Roger Federer Says He Will Retire From Tennis

By Christopher Clarey 

Roger Federer, the Swiss teenager who matured into one of the world's most polished athletes and was part of a generation that dominated tennis for two decades, announced Thursday that he will retire from the competition.

"I am 41 years old; I have played more than 1,500 matches in 24 years,” Federer said in an audio clip posted on social media. "Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever dreamed and now I have to recognize when it is time to end my competitive career."

Federer leaves the game with one of the greatest competitive records in his history: 103 tour singles titles, 20 Grand Slam singles titles, 310 weeks at No. 1 and a record six season-ending tour final wins. And perhaps most remarkably given his long run, he's never been forced out of a game he's started due to injury.

His decision follows a similar move by Serena Williams, giving the tennis world its most definitive confirmation yet of its generational shift towards younger stars such as Carlos Alcaraz, who won the US Open on Sunday.

Williams, who will be 41 later this month, said she had "evolved" away from the competition, but left the door slightly open to a return after her bye at this year's US Open. Federer, who has battled years of injury, has been more definitive about his retirement, meaning the Big Three of men's tennis - which includes Federer's arch-rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - will soon be down to two.

But not before one last hurray brings them together, aging bodies willing.

Federer said he would make his final competitive appearance next week in London at the Laver Cup, an annual team event he helped create as part of his legacy in a game he once dominated alone before the emergence of Nadal and Djokovic shifted the balance of power. .

He had some of his greatest triumphs against them, but also many of his most devastating failures. Part of Federer's enduring appeal came from his vulnerability: the big matches he lost and the tears he often shed in victory and defeat.

"It's a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world," Nadal said on Twitter, referring to Federer as a friend and rival and saying it was a privilege to share "so many wonderful moments on and off the court."

At the Laver Cup, which is inspired by golf's Ryder Cup, Federer is expected to play on Team Europe with Nadal, Djokovic and British star Andy Murray, another major player of this extraordinary era.

No one covered the globe's courts with the grace of Federer.

It didn't even move like a current. He was just as comfortable volleying or reaching overhead as he was patrolling the baseline and jumping into his trademark inside-out forehand, his gaze lingering on the point of contact after the ball was gone as if to emphasize that with his speed and sense of judgment he had a bit more time to work with his spells than his peers.

"He made the game look so easy," said Paul Annacone, one of his former coaches. “I always felt like he was Picasso with a tennis racket. What I will miss most is the beauty he brought to the game.”

In his youth, Federer struggled to tame his temper and perfectionism, frustrating a number of coaches (and his parents Robert and Lynette) by throwing tantrums and losing some matches he should have won. Over time, he learned to control his frustration and became, with rare exceptions, a model of calmness and composure under pressure.

It was a remarkable transformation and gave Federer the wide reach and appeal that he and his advisers cultivated.

To date, he has earned more than $130 million in prize money, but that number is dwarfed by his off-court earnings. Thanks to an extensive portfolio of sponsors, he became the first active tennis player to earn more than 1 billion dollars. Even in the last three seasons, when he played little or nothing, he remained the highest-paid tennis player and was the highest-paid athlete of 2020 according to Forbes.

Federer has indicated that he will continue to play, likely in exhibitions. But life without Federer has been long due to knee problems.

He missed more than a year in the 2020 and 2021 seasons and hasn't played in the last 14 months.

"I've been working hard to get back into full competitive shape, but I also know my body's capacity and limits, and his message has been clear to me lately," Federer said.

The son of a Swiss father and a South African mother, Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1981. He spent his early years playing many sports and was considered a particularly promising footballer. He chose tennis after working with Australian player Peter Carter, who began teaching to supplement his income as an aspiring tour-level player.