20-time Grand Slam winner and tennis legend Roger Federer has announced retirement from tennis after this month’s Laver Cup.
41-year-old Federer has not played since Wimbledon last year when he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals. He had to undergo a third knee operation after 2021 Wimbledon Grand Slam event. This was two knee operations that he had in 2020.
The tennis legend said in a long statement, “My body’s message to me lately has been clear.”
His statement posted both in text and audio, read, “To my tennis family and beyond. Of all the gifts that tennis has given me over the years, the greatest, without a doubt, has been the people I’ve met along the way: my friends, my competitors, and most of all the fans who give the sport its life. Today, I want to share some news with all of you.”
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 15, 2022
He continued, “As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries. I’ve worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear. I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognise when it is time to end my competitive career.
“The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in grand slams or on the tour.”
Federer added, “I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years. Now I must recognise when it is time to end my competitive career.”
“To the game of tennis, I love you and will never leave you,” he added.
Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles with only Rafel Nadal (22) and Novak Djokovic (21) having won more Grand Slam titles than him.
Federer, who hails from Switzerland, made his professional debut in 1998 at the age of 16 and won his first Grand Slam title five years later in Wimbledon at the age of 21. He went on to win a record eight Wimbledon titles during his career.