After 24 years of career, Roger Federer retired this year at the Laver Cup. The former world number 1 made the painful decision to hang up his racket in the summer, having realized he could no longer compete at the highest level .
Via a letter posted on Instagram on September 15, the 41-year-old from Basel announced that the Laver Cup would be his last ATP event. The news of his retirement has unleashed a wave of reactions in every corner of the planet, testament to the enormous impact the King has had on tennis and sport in general over the past two decades.
The former world number 1 had tried a timid return in 2021, collecting nine victories and four defeats. As the months went by, the 20-time Grand Slam champion realized that it would be impossible to return to playing at a high level.
Despite his retirement, Roger continues to inspire countless athletes. In an interview with ‘Olympics.com’, Marco Odermatt – Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing – expressed his admiration for Federer.
Odermatt praises King Roger
“Nobody can ever fit into his big tracks Roger Federer left, but I will try my best,” Odermatt said.
“It’s really nice to again be in contact with him,” Odermatt expressed, adding, “I got to meet him twice this year, a little bit on the shooting days as well as (during) the Laver Cup for a minute or two.
He’s just a nice guy and I already learned a lot and I still can learn a lot from him. I will try my best to be humble like he was. And yeah, he’s still a big inspiration.” Roger Federer has always played his best tennis on the grass of the All England Club.
The Swiss champion has won Wimbledon eight times: no one has done it better than him. Given these incredible statistics, the anecdote told by the Swiss in The Daily Show is as surreal as it is funny. About fifteen days ago, Federer decided to visit the facilities that saw him write the history of tennis to have tea with Severin Luthi.
The Swiss tried to surprise the organizers of the London Slam by appearing unexpectedly at the All England Club, but things did not go as planned. After arriving at the most famous tennis club in the world, Federer was blocked at the entrance by one of the security men, who did not recognize him.
The assistant asked the Basel legend to show him his membership card – players become honorary members of the club if they win Wimbledon – but Federer did not have it with him.
