Tennis great Roger Federer left the sporting world in shock on Thursday with his announcement that he will retire from professional tennis after the Laver Cup next week.
Federer retires from competitive Tennis with 20 Grand Slams to his name. Only Spain's Rafael Nadal (22 majors) and Serbia's Novak Djokovic (21 majors) have more men's Grand Slam singles titles than Federer.
In a statement Federer posted on Twitter, he wrote that he will continue to play more tennis in the future but not in Grand Slams or on the tour.
Nicknamed the Swiss Maestro, Federer termed his move a bittersweet decision and added that he will miss everything that the tour has given to him.
He has not played a competitive match since losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July 2021.
The 41-year-old has been struggling with a knee problem for the past three years. Due to the issue, he has only been able to participate in three of the 11 Grand Slams staged since the start of 2020. And now, he has decided to hang up his boots.
Federer, who made his professional debut at the age of 16 in 1998, won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon 5 years later. In his glittering career at the All England Club, Federer won a record eight titles.