday movie.
He was a poll worker doing his part in a local election.
No matter who you voted for, democracy wins.
Shut up.
She was a self-appointed election monitor.
He's harvesting ballots.
That's voter fraud!
Ballot mule, 2000 Mules, 2000 Mules!
Hey, I got one!
I got one!
But when a mandatory recount brought them together.
Hey, you can't take these votes.
Like hell, I can't.
These are made of Chinese bamboo.
You can't fool me.
They belong here, underneath this randomly hung mistletoe.
Now this holiday, they'll both be learning how to steal,
each other's hearts.
[banging]
But how can two people share a life together when
they can't share a democracy?
Christmas Town has a new mayor.
It came down to one final ballot.
And the final vote is for the Democrat.
You rigged the election and ruined Christmas.
Honey, just because the Republican lost,
doesn't mean it was rigged.
[gasping]
The only loss here is you, losing me.
Oh, man.
This is really a low part in our story.
When elections hopes are lost,
sometimes all you need is a Christmas miracle.
[shouting]
Stop the steal!
Get ready, boys, we're going in.
Excuse me.
You got room for one more patriot at this insurrection?
You brought zip ties.
If we're going to do this, we're going to do it together.
This holiday season, make sure you cast--
[yelling]
--A vote for love.
Can't wait to angrily watch that.
All right, stay tuned, because when we come back,
the king of the court, Roger Federer
will be joining me on the show.
You don't want to miss it.
[cheering]
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is one of the greatest tennis players
and one of the greatest athletes of all time.
He is a 20-time Grand Slam champion.
He is also a philanthropist, an entrepreneur,
and one of the classiest people you will ever meet.
Please, welcome Roger Federer.
[cheering]
Roger Federer himself.
- Nice to see you. - Welcome to The Daily Show.
Thank you.
TREVOR NOAH: It is so good to have you here because, I mean,
you have for over two decades now in many ways
defined a sport.
You've defined how people see it.
You've defined how people try and play it.
You are a move.
I don't know if you ever think about how amazing
that is when people will say-- they'll be like,
I'm doing a Federer backhand.
I'm doing a-- you know what I mean?
You've transcended the sport as well.
Because tennis for many people is just this thing
that happens somewhere, and who plays it,
and how do they play it?
You've become larger than life.
And now it has all come to an end.
Before we talk about the end, let's talk about what it was.
When you look back--
[laughter]
No, I want to talk about that.
Just when you look back, did you know from the beginning?
Did you have an inkling?
Did you look in the mirror and go like, oh, I'm
going to switch this shit up?
[laughs] No, no, I did not know it was
going to turn out this good.
I mean, in Switzerland, we don't dream this big,
you know?
We hope to be good, but not great.
TREVOR NOAH: [laughs]
And in sports, it's probably skiing,
and there's a bit football, bit of ice hockey
and all that stuff.
And then tennis was coming up.
And, thankfully, we had an Olympic champion
Marc Rosset in '92.
He won the Olympics in tennis.
And then we had Martina Hingis, who also
won the US Open and Wimbledon.
TREVOR NOAH: Yes, of course, right, right.
And they paved the way for me a little bit
to show me that it was possible.
And then, yeah, people were saying
I could be the next Pete Sampras,
and I was talented and all that stuff.
But you feel like they always say that at some point.
And I never thought I was going to have
this great of a career.
So I couldn't be more excited, more happy, and more proud
of everything.
And, unfortunately, it has come to an end,
but it's been great.
TREVOR NOAH: It really has been great.
It's been amazing.
It truly has.
[cheering]
You talk about Pete Sampras.
And I think about somebody like Pete,
who is a legend in the sport, who defined
so many aspects of the game.
And he held the record for a very long time.
And then you come into the sport.
You eclipse his record in what, six years, it takes you.
And Pete would talk about how he got
sort of tired of the sport.
And he was a champion.
But you had this drive and this class about you
that nobody understood.
You're a multi-generational talent
as well because the class that you came in with retired
before you.
The next class played with you, and you
were still the champion.
And now the class that is there now still goes,
Roger Federer is one of the best competitors
we've ever played against.
What do you think--
I would love to know how you found that drive.
How did you keep on going?
And what inspired you even when you had won it all?
It's a good question.
And when I was growing up, I had
Michael Schumacher that I would look up to,
who was at the top for so long.
Tiger Woods, same thing, and I always
thought it's impossible to do that, to stay at the top
for so long and have that drive.
Now people ask me, how did you do it?
I'm like, well, it's normal.
You just go out there.
You do it again, and you try to win, and again.
And it's fun, and so you keep doing it.
TREVOR NOAH: [laughs]
Everybody else would like to be in your shoes, right?
Yes, yes.
And then you also have a duty, in my mind,
to represent the sport well and enjoy it while it lasts.
And I really felt like I squeezed out
that lemon till the last drop.
And I tried my very best to the end.
And it was incredible, and I needed
the likes of Pete Sampras to also
show me how it is at the top.
And it's tough, you know?
But I feel like I had a lot of fun on the tour.
It was not just about tennis.
It was also going to nice dinners with friends.
And I'm happy that I didn't take
tennis almost that serious or that professional.
Still had that bit of an amateur twist to it.
A bit worried that every sport is going
into such a professional direction, which I hope
we don't lose the fun in it.
It's important.
TREVOR NOAH: Yeah, I'd love to know--
yeah, that's one of the biggest things
that has struck me about you in meeting you as a human being.
And many people will say this about you.
You'll meet many athletes who have dominated a sport.
The sport is their life.
It doesn't feel like that for you.
It feels like the sport is a huge part of your life,
but Roger Federer is still Roger Federer.
You know, you're down to Earth. You have fun.
You meet people. You have conversations.
You're living the life, and you're enjoying what the life
comes with in the sport.
It inspires you in a different way.
Do you feel like the whole sport has changed in that way?
Has it become, like, really meticulous and analytical?
Yeah, more so, more analytics in the game.
Sports science is also coming in hard.
It's OK.
It's important, you know?
And when you see somebody else doing something
that works well, you got to kind of
do it to or at least try it.
And then you go--
you follow them.
And I probably-- I did some of it for other players
or for a lot of them.
And now others are showing it how it's done.
And, of course, we're living in a very statistic-based world.
We love our statistics, and we love
breaking records, and who's the greatest, and all that stuff.
So you come out.
You just won a grand slam, or you're just world number one.
And the first question, so how long
do you want to say world number one?
Like, when are you going to win the next grand slam?
Like, what's your next win, instead
of actually enjoying it.
And it's a bit of a problem, I think.
Instead of enjoying it, we have to move on too quickly.
And one Wimbledon victory would have been plenty for me,
and ended up going on and winning several.
But it was--
TREVOR NOAH: Yeah, [laughs] several.
Several, indeed. - It was good.
Several, indeed.
[cheering]
I'd love to talk to you about that.
When people regard an athlete as the greatest of all time,
oftentimes they're only referring to what the athlete
has done in the field of play, on the court,
on the racetrack, whatever it may be.
Every single human being who, even if they don't know you
personally, says Roger Federer is the greatest of all time
not just because of what he achieved in terms of numbers,
but how he defined the sport.
For instance, you had the record for a very long time,
20 grand slams, you know?
Then Rafa comes along and beats that with 21.
Then Novak comes along and beats that with 22.
And yet when you talk to them, they say,
Roger Federer is who we are aspiring to,
and he defines how we're trying to play.
So I'd love to know, is it a little bit
irritating that they're using you to beat your record?
Or does it strike you that these are your greatest
competitors saying, yeah, but you're still the pinnacle
of what we're trying to be?
No, no, no.
Look, I feel very lucky to be that guy.
And I know I've been--
since they come on tour, I've been there.
So I think it's a great moment for them,
you know, to now show who they are without that Federer
halo effect, me being around.
TREVOR NOAH: Yes, right.
And especially the younger generation,
they were not allowed to say I want to win the US
Open because they were told, you
can't say that because Novak and Rafa and Roger.
We're all playing.
So they are the ones that can say that.
You're not allowed to say that.
But I think the end was very emotional.
And to be actually on such a great sort of a friendship
really with the guys at the very end of my career
after everything that we've gone through, brutal matches,
great wins, tough losses, and at the end always having
this camaraderie is amazing.
I mean, maybe just a little anecdote
because maybe people don't know,
but we share the same locker room.
We share the same restaurants.
We usually get put in the same hotels.
So we see each other all the time.
And we even practice together, you know?
TREVOR NOAH: You see, that's something I think
a lot of people don't know.
And when I found that out, it was one of the strangest ideas
I had to wrap my head around.
I don't think there are many sports
where the greatest rivals--
You would think so, yeah.
TREVOR NOAH: --practice with each other.
I always go like-- you know, I think of Kung Fu movies
as a kid.
I don't want you to know my secrets.
ROGER FEDERER: Definitely.
I don't want you to know my tricks.
And yet you would hit with each other.
You would practice--
But that's why I ended up not practicing
very much with Novak and Rafa anymore.
Ah, OK, OK.
OK, that makes sense.
Not so much with those guys.
Right, but agree with Stan, for instance, right?
You've practiced--
Yeah, with a lot guys, Stan Wawrinka, my guy, yeah,
Right.
And there's a camaraderie that you-- for instance, many
were shocked, especially people who
don't watch tennis, to see when you were
saying goodbye to the sport.
So many people were sad because I think for many,
myself included, we felt like we were
robbed of the last few years.
COVID robbed us of so much in our personal lives--
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, definitely.
--in societal lives, but then also in moments like this.
We got robbed of two years of Roger
Federer playing the game.
You know, it felt like your retirement came so early.
And when you did say goodbye-- - [laughs]
No, to us, it did. It just-- you know?
Not for me.
Your knees are telling a different story.
I was hanging on.
[laughs] But then there's that
amazing video of the players saying goodbye to you.
And it's this clip of you and and Rafael Nadal crying.
ROGER FEDERER: We're all crying.
TREVOR NOAH: You are crying.
You are in tears.
You're bawling together.
Yeah.
And that was a special moment for you.
I really think--
I mean, this is a very unusual situation for us
to be on the same team, number one.
And so I think that changed the whole dynamics of my farewell
if you want.
Then my hope was I could play doubles with Rafa.
So call him up after the US Open, and it was a very
emotional phone call, actually, because it
was one of the first times I told somebody
outside of my team and family.
And I had to call him up and tell him, hey, Rafa,
just before we make any other plans,
I would love you to be at the Laver Cup
and play maybe one last doubles with me.
It would be amazing because, unfortunately, my knee
is not so good anymore.
And I think it's the end, you know?
And he's like, oh, yeah, oh my god, OK, yeah, I'll
be there, whatever it takes.
I just-- he's now become a father.
I'm so happy for him.
TREVOR NOAH: Yes, congratulations to him.
Yeah.
[cheering]
And we were not sure if he was going
to make because of the baby.
So it was one of the first times I had to tell that story
and come to terms, like, the career is ending.
So when he showed up, and Novak was there,
and Murray was there, and Bjorn Borg was there,
and everybody was there, it was an amazing moment.
And then I knew it was going to be incredibly emotional.
I've always cried a lot in victory and in defeat
when I was younger.
TREVOR NOAH: [laughs]
And I don't know why, but I do it.
But I'm happy because I remember those moments
even more so because of it.
And then when it was all over, and I had to take the mic,
I knew it was going to be terrible for me.
But I felt like I did, actually, pretty good.
TREVOR NOAH: I think you did.
And I was so happy.
I was able to be there in tennis clothes and not
like this because that was my-- in my vision was going to be--
TREVOR NOAH: Oh, that's beautiful.
I like that.
--a horror show for me to be there
with the mic in the light and tell everybody, this is it.
TREVOR NOAH: It was home. It was home.
And it was amazing to do it in London, too,
where I had so much success.
And Laver Cup was beautiful, and Rafa there
holding my hand briefly--
people thought it was--
[laughter]
Or I held his hand, actually.
But-- - Hands were held.
It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.
It was amazing, honestly.
You know, you're going to have,
and you will always be synonymous with the sport.
As I said, you cannot separate Roger Federer
from the sport itself now.
And yet I was shocked to hear a story, which I don't
know if it was true or not.
I was like, Roger Federer, everyone in tennis,
you cannot-- the name is synonymous with the sport.
You cannot, Rog-- and then someone was like,
well, you know, Roger couldn't get into Wimbledon recently.
I was like, wait, wait.
That's not possible.
Is Roger Federer-- is it a true-- is there even
a semblance of truth to you--
- Yeah, yeah. - Wait.
No, no. I need to understand.
What happened?
It was actually two weeks ago.
So I was in Tokyo for my sponsor, Uniqlo.
And I came back to Wimbledon, actually, to London
to come see a doctor for having a second opinion on my knee
because my knee has been not great lately.
And then I didn't want to tell Wimbledon that I
was going to maybe be there.
And I didn't know if I was going
to have time to go by the club because I
was going to fly home-- TREVOR NOAH: Oh, got it.
--to the family.
So doctor appointment was done.
Look on the watch.
OK, we got two hours to kill.
So what are we going to do?
Do we head to the airport?
Or let's quickly go have tea at Wimbledon.
TREVOR NOAH: Of course.
So I'm like, let's go.
But I have not really been at Wimbledon
when the tournament is not on.
OK, so I drive up to the gate, where,
usually, guests come in.
TREVOR NOAH: Yes.
Where let's say you would arrive, and then you go up.
And so I get out to tell my coach who was
with me at the time, Severin--
I quickly go out and speak to the security lady.
You know, I got this.
And then--
[laughter]
I did not.
So then I get out, and I'm like,
yes, hello, just was wondering how I can get into Wimbledon.
You know, where is the door?
Where is the gate?
And she's, yeah, do you have a membership card?
I'm like, uh, we have one?
Because when you win Wimbledon, you
become a member automatically.
TREVOR NOAH: OK.
Yes, and I honestly--
I don't know about membership cards.
They're probably at home somewhere.
And I've just been traveling.
So I had no idea.
So I'm like, no, I don't have my membership card.
But I am a member.
I'm just wondering where I can get in.
And she's, yeah, but you have to be a member.
So I'm like, OK, this is going to be difficult here,
this one.
So I'm like, no, I am a member.
And, normally, I am here so--
I have to start again, right?
So I tell her, normally, when I'm here, I'm playing.
And there's loads of people.
And I come in a different way.
And now it's the first time I'm not here,
yeah, while the tournament's not on.
And I don't know where to get in.
So I'm just asking you again, where can I get in?
She's like, well, other side, but you have to be a member.
[laughter]
So I look at her one last time, and I'm in a panic now.
And I'm so sorry.
And I couldn't believe--
I still can't believe I say that because I
still feel bad about it.
And I'd look at her and say, I have won
this tournament eight times.
[laughter]
Please, believe me.
I am a member.
And where do I get in?
So I'm like, OK.
[applause]
It was-- so then--
Yeah.
I get back in the car.
My coach is like, oh, good.
Where do we get in?
I'm like, don't-- don't talk.
[laughter]
So I'm like, let's go up and around the gate.
It's like--
TREVOR NOAH: So she doesn't let you in.
- No, so-- - Oh, wow, OK.
So then I go out, and I go around on the other side.
So I get out of the car, and random person
walks on the walkway and says, oh,
Mr. Federer, my god, I can't believe
you're here at Wimbledon.
Can we take a selfie?
I'm like, yes, let's take--
[laughter]
Let's take a picture.
And the security guards that are there,
they're like, oh my god, Mr. Federer,
what are you doing here?
Do you have your membership card?
I'm like--
[laughter]
--no, I don't.
But is it possible to get in?
Of course, we'll open the door.
Let me organize it.
And I walk in, and the chairman was there and everybody.
And I was having tea for an hour.
And I thought of going over to the other side
and giving a wave that I was in.
[laughter]
But I didn't do it.
- You would never do that. - But it was--
You would never do that.
It was terrible.
You would never do that.
You see?
That's what I mean.
That's the Roger Federer.
When I said I won Wimbledon eight times, for a split
second, I wasn't sure if it was eight anymore because I
thought it, was it seven?
Was it eight?
I don't know, but I said it because I
never talk like this. So--
Yes, you know what?
I love that both of you in that situation--
because on your side, you never talk like that.
You're never that person.
I've bumped-- I've been with you in places where somebody
for some reason doesn't recognize you,
and you don't respond as if they should recognize--
you're not that person. - No, exactly.
But on her side, I believe she deserves a raise.
She was gangster about it.
She was doing her-- TREVOR NOAH: Yeah.
Absolutely.
TREVOR NOAH: She's like, where is your membership card, sir?
Because, I mean, you know how it goes sometimes.
Hey, man, anyone could look like Roger Federer.
- Absolutely. - I don't know if you're Roger.
Where's the membership card, baby?
Yeah, where is your name? Where is your picture?
You don't have it. I'm sorry.
I like that. I like that a lot.
Yeah, it was good. It was good.
You know, what I've enjoyed about knowing you is we
have so many things in common.
You may not know this as an audience.
But Roger and I, we have many things in common.
We both are half Swiss, half South African.
- That's right. - Yeah?
We're both half Swiss, half South African.
[cheering]
We both speak multiple languages.
We both played at the record-holding--
I think it's--
We both play tennis.
TREVOR NOAH: Right, we both play tennis.
We do. We do.
Yeah, I think it's the world record
for the highest attendance for a tennis match that.
We might still hold it.
Yeah.
I mean, I played for 20-plus years, right?
But to break the record, I needed you.
TREVOR NOAH: You needed help.
Yes, I needed help.
I don't think it would have happened without me.
Definitely not.
We have between us 20 Grand Slam titles.
It's crazy.
[laughter]
And in many ways, we're both moving on to
something different.
And I'd love to know from your side,
as an athlete who has defined yourself as something for so
long-- and the people have defined
this one thing for so long.
You've talked about how hard the idea of moving on
has been, the idea of what you will do
when tennis isn't your life.
But I've noticed that you've almost seamlessly
slid into everything.
Your clothing is everywhere.
Your shoes-- like, one of my camera guys on the team, Tim,
he was telling me.
He's like, these are like walking on clouds.
You know what I mean? - Oh, really?
No, but you-- and you've done everything exceptionally.
Your philanthropy, all of the work
you've done to help education in Africa,
Roger Federer has excelled at everything in life.
What are you most excited about that won't be tennis related?
I feel a little bad at the moment because, I mean,
it's been super easy transition so far.
I feel really good.
I mean, I might fall off the cliff tomorrow.
Who knows?
But I feel really good.
And the thing is I've told a lot of people who
had so many requests while I was still playing, like,
well, reach out to me when I'm retired.
TREVOR NOAH: Yes. - So they have now.
TREVOR NOAH: They've reached out now.
And so now we've had to say no in a thousand
different messages, ways.
You know, unfortunately, no, still not.
You know?
So I feel bad about saying no.
But I think I have to take the time to make the next move.
I'm anyway still very busy.
I mean, I have four children, and they
mean everything to me.
TREVOR NOAH: Two sets of twins.
Twin boys that are 8 and twin girls that are 13.
So that needs to be my priority with my wonderful wife, Mirka.
And we--
[yelp]
[laughs] TREVOR NOAH: That's right.
She deserves a cheer. - She does.
Mirka is amazing if you've met her.
She really is.
She's been with me every step of the way.
No, so I'm really looking forward to what's next.
I mean, like you said, I have my philanthropy.
I have my partners, my sponsors.
I have my business, and it's going super well.
And I don't know.
I want to see how I maybe stay involved in tennis
in some shape or form.
I'm not sure yet how it's going to go because there's not
that many jobs if you want in tennis
like in maybe in soccer or in golf.
I feel like they have many more.
TREVOR NOAH: Oh, that's interesting.
Yeah, they do.
But, yeah, we are either a coach or a commentator, right?
TREVOR NOAH: That's it.
It's a very solitary sport, very small.
Yeah, so I'll have to see.
But I will always be open to mentor kids
and do all that stuff.
There is one thing that you're doing exceptionally
right now, and that is being an ambassador for Swiss tourism.
I don't know if you've seen the ads.
They're really amazing.
No, they really are.
They're some of the funniest ads.
You did one with Anne Hathaway that was pretty amazing.
We did.
The one with Robert De Niro was one of my favorites,
you know? - OK, thank you.
But I was intrigued by this because I
came to Switzerland for the first time on my comedy tour.
Right, you were there.
You were gracious.
Roger reached out, which this is the kind
of person this man is.
This is Roger Federer, the greatest tennis
player who's ever lived, one of the greatest
athletes of all time.
And I get a call when I'm in Switzerland.
He goes, I know you're here.
Would you like me to maybe-- would
you like to go for lunch maybe and talk about Switzerland?
Or can I show you around?
Or can-- I'm like, can you?
Like, it's so gracious, and it's so unassuming of--
like, I would expect you for me be like, I know you're here.
You're going with me.
But, no, Roger Federer is like, if you would like,
maybe I can--
- And it was great to see you. - It was amazing.
And your show was unbelievable, by the way.
TREVOR NOAH: And you're one of the best tour guides--
So good.
--of Swiss tourism.
No, I learned from you.
I put stuff in the show.
[cheering]
And so I'd love to know--
Those ads were nerve racking because the good thing was
the Robert De Niro one is that--
I mean, number one, I can't believe he actually did it,
which in itself was a victory.
I'm a huge fan.
And then he shot his first.
It was during COVID, and was like on a call together,
you know?
TREVOR NOAH: Yeah, it was like a video call.
On a video call So he had done his before.
And then I could just act on what he did.
Yes.
And I, obviously, could do a hundred takes if I had to.
And it was no pressure, and he wasn't around.
But I agree.
It was actually very creative, and it was a good piece,
especially his side. Me, I'm--
TREVOR NOAH: I think you were fantastic.
--not the best.
But then Anne Hathaway, on the other hand,
she was sitting next to me when I was doing the ad, and--
TREVOR NOAH: Was that stressful?
Yes, that was very stressful.
[laughter]
Because the script had changed a lot of the times.
And then I gave up because I knew Anne was doing her magic.
And when I showed up, the director said,
I usually shoot in one piece.
I'm like, what do you mean in one piece?
Like, the whole thing?
TREVOR NOAH: Just like, yeah, one take, the whole thing.
And then he goes, like, and action.
And, literally, I had no idea about any of the lines.
So they created all these teleprompters for me
so I could read off them.
And then the camera would be moving
in front of the teleprompter.
[laughs]
And I'd be chasing the text.
Anyway, I got better over time.
And then Anne was super sweet.
She couldn't have been nicer to me.
And then she tells me at one point towards the end-- she's
like, you know, Roger, you have improved
so much during the shoot, and you're doing so good.
You're improvising incredibly well.
And I look at her.
I was like, you don't have to tell me this.
I don't need to be an actor.
I'm not a good actor.
And I need you to come home and just say, you know what?
Swiss tourism, this was a fun ad.
You had a great time, and you don't need to tell me I'm a--
I'm doing well. TREVOR NOAH: Right, right.
It just needs to be good for you.
I'm fine. Don't worry.
I can be terrible, and I'm OK with it too.
TREVOR NOAH: But you weren't terrible.
You were great.
You're a great ambassador for Switzerland.
You're a great ambassador for the sport of tennis.
And, honestly, you're a great ambassador for human beings.
Thank you for everything you've done.
Thank you very much. Been a pleasure.
- We appreciate you so much. - Thank you for having me.
Thank you for taking the time to be here.
It's an honor. - Love being here.
Every single person who [inaudible]..
Thank you.
Roger Federer, everybody.
We're going to take a quick break,
but we'll be right back after this.
Thank you very much. - Really.
I hope you enjoyed it.
[cheering]
Well, that's our show for tonight.
But before we go--
before we go, once again, this holiday season,
please consider supporting Feeding America,
the largest hunger relief organization
in the United States.
If you want to support their amazing work of getting
nourishing food to the people who need it most,
then, please donate at the link below.
Until next time, stay safe out there.
And, remember, if at first you don't succeed, please,
Herschel, don't do it again. Just quit.
Just do it again.
Now here it is, your Moment of Zen.
Let's dance because we deserve it.
[music playing]
(SINGING) Up on my waist, looking like the baddest chick
in this place.
I drop it up and pick it up slowly.
It's hot in here, sweat dripping down my face.
On the dance floor.
On the-- on the--
on the dance floor.
Babe, babe.
I'm on the dance floor.
Meet me on the dance floor.