‘A Bittersweet Decision’: Roger Federer Announces Retirement From Tennis
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Roger Federer, one of the greatest tennis players of all time with 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, and still the holder of a record 237-straight weeks ranked Number One, has announced his professional retirement.
Federer revealed his decision Thursday in a note on social media. Noting the challenges he’s had with injuries and surgeries in recent years, the 41-year-old acknowledged he’s tired his best to “return to full competitive form,” but acknowledged, “I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear… Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize that it is time to end my competitive career.”
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Federer doesn’t plan to step away from the game completely. He’ll play one more Association of Tennis Professionals event, the Laver Cup, which will kick off in London next week. He also plans to keep playing in general, but not in Grand Slam tournaments or on the ATP tour.
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 15, 2022
“This is a bittersweet decision, because I will miss everything the tour has given me,” Federer said. “But at the same time, there is so much to celebrate. I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on Earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis, and I did it at a level that I never imagined, for much longer than I ever thought possible.”
After a litany of thank-yous to family, friends, sponsors, and fans, Federer offered a few more reflections on his 24-year career. “When my love of tennis started, I was a ball kid in my hometown of Basel. I used to watch the players with a sense of wonder. They were like giants to me and I began to dream. My dreams led me to work harder and I started to believe in myself. Some success brought me confidence and I was on my way to the most amazing journey that has led to this day.”
He ended by saying, “Finally, to the game of tennis: I love you and will never leave you.”
Federer joined the ATP tour in 1998 when he was just 16-years-old and started cementing his place in the upper echelons of the sport at Wimbledon 2001, when he beat No. 1-seeded Pete Sampras to advance to the quarterfinals. He won his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2003, and in 2004 won three of four Grand Slam titles (the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open). His dominance continued apace throughout the rest of the decade: His record-setting run at No. 1 ran from Jan. 2, 2004 to Sept. 8 2008; he added an Olympic gold medal to his trophy cabinet in 2008; and in 2009 he completed a career Grand Slam by finally securing a long-elusive (and ultimately only) French Open title. (And, if it counts as an accomplishment, he was also the subject of a classic, glowing David Foster Wallace profile in 2006.)
Federer remained a force on the tour into the 2010s, but knee and back problems seemed to finally present a roadblock around 2016. While the injuries and recovery kept him out of tennis for a bit, he returned in 2017 to win both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. In 2018, he won the Australian Open again — which would turn out to be his last Grand Slam title — and a few months later became the oldest player ever to take the No. 1 ranking.
Federer’s retirement coincides with that of Serena Williams, who also dominated the sport during the same period, and bowed out after the U.S. Open earlier this month. In the men’s game, Federer is the first of the fabled Big Three to retire, with the notably younger Rafael Nadal (36) and Novak Djokovic (35) still playing competitively (pending vaccination requirements, in Djokovic’s case).
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