After the announcement of Serena Williams’ retirement, it was the news of Roger Federer’s retirement that shook the world of tennis. Federer’s retirement from professional tennis sparked a flurry of reactions around the world, although it wasn’t entirely a surprise.
The Swiss champion had not played an official match since Wimbledon 2021, and the last two and a half years have been difficult for him because of his knee, operated on 3 times.
The problem in his right knee is what prevented Roger from ending his career with a bang, so many expected him to retire any moment now.
The 41-year-old Basel native bid farewell to professional tennis at the Laver Cup, held at London’s O2 Arena from September 23-25. He was one of the protagonists of the event, with Team Europe, along with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal who was only present on Friday.
Through a video posted on Instagram, Patrick Mouratoglou paid a vibrant tribute to Federer.
Mouratoglou on Federer
“I think Roger Federer is the best ambassador for tennis,” Mouratoglou said.
“He plays tennis the way everyone would like to play tennis, and no one can play tennis the way he does, and probably no one will ever play tennis the way he did. When you watch Roger play, the first thing you notice is incredible talent and fluidity.
But, over the years, we have also seen others who played with incredible fluidity and skill. These guys have never won a Grand Slam. He won 20.
Why ? Because he is also an incredible fighter, he always thought about (winning) every point of every match and he is a real fighter”, he added. Patrick Mouratoglou also praised the fighting spirit whose Federer demonstrated in the two historic finals at Wimbledon, lost to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“The first thing I remember is the trophy ceremony at the 2006 Australian Open when he completely broke down and cried.
He was a superhero and he became a human then. He is the first to have really done that”, recalled the French coach. “The second (souvenir) are the two epic matches, at Wimbledon, which he lost (the first) against Novak, with a ball of match, and (the second) that against Rafael Nadal which ended in the night. These two matches were historic,” he added.
