The day has come after 24 years. Swiss Tennis Legend and Modern day sporting great Roger Federer has announced his retirement from professional tennis following the Laver cup to be held in a week’s time. Federer – regarded as one of the most sought after tennis players, shared his decision through social media on 15th September.
“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,” said the 41-year-old.
THE RISE OF ROGER FEDERER AND HIS ENDLESS ACHIEVEMENTS
On August 8, 1981, a talent was born in the city of Basel, Switzerland that came to be known as Roger Federer we all know about. He always had a fond interest in sports, playing both Football and Tennis, and later he chose to take up tennis professionally.
Before taking the world by a storm with his abilities, young Federer served as a ball boy during the Swiss indoors tournament in his hometown. As he described in his own words, the Legend of the game started watching tennis players with a sense of wonder. His dreams forced him to work harder and he started gaining self-belief. Little pieces of success motivated him to go on and today he is included amongst the greatest sports personalities of all time.
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 15, 2022
By Age 14, Federer started competing in multiple tournaments. He looked up to former tennis players like Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg and began to imitate their work ethics. He practiced for 6 hours in a week alongside 3 hours of conditioning just like his idols. In 1998 he won the Wimbledon junior singles championship and a year later he made his debut in the Swiss Davis Cup.
At 18 years of age, Federer became the youngest tennis player to be inducted in the top 100 of the world’s best tennis players as he finished the year at the 64th spot. He also advanced to the bronze medal match during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The major kick start to his career came when he defeated former tennis player Pete Sampras to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2001.
In 2002, Federer jumped to the 6th spot and a year later in 2003 he won his first grand slam title in Wimbledon. The 41-year-old won his first Australian open as well as the US open and also defended his Wimbledon title to end up as world’s number 1 player in 2004. The Tennis Ace remained undefeated in 11 out of the 17 tournaments that year.
Dear Roger,my friend and rival.
I wish this day would have never come. It’s a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world.
It’s been a pleasure but also an honor and privilege to share all these years with you, living so many amazing moments on and off the court 👇🏻— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) September 15, 2022
He repeated the same thing in 2005 as he won 11 out of 15 tournaments including Wimbledon and the US Open. Roger Federer continued his dominance in the international circuit by entering record 24 straight finals from July 2003 to November 2005.
Roger Federer kept on thriving with each passing year and 2006 was probably his best season statistically. He became the first player to win three back-to-back Australian and US Opens and also entered the finals of the French open but eventually lost against Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Federer captured 12 titles and competed in 17 different tournaments.
In 2007, he again won the Australian Open which was his 10th grand slam trophy but failed to capitalize his momentum during the French open losing to Nadal yet again in the Finals. Federer met Nadal once again during the finals of Wimbledon 2007 and defeated the latter in a thrilling five set match to become only the second male player in 100 years after Bjorn Borg to win 5 successive Wimbledon titles.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he paired up with his fellow countryman Stan Wawrinka and added a gold medal in his cabinet in the men’s double category. Federer stayed at the summit of the world tennis ranking for an outstanding 237 weeks but Nadal ended his reign on August 2008.
Roger Federer’s first French open triumph came in June 2009, which was his 14th grand slam title. Later that year Federer won his 6th Wimbledon trophy and regained his number 1 ranking. In 2010, federer added another Australian Open by defeating Andy Murray in the Finals. He met Murray once again during the Wimbledon 2012 finals to win his 7th Wimbledon title.
They met once again during the finals of the London Olympics but this time Murray came out victorious and Federer had to settle with a Silver medal. His 2013 season was ruined by injuries and in 2014 he made it to only one grand slam finale losing to Novak Djokovic. He came back stronger in 2015 – reaching the finals of Wimbledon and the US open but lost to the same opponent on both occasions.
After missing out on registering his place in the finals of Wimbledon 2016, Federer pulled back from playing the remainder of the season due to a Knee injury. In 2017, he booked his place in the finals of the Australian open and successfully defeated his counterpart Rafael Nadal. He remained undefeated in that year’s Wimbledon and went to win his 8th Wimbledon title.
He continued his form in 2018 as he won his 6th Australian open trophy and won his 20th Grand slam title. In 2019, federer entered the semi-finals of the French open and also reached the Wimbledon Finals where he an lost to Novak Djokovic in an epic 4 hour 57 minute match, which was the longest final in the history of Wimbledon.
He had a career that will be talked about for ages. However, Injuries plagued the 41-year-old’s illustrious career as he is yet to play a competitive match since losing the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2021 against Hubert Hurkacz. On 15th September 2022 the legendary Swiss tennis ace announced his retirement.
The 41-year-old during his prime showcased the highest level of Tennis and what it is actually to be a tennis star. He has played against some of the best players of all time and broken many records. The Swiss became the oldest World’s number 1 player at 36 years of age.
HIS STYLE OF PLAY MADE HIM WHAT HE IS TODAY
Roger Federer’s effortless style of play and fluidity in his movement has made him standout from every other player. Every movement of his seems purposeful and is capable of dominating from the baseline using is forehand. Federer can defend with his slice, plays at the net and can serve and volley exceptionally well.
He has a solid volley, which is one of the strongest sides of his game. Federer is master of tactics and knows what he exactly needs to do against different opponents. He smartly uses his serve and has great awareness as to where the ball should be placed to start dominating the opponent.
ONE LAST DANCE BEFORE FEDERER SAYS GOODBYE
Roger Federer’s dedication to become the best not only pushed him but also motivated and inspired many others. When we talk about sporting greats, Federer’s name has to be on that list. A generational talent and the Legend of Tennis will give up on his professional career once the Laver cup ends. The 41-year-old who will play his first and last tournament will make his comeback after almost a year. The Swiss legend with 20 grand slam titles will hope to end his career on a high note by winning his last tournament.
Also Read: Roger Federer talks about his Tennis future
