“As many of you know, the past three years have brought me challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries,” Federer said Thursday in a post on his social media accounts. “I have been working hard to get back to full match fitness. But I also know my body’s capabilities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear. “I’m 41 years old. I’ve played more than 1500 matches in 24 years. Tennis has been more generous to me than I could have ever dreamed of, and now I have to recognize when it’s time to end my competitive career.” To my tennis family and beyond, Love, Roger pic.twitter.com/1UISwK1NIN — Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 15, 2022 Federer’s 20 Grand Slam titles rank third all-time among male players behind only contemporaries Nadal (22) and Djokovic (21). Federer said he plans to continue playing tennis, “but not at the Grand Slams or the tours.” She had not played a competitive match since reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2021 and announced in mid-August that she had undergone another knee surgery. However, he had appeared at an event to mark the 100th anniversary of Center Court at the All England Club in July and said he hoped to return to play there “one more time”. He had also said he would return to tournament action at the Swiss Indoors in October. “This is a bittersweet decision because I will miss everything the tour has given me,” Federer said. “But at the same time, there is so much to celebrate. I consider myself one of the luckiest people on Earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis and I did it at a level I never imagined, for much longer than I thought never possible”. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray are set to play together for the first time when they compete on September 23-25 as part of Team Europe at the Laver Cup in London. Named after Australian great Rod Laver, the three-day team event, organized by Federer’s management company, pits six of Europe’s top players against six from the rest of the world.
Federer leaves with 103 tournament-level titles on his impressive resume and 1,251 singles match wins, both second only to Jimmy Connors in the Open era, which began in 1968. Federer’s records include being the oldest No. 1 in ATP Rankings history — he returned to the top spot at age 36 in 2018 — and most consecutive weeks there. His weeks total was eclipsed by Djokovic. When Federer won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003, Pete Sampras held the men’s record for titles. The American had won his 14th US Open the previous year in what turned out to be the final match of his career. Federer would go on to surpass that, finishing with 20 by winning eight Wimbledon titles, six at the Australian Open, five at the US Open and one at the French Open. The 2009 Roland Garros trophy allowed Federer to complete a career Grand Slam. His serve, forehand, footwork and attacking style will live on in our memory. Also memorable were his matches against younger rivals Nadal, 36, and Djokovic, 35, who tied, then surpassed Federer’s Slam total and still wins titles at the sport’s four biggest tournaments. “I’ve been lucky enough to play so many epic matches that I’ll never forget,” Federer said in Thursday’s announcement. Addressing his “competitors on the court”, though not by name, he wrote: “We pushed each other and together we took tennis to new levels.” Federer and his wife, Mirka — also a tennis player. met as Olympic athletes — they have two sets of twins. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
