The Swiss maestro confirmed retirement from professional tennis after the Laver Cup, which starts next week. The legendary tennis player bows out as one of the most decorated global sports stars.
On Thursday, tennis legend Roger Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis in a social media post. The 41-year-old is a winner of 20 Grand Slam titles and has been out of action since his quarter-final loss at Wimbledon in 2021.
“The Laver Cup, next week in London, will be my final ATP event,” he said in a Twitter post.
Federer finished five seasons as the world’s number one tennis player. His on-court rivalry with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic paved the way for a golden era of men’s tennis.
The last three years have seen Federer struggle with a knee problem. He underwent several knee surgeries. The age factor also started creating trouble as long-hour games were having an impact on his body.
The Swiss is considered by many as the greatest player ever to grace a tennis court. No matter what the situation, he always had the crowd behind him cheering his name.
A look at some of Roger Federer’s achievements
Federer’s first grand slam title win came in the year 2003 at Wimbledon. Since then, he has won 8 Wimbledon, 6 Australian Open, 5 US Open, and 1 French Open titles.
He is the first tennis player in the men’s category to have won 20 Grand Slam titles in the history of tennis. He reached the milestone after winning the 2018 Australian Open. His 8 Wimbledon titles are the most by any male player in the Open Era.
Federer’s 20 Grand Slam titles rank third among men’s all-time titles record, behind only Nadal (22) and Djokovic (21).
Although dominating on grass and hard courts, Federer went on to win his first major on clay. The 2009 French Open win helped him complete his Career Grand Slam.
Federer has a total of 103 career titles to his name, second only to Jimmy Connors in the Open Era.
The Swiss maestro spent a total of 310 weeks as the World No. 1, 237 of them continuously. At 36 years and 320 days, Federer became the oldest player to become World No. 1 in ATP history.
In the year 2012, Federer won a silver medal in the men’s singles at the London Olympics. He also won a gold medal with countryman Stan Wawrinka in the men’s doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“An outstanding career comes to an end. Thank you for all the memories, Roger Federer! You will be missed!” the official account of the Olympics tweeted.
