Roger Federer is retiring from competitive tennis after the Laver Cup

Roger Federer is retiring from professional tennis at the age of 41 after a series of knee surgeries, ending a career in which he has won 20 Grand Slam titles, finished 5 seasons at No. 1 and helped start a golden era in men’s tennis to create with rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Federer released what he called a “bittersweet decision” via social media on Thursday, less than a week after 23-time Major champion Serena Williams played what was expected to be the last game of her career.

Taken together, the departures of two of the greatest athletes in the history of their sport represent a significant change of sides.

“As many of you know, the last three years have been challenging for me with injuries and surgeries. I’ve worked hard to become fully competitive again,” Federer wrote on Twitter. “But I also know my body’s capacities and limitations, and its message to me has been clear lately.”

Federer hasn’t competed since Wimbledon in July 2021 and in that sense his news isn’t too surprising.

But he had appeared at an event to mark the centenary of Center Court at the All England Club this July and said he hoped to play there “one more time”.

He had also announced that he would be returning to his home country for tournament action at the Swiss Indoors in October.

In Thursday’s announcement, Federer said his farewell event will be next week’s Laver Cup in London. This is a team event run by its management company.

Federer is married and he and his wife Mirka – also a tennis player; They met when they were athletes at an Olympics – they have two pairs of twins.

He walks away with a total of 103 tour-level titles to his impressive résumé and 1,251 singles-game wins, both following Jimmy Connors in the Open era that began in 1968 – he returned to the top in 2018 at 36 – and the most consecutive weeks there (his total week mark has been eclipsed by Djokovic).

When Federer won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003, Pete Sampras held the men’s record, having won his 14th at the US Open the year before in what turned out to be the last game of the American’s career.

Federer would go well beyond that and end up winning 20, winning eight championships at Wimbledon, six at the Australian Open, five at the US Open and one at the French Open. His 2009 trophy at Roland Garros allowed Federer to complete a career grand slam.

His serve, forehand, footwork and attacking style will all be remembered. Also memorable were his matches against younger rivals Nadal (36) and Djokovic (35), both of whom equaled and then surpassed Federer’s Slam totals and are still winning titles in the sport’s four biggest tournaments.

Nadal now leads the count with 22, one ahead of Djokovic.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play so many epic matches that I will never forget,” Federer said in Thursday’s announcement.

Addressing his “competitors on the court” – albeit not by name – he wrote, “We pushed each other and together we took tennis to a new level.”

Federer’s last match ever came on July 7, 2021 when he lost to Hubert Hurkacz 6-3 7-6(4) 6-0 in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Center Court.

Shortly after, Federer underwent surgery to repair damage to his meniscus and cartilage in his right knee – his third surgery on that knee in 1 1/2 years.

“Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever dreamed,” Federer said on Thursday, “and now I have to realize when it’s time to end my competitive career.”