Sports World Reacts to Tennis Legend Roger Federer’s Retirement
Athletes and observers around the world paid homage to the superstar as the news broke.
Roger Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion and tennis icon, announced Thursday he will retire from tennis following the Laver Cup in London.
“I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years,” he said in a video posted to Twitter. “Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize 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.”
The 41-year-old has been on the ATP tour since 1998, racking up 103 singles titles and the third-most Grand Slam titles among men’s players in tennis history. He is only behind Novak Djokovic (21) and Rafael Nadal (22). The first of Federer’s eight Wimbledon titles came in ’03 when he was only 21. In ’04, he won his first U.S. Open and Australian Open titles, while also defending his Wimbledon crown. He clinched his first and only French Open title in ’09.
From February 2004 to August 2008, Federer was ranked No. 1 in the world. He also won a gold medal in the ’08 Olympics and silver in the ’12 Olympics.
The latter part of his career was marred by injuries, including multiple knee surgeries. The Swiss last won a Grand Slam at the Australian Open in ’18 and did not appear in a single Grand Slam tournament in ’22.
Federer will go down as one of the greatest to play the game, and the sports world paid homage to the superstar as the news broke.
The Laver Cup will begin on Sept. 23 in London.
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