Roger’s career has been a rollercoaster of a ride. He has been at the pinnacle of success and also experienced many downfalls that tested his resilience and determination to get back up.
The journey of a young boy from a small Swiss town of Basil, who was brought into the game of tennis at the tender age of 3 is truly inspiring. Roger turned into a professional tennis player at the age of 16.(Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
In 2003, at the age of 21, Roger Federer won his first Wimbledon title, at that time no one ever thought that this man from Switzerland would surpass the greats of Pete Sampras who had 14 Grand Slams to his name.
The journey of a young boy from a small Swiss town of Basil, who was brought into the game of tennis at the tender age of 3 is truly inspiring. Roger turned into a professional tennis player at the age of 16.
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A young Roger Federer was often seen with a racquet in his hands, when he was taken to a tennis court by his parents.
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He has always been a source of motivation and determination for sportsmen all over the world because of his commitment to the game. His greatness is not just restricted to the tennis court, but reflects beyond it.
On Thursday, the 41-year-old officially announced to ‘hang up his boots’ after the upcoming 2022 Laver cup.
To my tennis family and beyond,
With Love,
Roger pic.twitter.com/1UISwK1NIN— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 15, 2022
He hasn’t played since Wimbledon 2021, when he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals, and underwent his third knee surgery after the match.
According to him, this has been the toughest decision of his life so far, as tennis comes second nature to him. He would not have decided to retire from the sport, if he still had the stamina and agility of his younger self.
He would have liked to have a career like that of Nadal or Novak. However, this does not make him feel bad about being left behind in the Big-3 race. He cherishes each and every second of his life.
Roger’s career has been a rollercoaster of a ride. He has been at the pinnacle of success and also experienced many downfalls that tested his resilience and determination to get back up.
He holds 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, which is the third most by any male player in the open era. He is only left behind Novak and Nadal’s 21 and 22 Grand Slams titles respectively. In total, Roger has won 103 ATP titles, which is still a remarkable feat to achieve.
Relive all *103* of @rogerfederer‘s singles titles#RForever pic.twitter.com/bYmB8f0XaZ
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 15, 2022
The Swiss superstar, who ranks second since 1973 behind only Novak Djokovic, held the top spot in the ATP Rankings for 310 weeks, from February 2, 2004, through August 18, 2008, Federer held the top rank for a record-breaking 237 consecutive weeks.
His dedication was pretty evident when in 2019, 38 years old Federer challenged the limits of his body and played the longest ever Wimbledon final. He managed to take the game till the Championship point, but in the end Novak emerged as the winner.
He has been at the top of his sport for a long time and has embraced the records along with some of World Tennis’ greatest players of all time.
Roger has won record 8 Wimbledon titles, 6 Australian Open titles, 5 US Opens and maiden Roland Garros.
Though he was left behind in the race of the Big-3, he will still be remembered as one of the greatest tennis players of the world.
He won over thousands of fans with his elegance, calmness and of course with his unconventional but successful playing style, even when he suffered losses in tournaments crowd cheered for him.
What a career, @rogerfederer. We fell in love with your brand of tennis. Slowly, your tennis became a habit. And habits never retire, they become a part of us.
Thank you for all the wonderful memories. pic.twitter.com/FFEFWGLxKR
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 15, 2022
His long list of fans included some of the elite and celebrated sporting names even outside the tennis circuit. David Beckham, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, were often seen at the Wimbledon, watching him play live.
This year’s Laver Cup will be the last tournament where fans will witness the greatness of Roger for one last time, and to add cherry on the cake, Roger, Novak, and Nadal will play for the same team.
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