One of the greatest sporting careers in history will come to an end when Roger Federer, 41, announces his retirement following the Laver Cup in London.
Federer, a 20-time grand slam champion, noted on social media on Thursday that his final week playing professionally will be the next week. The Laver Cup, a competition modelled after the Ryder Cup, was founded by Federer's management company, Team8.
"My final ATP competition will be the Laver Cup in London the following week. I will definitely continue to play tennis in the future, just not in Grand Slams or on the tour," he added.
Federer hasn't played since the Wimbledon quarterfinal loss to Hubert Hurkacz, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-0, where it was revealed he had reinjured the knee that had kept him off the tour for more than a year. Since January 2020, Federer has competed in five events and undergone three knee surgeries. He gave as his reason for retiring his late-career injury issues.
I have faced difficulties during the last three years in the shape of operations and injuries. I've put a lot of effort into getting back to full competitive shape," Federer wrote. "However, I am also aware of my body's potential and limitations, and lately, it has made that plain to me. I'm a 41-year-old man. In the past 24 years, I have participated in almost 1500 matches. Tennis has been more generous to me than I could have ever imagined, but now I have to decide whether to call it quits on my competitive career.
For a significant amount of time, Roger Federer owned the male grand slam championship record, surpassing his idol Pete Sampras, whose total of 14 titles was once thought to be virtually indestructible.
He also broke many records that serve as a testament to his excellence and consistency throughout his career, like making it to 36 straight quarterfinals and 23 consecutive grand slam semifinals. Federer has won six ATP Finals, 28 ATP Masters titles, and 103 ATP singles championships. He had a singles record of 1251-275 (82%) in 1,526 ATP tour matches.
Federer won his first grand slam championship at Wimbledon in 2003 when he was just 21 years old, and within 14 months he had established his domination. At his best between 2004 and 2007, he had a 247-15 (94%) record, meticulously redefining what excellence in the men's game meant.
As Federer pushed the sport to unimaginable velocity, the standard he set inspired notable challengers to follow, with Rafael Nadal, and then later Novak Djokovic, rising to form the big three, arguably the greatest era of men’s tennis.
Nadal himself was one of the many tennis players to write to Federer: "Dear Roger, my friend and rival," he wrote. "I wish this day had never arrived. For me personally and for sports all throughout the world, today is a sad day. It has been an honour and a privilege to spend these years with you, experiencing so many incredible moments both on and off the court.
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