Tennis great Roger Federer has dropped a major hint that he may soon bid adieu to tennis. As he continues to recuperate from his third knee surgery, the eight-time Wimbledon champion missed the Championships for the very first time since 1998.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion will now make a comeback at the Laver Cup. He will later move on to playing the Swiss Indoors in September of this year.
With Novak Djokovic defeating Nick Kyrgios on Sunday to win his 21st Grand Slam championship, Roger Federer now has slipped behind Djokovic in the all-time standings.
In the recent ATP rankings, for the first time in the last 25 years, Federer has dropped out of the top 1000 rankings.
I know a professional career can’t last forever and that’s okay: Roger Federer
Talking to a Dutch newspaper, he said, “I am a winner lover but if you’re not competitive anymore, then it’s better to stop. I don’t think I need the tennis. I am happy with the little things, like when my son does something right and when my daughter comes home with a good grade. Tennis is part of, but not my entire identity. I want to be and remain successful. And put a lot of energy into business – probably give more than I should sometimes, but that can also be done outside of sports. I know a professional career can’t last forever and that’s okay.”
Speaking about missing Wimbledon for the first time, Roger said, “It feels very strange for me not to play Wimbledon this year and to watch it on TV, as I’ve been there every time since 1998. But I can honestly say that I am very happy at home. And that it is a great advantage that I can now make an appointment for a Tuesday morning in three weeks. And that I can actually do it without reality overtaking me. At times we miss traveling the world, and of course, I also miss the sport, but also feel: life at home in a, let’s say, normal way, is also good.”
