Tennis legend Roger Federer, the first male player to win 20 Grand Slam titles, has announced his decision to retire from the sport after the 2022 Laver Cup. Federer announced his decision with a post on Twitter. Twitter handle. Federer won his first Grand Slam in 2003 when he won the Wimbledon championship. Since then, he has won six Australian Open titles, one French Open, eight Wimbledon and five US Open titles. He has been struggling with a knee injury for a long time.
“Next week’s Laver Cup in London will be my last ATP event,” he said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.
The 41-year-old, who won 20 Grand Slam titles, has been out of action since a quarter-final loss at Wimbledon in 2021 before undergoing another knee surgery.
– Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 15, 2022
Federer is in third place in terms of total Grand Slam titles won, behind two main rivals, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Here is an excerpt from Federer’s statement about his retirement:
For my tennis family and beyond, of all the gifts tennis has given me over the years, the greatest are, without a doubt, the people I’ve met along the way. Go; My friends, my competitors and most of all the fans who have devoted themselves to the sport of its vitality. Today, I want to share some news with you all.
As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with many challenges in the form of trauma and surgery. I’ve worked hard to get back to full play. But I also know my body’s capabilities and limitations, and its message has been clear to me lately. I am 41 years old this year. I have played over 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever dreamed of and now I have to realize that it is time to end my playing career.
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Next week’s Laver Cup will be my last ATP event. Of course, I will play more tennis in the future but not at the big tournaments or on tour. This is a bitterly sweet decision because I will miss out on all that the tour has given me. But at the same time, there’s a lot to celebrate. I consider myself one of the luckiest people on earth. I’ve been given a special talent for playing tennis, and I’ve been doing it at a level I never imagined, much longer than I ever thought possible.
I want to especially thank my wonderful wife Mirka, who lived every minute with me. She warmed me up before the final, watching countless matches even while being over 8 months pregnant. And endured my goofy side on the road with my team for over 20 years. I also want to thank my 4 amazing kids for supporting me, always looking forward to discovering new places and creating great memories along the way.
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