Roger Federer will no longer compete on the ATP tour. The 41-year-old is retiring after a tennis career that is second to none – and was closely linked to two other players. A tribute.
Actually it is quite normal news that a 41-year-old, especially since he was injured for many months, will end his career. But what is normal about Roger Federer?
The Swiss has long been considered a virtuoso of this difficult sport of tennis. The history books cannot be written without him. His departure is not unexpected – even if he still seemed to believe until the end that he would be able to step onto the big stage again.
24 years have left their mark
1,526 games in 24 years on the less body-friendly ATP tour (only 275 defeats) have also left their mark on Federer. And even if it sometimes seemed like he was floating over the pitch and winning his games with the utmost ease – even Federer had to work hard physically for his many successes over many years. This resulted in multiple knee injuries and many other injuries.
But other images will stick in your mind: With his technique and his esprit on the tennis courts around the world, Federer has made the difficult easy and the impossible possible. Federer is a phenomenon that has been so incredibly popular around the world that there is probably no sporting equivalent.
Nadal and Djokovic as performance drivers
Switzerland’s neutrality fitted almost perfectly into Federer’s picture of life. Friendly, eloquent, successful in all walks of life are attributes that have aptly described him for many years. However, he always stayed out of difficult political issues.
He was never really vulnerable on this issue. His former bully image from his younger days, when he came on tour as a rookie and some racquets broke under his anger, has long been forgotten.
Federer was different from his big and long-standing main competitors Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic, who have significantly more potential for friction. But the connection and dependency between the three and each other is as extraordinary as their individual careers.
This trio of exceptional players spurred each other on, driving each other to peak performances, the extent of which they themselves could never have imagined, as Federer put it in his farewell speech.
Long adjustment period?
One would never have existed in this form without the other two. Despite all the rivalry on the many center courts, all three agreed on that.
“I wish this day had never come. It is a sad day for me personally and for sport around the world”, wrote Rafael Nadal on Twitter. Because with Federer’s career end, part of his success and motivation story is coming to an end.
The tennis tour has been going on without Federer for a long time. He has not been active since his quarter-finals in Wimbledon in July 2021. His many fans and also the rest of the (tennis) world were able to prepare for the ATP tour without the so-called “GOAT” (Greatest of all time) – as so many tennis fans call him – to pursue. But what is normal about Roger Federer?
“Finally, to the tennis game: I love you and will never leave you”, wrote the tennis superstar at the end of his resignation. If tennis could react, it would probably breathe a sigh of relief.