Amid fans' eagerness for his grand return to the court, Roger Federer recently shocked the sporting world as he hinted that his tennis career may soon come to an end following his absence from Wimbledon.
According to Express, Swiss tennis icon Roger Federer has revealed that he might consider calling it quits on his sporting career. The 20-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played a competitive match since last year’s tournament at the All England Club, where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinal. This year, the Swiss maestro even missed Wimbledon 2022, marking the first time Federer had ever been absent from the tournament.
Following his defeat last year, Federer underwent a third surgery to treat his recurring knee issues and has been working his way back to full fitness since.
Roger Federer has fallen out of the ATP ranking for the first time
On Monday the eight-time Wimbledon champion fell out of the official ATP rankings for the first time since he burst onto the court in 1997. Metro writes that since his debut, the 40-year-old tennis star had participated in every edition of Wimbledon.
Regarding Federer's absence from Wimbledon, fellow player Rafael Nadal said in a press conference:
'My greatest rival...all the things that we have shared together on the court is difficult to describe the emotions. I personally miss him (Federer) on the tennis tour and tennis of course misses him, tournaments, fans, everyone.'
In recent years, Roger Federer has been struggling with a persistent knee problem and has missed seven of the last nine major tournaments as a result of the issue. Staunch supporters of the Swiss star, however, can watch him on the court soon as he is bound to play at the Laver Cup - the team competition he founded - in September before a return to the ATP tour in Basel in October.
Roger Federer has hinted at retirement possibility
Federer recently dropped a retirement bomb, revealing that he would be content drawing curtains on his glorious career. In an interview with the Dutch newspaper, Algemeen Dagblad, Federer said that his time off the court due to the injury helped him realize the values of fatherhood. The sports star said:
'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.'
Federer went on to admit that his career 'couldn't last forever', saying:
'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.'
The 40-year-old tennis icon also credited his time at home as 'very happy'. He said:
'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. At times we miss travelling 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.'
Federer also said that despite he has been enjoying the luxury of spending more time with his family, it was 'strange' for him to be watching Wimbledon at home and not fighting for the title. He admitted:
'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.'
Staying on the sidelines for a whole year due to injury means Federer doesn't earn any rankings points and has consequently fallen out of the ATP ranking system for the first time in 22 years. With that in mind, Federer has now fallen behind Novak Djokovic regarding the all-time number of Grand Slam titles. The Serbian star recently earned his 21st trophy after winning Nick Kyrgios on Sunday, thereby following close to Rafael Nadel's 22-title record.
According to the Dailymail, before he fell out of the world rankings, Federer used to be the record holder of the most weeks on top of the world, with 310 consecutive weeks. His last Grand Slam title was back in 2018 as he won the Australian Open in Melbourne.
