Roger Federer announces retirement

Anyone who watches the game of tennis or just follows Roger Federer has known for some time that the time for retirement was lingering as their favourite player once hit the age of 40 last year.

Like Serena Williams, the most accomplished champion in women’s tennis (single and doubles), who announced retiring from the game early this year, Federer, too, has made the same announcement official by penning a heartfelt letter to fans around the world.

Circling on the interwebs, in the letter Federer also explained his reasons for retiring.

Noted Federer: “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. But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear. I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. 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.”

Federer will last be seen playing in The Laver Cup in London after which he will not be playing in a Grand Slam tournament or ATP matches.”

He thanked his larger tennis family and his fans as well for letting his dream come to life for so many years.

Roger Federer’s presence in tennis

You may be thinking that Roger Federer will be out of sight and out of mind. Au contraire, Federer confirmed that while he won’t be playing ATP tours and Grand Slam tournaments, he will play tennis in some form in the future, just not on the competitive side.

He also revealed that future plans include being a commentator and heading to the commentary box.

Tennis pays tribute to Roger Federer

When Roger Federer broke the news of retiring, he confessed that three out of his four children cried. They are not the only ones who have taken the decision emotionally.

Tennis players from around the world including his greatest rival, Rafael Nadal, has said he’d love to play one more game with Federer. To that end, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and the controversial Novak Djokovic have confirmed participation in The Laver Cup.

In fact, next month, Roger Federer was scheduled to team up with Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, who has been a consistent presence during his Wimbledon matches in London for charity-based matches. However, in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Catherine aka, Kate will no longer play the match and neither will Roger Federer.

The Swiss giant has enough records

It is true that players like Novak Djokovic and all the players in the top ten will aim to go way past Roger’s Grand Slam victories and they might manage to do so. However, the Swiss player has some statistics that no one will be able to break anytime soon.

Among them are the number of wins in a main draw, the number of consecutive weeks, the number of titles and wins at Wimbledon.

Irrespective from being absent from the circuit for more than a year, Federer still holds these statistics.

Notes a report: “Roger Federer holds the Open Era record of 10 consecutive Slam finals. A domain that began in 2005 at Wimbledon, his reign, and ended with the US Open in 2007.”