Roger Federerone of the most influential athletes of the last 20 years, will end his illustrious career at the end of this weekbut ‘His Majesty’ has assured his millions of followers that will not become a ‘tennis ghost’ despite moving away from the courts.
The Laver Cup 2022which will be the Swiss’s last competition, will take place from September 23 to 25dates where he will compete in the modality of doublesince his knee injury will not allow you to play individual matches.
Back in London, where he won the record eight Wimbledon titlesthe 41-year-old tennis player said he had no no intention of walking away from a sport in which he has excelled for so long.
Speaking to journalists at the O2 Arena London, where Federer twice won the ATP Finals title, the Swiss was excited and emotional in moments where he explained his decision to hang up rackets
When asked about his future plans, Federer said that was not going to disappear like other tennis greats, like the Swedish Bjorn Borgwho this week captains the Europe team against the rest of the world.
I just wanted the fans to know that I will not be a ghost. It’s funny, I talked about Björn Borg, he didn’t come back to Wimbledon for 25 years and that hurts all the fans […] But I don’t think I’m that guy. I feel that tennis has given me too much. I’ve been in the game too long. I’ve fallen in love with too many things […] They will see me again. In what capacity, I don’t know. I still have to think about it a bit
Federer announced last Thursday that the laver cupa team event he helped create, would be the the last act of a professional career that spans almost a quarter of a century.
After not playing competitively since losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year, Federar will make his last appearance with a doubles matchpossibly together with his great rival Rafael Nadal.
Federer had held out hope of playing again after Wimbledon, but said his knee problems had forced him to retire.
My knee no longer allows me to play at this level. I found out during the summer and then I looked for a time when I could retire […] It seemed very appropriate to end my career here. Having Björn Borg on the bench with me when I leave is going to be more than great and I felt that it was a very nice thing. Having a team behind me also won’t make me feel so alone when I leave.
Los 20 Grand Slam titles of Federer were surpassed by Nadal (22) y Djokovic (21) in an unprecedented golden age in men’s tennis, but despite no longer dominating the stats, he is still regarded by many as the best player in historymarking an entire era in the sport.
Throughout his career he got 103 titlessecond only to Jimmy Connorsand passed a record of 237 consecutive weeks as number one in the world between 2004 and 2008.
They are first grand slam title He came in 2003when he beat Mark Philippoussis at Wimbledonwhere he would win five years in a row before falling to Nadal in a 2008 classic. Now, Federer will say goodbye to a sporting legacy in the very city of London.
This city has been special to me, perhaps the most special place.
(With information from Reuters)
