Mirka has the Hall in splits! Federer's wife steals the show in HOF ceremony

Andy Roddick; (right) Roger Federer with wife Mirka at his Hall of Fame induction on Saturday. Pic/AFP

Roger Federer's Tennis Hall of Fame induction at Flushing Meadows on Saturday produced a rollercoaster of emotions for the 20-time Grand Slam champ, but one story narrated by Federer's wife Miroslava, better known as Mirka, had the audience in splits.

Recalling Federer's early playing days, Mirka, who was a professional tennis player herself, revealed that the Swiss ace used to warm up for his matches by facing her, and that led to one of his rivals Andy Roddick losing his cool when he lost to him in the 2005 Cincinnati Masters final. "I remember Andy joking after the Cincinnati final, ‘I can't believe I lost to a guy whose girlfriend warmed him up.' We still smile when we speak about it," Mirka recalled, with Roddick in the stands as the audience burst into laughter.

On his Hall of Fame induction, Federer said: "It's amazing to see yourself in a place like this. To read the stories of my greatest heroes and realise that I have a place here, it's one of the greatest honours of my life."