Tennis News: Roger Federer announces retirement

"I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years," said Federer. "Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognise when it is time to end my competitive career," he added. 

Federer struggled with injuries during the last few years and was held down by two knee surgeries in 2020. In 2021, he underwent another surgery after crashing out of Wimbledon in the quarter-final, marking his last competitive match.

He addressed his injuries and surgeries in his farewell speech on Instagram, stressing that he tried his best to regain his competitive form.

Federer's lengthy career overlapped with 22-time grand slam winner Rafael Nadal and 21-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic as the three players dominated men's tennis for two decades. 

Nadal mourned the Swiss' retirement on Twitter, revealing that it is a sad day for him personally "and for sports around the world." He calls it an "honour and privilege" to have shared priceless moments with him on the court.

Newly crowned US Open champion and the ATP world number one Carlos Alcaraz, a newborn baby when Federer clinched his first major, posted a broken heart emoji, similar to two-time grand slam titlist Garbiñe Muguruza.

Over his remarkable career, Federer has set multiple records, including becoming the oldest ever world number one at age 36 and maintaining his spot for a record 237 consecutive weeks.

He has won the Australian Open six times, the French Open, the US Open five times, and Wimbledon a record eight times. In addition, he has 103 ATP titles under his belt, the Davis Cup and a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in the men's doubles. 

Roger Federer confirmed his retirement on his terms

Federer announced his retirement a month after Serena Williams also vocalised her plans to "evolve away" from the sport, which has now signalled the end of two monumental tennis eras. 

Federer's 20th and final grand slam title arrived at the 2018 Australian Open. Due to injuries, the 41-year-old was forced to skip this year's main draw at Wimbledon for the first time since 1998.

Now, he will conclude his career at the Laver Cup, scheduled to take place between September 23 and 25 this year. The tournament was created by the former world number one. 

He was inspired by the biennial Ryder Cup golf tournament, where players from Europe play against six players from the rest of the world. So Federer has decided to end his career at the esteemed event. 

"The expectations from the media is that it all has to end so perfectly and I've given up a long time ago," said Federer on his retirement. "I just think as long as I'm healthy and I'm enjoying myself at the very end, I know it's going to be emotional anyway."