Roger Federer announces he is retiring from professional tennis

• Roger Federer announced that he is ending a successful professional career.
• The tennis player nabbed 20 Grand Slam titles.
• He acknowledged that his body is telling him it’s time to slow down.

A SPORTS LEGEND RETIRES. Roger Federer announced that he is retiring from professional tennis at the age of 41 and, although he does so with a ‘bittersweet’ feeling, he acknowledges that it is time to leave the court, especially after suffering serious knee injuries that required multiple surgeries.

On Thursday, through a moving statement, Swiss tennis player Roger Federer announced that he will end his successful professional career in which he nabbed 20 Grand Slam titles and became a tennis legend.

Roger Federer announces he is retiring from professional tennis

After several medical interventions, Roger Federer was preparing to recover his level of play but, finally, the 41-year-old tennis player acknowledged that he knows his «body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.» The time had come to retire.

«I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career,” he said in a statement on Instagram.

A tennis star

“This is a bittersweet decision, because I will miss everything the tour has given me. But at the same time there is much to celebrate,” he said. «I was given a special talent to play tennis, and I did it a level that I never imagined, for much longer than I ever thought possible.»

Indeed, he did. He was the winner of 20 Grand Slam tournaments, only surpassed by Novak Djokovic, who has won 21, and Rafael Nadal, who has won 22. His record is really varied. Federer won the Australian Open six times, a Roland Garros, five US Open, and eight times the Wimbledon Championship.

“I love tennis”

“I was lucky enough to play so many epic matches that I will never forget. We battled fairly, with passion and intensity, and I always tried my best to respect the history of the game. I feel extremely grateful.»

Federer said that his last ATP tournament will be the Laver Cup that will be played from September 23 to 25 and ruled out returning to the courts for other Grand Slam tournaments. Still, he closed his message by saying, «To the game of tennis: I love you and I will never leave you.»