I said it to you when we spoke and now it’s here.
“It’s a sad day for me personally and for sports people around the world. “I wish this day would have never come,” Nadal said. Also unforgettable were his matches against younger rivals Nadal, 36, and Djokovic, 35, who both equalled, then surpassed, Federer’s Slam total and are still winning titles at the sport’s four biggest tournaments. His serving, forehand, footwork and attacking style will all be remembered. His 2009 trophy at Roland Garros allowed Federer to complete a career Grand Slam. Open the year before in what turned out to be the last match of the American’s career.įederer would go on to blow way past that, ending up with 20 by winning eight championships at Wimbledon, six at the Australian Open, five at the U.S. When Federer won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003, the men’s record for most major trophies was held by Pete Sampras, who had won his 14th at the U.S. “He has had a historic career with memories that will live on and on.” He has the most complete game of his generation and captured the hearts of sports fans around the world with an amazing quickness on the court and a powerful tennis mind,” Hall of Famer Billie Jean King said. In a sport where changes in surface and other conditions can make even the best players thrilled with a showing here or there into the second week of a Slam, Federer compiled streaks of 36 quarterfinals in a row and 23 semifinals in a row from 2004 to 2013. The dominance Federer displayed at the height of his powers is unrivaled, including reaching 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals, winning eight, from 2005-07, a run that also extended to 18 of 19 major finals into 2010. 1 in ATP rankings history - he returned to the top spot at 36 in 2018 - and most consecutive weeks there (his total weeks mark was eclipsed by Djokovic). Federer’s records include being the oldest No. And he’s got things to do in his next stage.”įederer and his wife, Mirka - a tennis player, too they met as athletes at an Olympics - have two sets of twins, girls who are 13 and boys who are 8.įederer leaves the sport with a total of 103 tour-level titles on his substantial resume and 1,251 wins in singles matches, both second only to Jimmy Connors in the Open era, which began in 1968. “And at the end of the day, after 1,500-plus matches, the tires finally wore out. But he was always interested in challenging himself,” Godsick said. Not many tennis players at his level push into their 40s. “I had suggested to him years ago that he should stop. A few weeks after Wimbledon, he informed me that the knee was not reacting as well as it should and that he was thinking about figuring out a way to end his career,” Tony Godsick, Federer’s agent since 2005, said in a telephone interview Thursday. “I knew a few weeks ago that his rehabilitation with his knee wasn’t going as well as he had hoped. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu
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