Roger Federer will retire next week at the age of 41 after the Laver Cup in London, marking the end of one of the greatest ever sporting careers.
A 20-time grand slam champion, Federer announced in a social media post on Thursday that next week will be his last as a professional player. Federer’s management firm, Team8, are founders of the Laver Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event.
“The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the tour,” he wrote.
Federer has not competed since Wimbledon last year when he lost 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-0 in the quarter-final to Hubert Hurkacz and it emerged he had reinjured the knee that had kept him out of the tour for more than a year. Federer has contested five events since January 2020 and has undergone three knee surgeries in that period. He cited his late-career injury problems as the reason for his retirement.
For a large period Federer held the men’s record for total grand slam titles, outpacing his idol, Pete Sampras, the previous record holder whose count of 14 was once considered to be almost untouchable.