The retirement of the tennis legend, Roger Federer

20 major grand slam titles, 5 time ranked number 1 in the world, over 24 years of playing at a professional level, changing the way tennis was played. Roger Federer’s professional tennis career comes to a permanent close at the age of 41.

Over the years Federer has become a household name to millions of tennis fans across the world. His career was nothing short of inspiring, kids every year found a new tennis idol to look up to. “I recently just started to keep up with the pro tour and by the time that I started watching, he had been absent from the tour for two years. Despite not watching the tour, I still knew who he was and what he had done for the sport,” senior Evan Xiong said. 

While Federer’s career had seemed to be going smoothly, serious injuries began to pop up continuously year after year. Back, knee, and leg injuries had been major setbacks on Federer’s career in the past six years. These injuries haven’t allowed him to play at the same level he did 15 years ago, during his prime. “I think Roger was having a hard time keeping up with the newer generation even at the end of his career, so I don’t think he could’ve gone much longer especially with his recent knee surgery,” senior Natasa Pupovac said.  

The three different surfaces of major grand slams courts all could be connected to a specific tennis player who favored a surface. Roger was mainly affiliated by the grass courts at Wimbledon, holding an all time record of winning eight times, more than Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. While every major grand slam fans watched Federer compete in was exciting, many say they will miss Federer playing at Wimbledon. “I will miss Roger playing in Wimbledon because he always played very well on grass, I think better than any other pro player,” junior Ryan Bilan said. 

People who watched Federer during the early 2000s have a different approach to explaining how important he was to the sport. Fans saw him grow and compete as an amateur player, to the legend he is today. “I will miss the gracefulness that he played with and the way he always carried himself with class and dignity the most,” GHS tennis Coach Steve said.

With all the accomplishments that Federer had in his career, it leads fans to feel like something will be missing from the game of tennis. Now a new generation of tennis players will sweep through the ranking with few tennis players over the age of 30 still on the tour. “Federer’s impact on the game is so far reaching. Some of the records he holds will stand the test of time. He will always be regarded as one of the best players of all time,” Coach Steve said.

Although the media will forget about Federer’s retirements in the next news stories, his impact and career will forever be remembered by tennis fans.