Roger Federer announced his retirement on Thursday, saying the Laver Cup would be his last ATP competition.
As many of you know, he has struggled over the past three years due to injuries and operations. He has put a lot of effort into getting back into full competitive form. Yet he’s also aware of his body’s capabilities and limitations, and he recently made that clear to her.
He is forty-one years old. In 24 years, he has played more than 1,500 matches,” Federer noted. “Tennis has given him more than he could have ever imagined, and now he has to decide when to stop his competitive career.
“His last ATP competition will be the Laver Cup in London the following week. Of course he will continue to play tennis, not in Grand Slams or on the Tour.”
The Swiss superstar has been ranked world No. 1 for 310 weeks, the second since 1973 only behind Novak Djokovic. However, from February 2, 2004 to August 18, 2008, Federer held No. 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks.
According to ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi, it is impossible to overstate Roger’s influence on tennis and the legacy he created. In his 24 years as a professional, Roger has garnered countless dedicated followers.
He increased the appeal of our sport and launched a new era of unique expansion. Few athletes have surpassed their sport in this way. Roger gave us all a sense of pride and gratitude for participating in the same sport.
“His champion attitude, sportsmanship and style of play have wowed audiences around the world for decades, encouraging countless others to pick up a racquet. He redefined greatness on the court. He always was and will continue to be a true ambassador and role model off the pitch, consistently giving fans as much of himself.
Roger has helped advance the sport and his fellow players through his unwavering dedication to the ATP Tour during his career and many years of work on the Players Council. He had an equally important humanitarian influence through the RF Foundation.”
Federer represented tennis as Chairman of the ATP Players Council from 2008-2014, then returned to the council from 2019-22. He had a significant impact in securing big price increases for players . The Swiss have helped around two million poor young people in Africa through the Roger Federer Foundation.
Federer also completed a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2009. A month later at Wimbledon, he broke Pete Sampras’ all-time men’s singles record by winning his 15th major championship.
He went on to win 20 Grand Slam titles, leaving only Rafael Nadal (22) and Novak Djokovic ahead of him (21). The Swiss won five consecutive US Open titles, the Roland Garros crown in 2009, eight Wimbledon medals and six Australian Open titles (2004-08).
During his illustrious career, Federer scored 1,251 victories at tour level, the second highest tally after Jimmy Connors’ 1,274 triumphs. The Swiss has also won 103 awards at tour level, just one shy of Connors, who has won 109.
At the Nitto ATP Finals, the Basel native set a record with six titles, 59 wins and 18 qualifications. Additionally, he excelled at the ATP Masters 1000 competitions, winning 28 titles there.
A record 40 ATP Tour Awards have gone to Federer, including ATP Tour No. 1 (2004–2007, 2009), Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year (2006, 2013), Comeback Player of the Year (2017), Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship (2004–09, 2011–17) and fan favorite (2003–21). He is also the most honored athlete in the history of the Laureus World Sports Awards, having won five Sportsman of the Year awards (2005-2008, 2018) and the comeback of the year in 2018.
The Swiss made his first ascent to the top of the sport aged 22, becoming the world No. 1 on February 2, 2004. From that point on, he had a reign without equal. He had a staggering 247-15 record (a win rate of over 94%) from 2004 to 2006.
He won 34 championships at the tour level during this time. Federer beat the top 10 opponents in 24 successive matches from 2003 to 2005. After that, Nadal and Djokovic joined Federer at the pinnacle of the sport, ushering in an unprecedented period of tennis known as the “Big Three”.
Federer has shown exceptional tenacity and tenacity recently. He underwent knee surgery in 2016 and after recovering played some of his best tennis ever in 2017.
His 18th Grand Slam triumph, his first since Wimbledon in 2012, came as the 17th seed at the 2017 Australian Open. After that year, he also won the championships for a record eighth time. He won his last major championship in Melbourne in 2018.
On February 19, 2018, at age 36, Federer broke the record for the oldest world number 1 in the Pepperstone ATP rankings. The Swiss have never stopped playing a match.
