A moment that tennis lovers hoped would never come, but that sooner or later had to come.
Roger Federer has announced his retirement at 41 , he is stopped from elimination in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2021: "The Laver Cup in London", scheduled for next week, a competition created by the Swiss champion himself in which tennis players compete Europeans against those of the rest of the world in a team competition, “it will be my last tournament”.
Considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, in his career he has won 103 titles, 20 Grand Slam tournaments, including 8 Wimbledon . He made his professional debut in 1998, boasts a score of 1,251 wins and 275 defeats in the ATP circuit and has been number 1 in the world for 310 weeks , of which 237 in a row. He also dragged his Switzerland to Davis Cup triumph, legendary challenges with Djokovic and Nadal, the other two players who have dominated the circuit in the last 20 years.
Federer's announcement came in a long post on Intagram: " The Laver Cup " scheduled from 23 to 25 September in London "will be my last ATP event, I will play tennis again in the future but obviously not in the Grand Slams or on the circuit ".
"As many of you know, the last three years have presented themselves as challenges in the form of injuries and operations - writes Federer on Instagram -. I worked hard to get back in shape and competitive. But I also know the capabilities and limitations of my body and the last message was clear. I am 41 years old, I have played over 1500 matches in 24 years . Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever dreamed of, and I must now acknowledge that it is time to end my career . This is a bittersweet decision, because I will miss everything the circuit has given me. But at the same time there is a lot to celebrate. I consider myself one of the luckiest people on Earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis and I did it at a level that I would not have imagined and for much longer than I ever thought was possible. "
Then the thanks, first of all to his wife Mirka, to the children, to the other family members, to the coaches and also to the opponents on the pitch. “ I have been lucky enough to play so many epic matches that I will never forget . We fought correctly, with passion and intensity, and I always tried to do my best while respecting the story of this game. I feel extremely grateful. We motivated each other and together we took tennis to new levels ”.
Again: “The last 24 years have been an incredible adventure. Sometimes it feels like it's only been 24 hours, but it's been so deep and magical it's like I've already lived a lifetime. I had the immense luck of playing in front of you in 40 different countries, I laughed and cried, I felt joy and pain but above all I felt alive . When my love of tennis started I was just a ball boy in Basel. My dreams made me work harder and I started believing in myself. Some victories have brought me confidence and I have followed my path in the most incredible of journeys that have led to this day ”.
Finally, the inevitable comment for tennis: " I love you and I will never leave you ".
(Unioneonline / L)