Possibly the greatest tennis player of all time is retiring. The Swiss superstar Roger Federer (41) himself announced his retirement from professional tennis on Twitter today. The Laver Cup in London (September 23-25) will remain his last tournament. After that it’s over. Not least because of his aesthetic, often almost effortless game, Federer is considered by many observers to be the best tennis pro in history.
The end of his career does not seem to come entirely voluntarily. In his social media post, Federer speaks of “challenges in the form of injuries and interventions” that he has faced over the past three years. He missed large parts of the corresponding tennis seasons after problems on his right knee. The message from his body is therefore clear, according to Federer in his statement: “I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years […] and now I have to recognize when it is time to end my competitive career break up”.
Roger Federer led the tennis world rankings between 2004 and 2008 for an incredible 237 weeks in a row – a record. In addition, with 20 Grand Slam tournaments won, he is in third place on the all-time list – behind his long-term competitors Novak Đoković (35) and Rafael Nadal (36), who have 21 and 22 titles. At Wimbledon, he won eight times, also making it the record holder for singles titles. He has earned over $130 million in prize money throughout his career.
