Roger Federer Retiring From Competitive Tennis

[+ Lucky]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/sports/tennis/federer-retires-tennis.html

Federer, who won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, said injuries and surgeries had taken their toll on his body. His final competitive matches will be next week in London...

He said he would continue to play tennis in the future, but that he would no longer compete on the ATP Tour or in Grand Slam championships like Wimbledon and the U.S. Open that he once dominated.

The past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries,” he said in a video on Twitter. “I’ve worked hard to return to full competitive form, but I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.”

Edited September 15, 2022 by Lucky

[BSR]

As much as Roger wanted to come back (multiple surgeries, endless rehab), I pretty much knew this was coming when the news came out that fluid was accumulating in his knee, always a horrible sign.  I wanted Roger to have a proper farewell, whether it was in his hometown tournament Basel or Wimbledon next year like Serena did this year.  He'll compete in Laver Cup, but I don't take that event seriously.

No one sells tickets or boosts ratings like Roger Federer.  Outside of Spain and Serbia, Roger plays with home court advantage at every tournament around the globe.  The sport will sorely miss him.  

[+ Charlie]

I expect that Federer made his announcement that he will play his last time at the Laver Cup and then retire is mostly to promote the Laver Cup tournament, which he was instrumental in creating, but it has never really been considered important without his influence, and I wonder how long it will continue without him. If he had decided to play his final time at the US Open, along with Serena, it would have been even more of a celebrity circus than it was, but it would have divided the spotlight too much. It will be interesting to see what kind of competitive condition he is actually in.

[+ WilliamM]

To State the obvious, Serena is an American tennis player.

[BSR]

3 hours ago, WilliamM said:

To State the obvious, Serena is an American tennis player.

Yes, obviously, but note the fan support in the 2015 US Open and 2019 Wimbledon finals.  The Arthur Ashe and Centre Court crowds are rooting for Roger as passionately as they would any American/Brit.

I agree with @Charlie.  Had Roger also made the 2022 USO his farewell tournament, the commentators would have been so preoccupied with tributes and homages to the two retiring legends that the tennis public might have forgotten there was a Slam going on.

 

 

[+ Charlie]

10 hours ago, WilliamM said:

To State the obvious, Serena is an American tennis player.

Also to state the obvious, Roger is Swiss, but he won the same number of U. S. Opens as Serena did. If he was going to retire and play only a single important tournament at the end of the year, the U. S. Open was as logical a place to make his farewell appearance as it was for her. It was originally expected that he would make his return from his long injury time-out there, but after she made her retirement announcement, he wisely did not do so. Venus probably could have retired then, too, but I expect that she will stagger on and make her farewell next year at Wimbledon, the only place she won as many titles as Serena.

[+ WilliamM]

Retirement of star players who are about to retire can be lucrative for the venues. Serena Williams in Tennis. And Albert Pujols in baseball.

 

Pujols: team St Louis is averaging attention of 40,00 per game, slightly bigger than the New York Yannkies

[Andy768]

Aww Delpo...

And to take it to the less wholesome, as I am wont to do:  wow, the thought of gentle giant Juan Martin having his way with Fed... I like it. 😈

[mike carey]

As well as Federer's ties to the Laver Cup, it has the advantage of not being an elimination tournament so he has an assured role as it plays out.