Legendary tennis player Roger Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis on Thursday, September 15, via social media posts on different platforms. Now 41, the global tennis icon has played more the 1500 matches over the course of 24 years. During his career, Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles and finished five seasons with the No. 1 ranking.
Announcing the news on social media Thursday, Federer stated he is listening to his body regarding physical limits and capacities. A series of knee surgeries made it difficult for the tennis star to “return to full competitive form.” His last professional match was the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2021, and he just underwent another knee operation in August.
Roger Federer will continue to play tennis, but for the love of the game rather than as a pro athlete. Per his announcement, “it is time to end my competitive career.” Yet, he did appear at the Centre Court’s 100th-anniversary celebration in July, stating he hopes to play at the All England Club one last time.
In October, Federer will participate in the Swiss Indoors tournament. He will also appear at the Laver Cup in London from September 23–25. Federer will play on Team Europe alongside Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Roger Federer boasts 103 tour-level titles and 1,251 wins in singles matches. When he achieved the No. 1 spot at age 36 in 2018, he became the oldest player in the history of ATP rankings to do so. Federer won his first Wimbledon Grand Slam in 2003. He followed this up by winning eight more Wimbledon championships, six Australian Open titles, five US Open championships, and one French Open championship.
Federer is known for his serves, footwork, forehand, and characteristic style. His Grand Slam titles rank him in the third place of all-time men’s tennis players. The top two spots are held by his contemporaries Nadal (22) and Djokovic (21). These three legends will indeed make a “dream team” as they take the court at the Laver Cup later this month.
What comes next for Roger Federer remains to be seen, but his name will certainly be etched in tennis history forever.