By HOWARD FENDRICH
Roger Federer is retiring from skilled tennis at age 41 after a collection of knee operations, closing a profession during which he received 20 Grand Slam titles, completed 5 seasons ranked No. 1 and helped create a golden period of males’s tennis with rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Federer posted what he known as a “bittersweet decision” through each a written assertion and an audio clip on Thursday, lower than every week after 23-time main champion Serena Williams performed what is anticipated to be the final match of her profession.
Combined, the exits by two of the best athletes of their sport’s historical past symbolize a major turning of the web page.
“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,” stated Federer, who’s residence in Switzerland. “But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.”
Federer has not competed anyplace since Wimbledon in July 2021, and so, in that sense, his information shouldn’t be all that stunning.
But he had appeared at an occasion marking the 100-year anniversary of Centre Court on the All England Club this July and stated he hoped to return to play there “one more time.”
He additionally had stated he would return to event motion in his residence nation on the Swiss Indoors in October.
In Thursday’s announcement, Federer stated his farewell occasion would be the Laver Cup in London subsequent week. That is a workforce occasion run by his administration firm.
“I knew a few weeks ago that his rehabilitation with his knee wasn’t going as well as he had hoped. A few weeks after Wimbledon, he informed me that the knee was not reacting as well as it should and that he was thinking about figuring out a way to end his career,” Tony Godsick, Federer’s agent since 2005, stated in a phone interview Thursday.
“I had suggested to him years ago that he should stop. Not many tennis players at his level push into their 40s. But he was always interested in challenging himself,” Godsick stated. “And at the end of the day, after 1,500-plus matches, the tires finally wore out. And he’s got things to do in his next stage.”
Federer and his spouse, Mirka — a tennis participant, too; they met as athletes at an Olympics — have two units of twins, women who’re 13 and boys who’re 8.
Federer leaves the game with a complete of 103 tour-level titles on his substantial resume and 1,251 wins in singles matches, each second solely to Jimmy Connors within the Open period, which started in 1968. Federer’s data embrace being the oldest No. 1 in ATP rankings historical past — he returned to the highest spot at 36 in 2018 — and most consecutive weeks there (his complete weeks mark was eclipsed by Djokovic).
The dominance Federer displayed on the top of his powers is unequalled, together with reaching 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals, successful eight, from 2005-07, a run that additionally prolonged to 18 of 19 main finals into 2010.
In a sport the place adjustments in floor and different circumstances could make even the most effective gamers thrilled with a exhibiting right here or there into the second week of a Slam, Federer compiled streaks of 36 quarterfinals in a row and 23 semifinals in a row from 2004 to 2013.
“Roger Federer is a champion’s champion. He has the most complete game of his generation and captured the hearts of sports fans around the world with an amazing quickness on the court and a powerful tennis mind,” Hall of Famer Billie Jean King stated. “He has had a historic career with memories that will live on and on.”
When Federer received his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003, the boys’s document for many main trophies was held by Pete Sampras, who had received his 14th on the U.S. Open the yr earlier than in what turned out to be the final match of the American’s profession.
Federer would go on to blow well beyond that, ending up with 20 by successful eight championships at Wimbledon, six on the Australian Open, 5 on the U.S. Open and one on the French Open. His 2009 trophy at Roland Garros allowed Federer to finish a profession Grand Slam.
His serving, forehand, footwork and attacking fashion will all be remembered. Also unforgettable have been his matches towards youthful rivals Nadal, 36, and Djokovic, 35, who each equalled, then surpassed, Federer’s Slam complete and are nonetheless successful titles on the sport’s 4 greatest tournaments.
“I wish this day would have never come,” Nadal stated. “It’s a sad day for me personally and for sports people around the world. I said it to you when we spoke and now it’s here. It’s been a pleasure but also an honor and privilege to share all these years with you, living so many amazing moments on and off the court.”
Nadal now leads the boys’s main championship depend with 22, one forward of Djokovic.
“I was lucky enough to play so many epic matches that I will never forget,” Federer stated in Thursday’s announcement.
Addressing his “competitors on the court” — though not by title — he wrote: “We pushed each other, and together we took tennis to new levels.”
Federer’s final match anyplace got here on July 7, 2021, when he misplaced at Centre Court within the Wimbledon quarterfinals to Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
Soon after, Federer had surgical procedure to restore harm to his meniscus and cartilage in his proper knee — his third operation on that knee in a span of 1 1/2 years.
“Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt,” Federer stated Thursday, “and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com”