A few months before his retirement from tennis, Roger Federer was still very confident that he could return to the court. In the summer of last year, the Swiss realized that his knee was not responding in the best way during training sessions and made the decision to retire.
The announcement took place on Instagram on September 15, 2022 and caused a wave of reactions in every corner of the world. The former ATP number 1 has had a truly gigantic impact on the sport, contributing more than any other to the spread of tennis and bringing in a myriad of sponsors.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion said goodbye to tennis played at the Laver Cup, the exhibition he founded himself in 2017. The 41-year-old from Basel played one last doubles alongside his arch-rival Rafael Nadal at London’s O2 Arena, before receiving a truly moving tribute.
Although the King is now enjoying life away from the circuit, many are still hoping for his return to the field. In a brief interview with ‘CNBC’, Federer reiterated that he will not return to play on the ATP tour.
Roger Federer on his retirement
“I’m not a big comeback fan,” Roger Federer said, as per CNBC.
“I’ll never retire and come back. It’s not something for me, squeeze that lemon out and when the last drop is out, I’ll know I’m done,” he explained. “Honestly, this knee situation has been complex, been difficult,” the former Swiss player stated.
“If you would have told me three or four years ago, that 2021-22 you’ll have three knee surgeries and still coming back, I’d have been like, ‘Are you crazy?” Tennis commentator and former player Robbie Koenig believes that the Laver Cup brings the best out of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“I’ve been part of all the Laver Cups, haven’t been part of the last two, but they are amazing events, the energy around there, the energy that Rog creates, and of course with Novak and Rafa, that brings the best out of them because they are characters, very different to him, and I think that dynamic plays out well.
That’s so important in rivalries,” Koenig said. “Basically, Rafa is exactly the opposite of everything that Roger is, Novak has got an edge to him that ignites the crowd like no one else. So, it’s very difficult to replicate that dynamic.
Right now, I would say the next two editions might be tough, I certainly don’t think they will be as good as the last couple, off the top of my head,” Koenig said.
