Reasonable ending

He couldn’t try any harder. His body told him that. For more than a year, Roger Federer has not played any professional tennis matches. From July 2021, that amount of time he spent recovering from knee surgery…

That surgery is aiming for a return in the second half of this year. But unfortunately, time still passes and the Swiss legend turned 41 years old on August 8. Age 30 onwards is considered to be on the other side of the sports career, age 41 really becomes a burden. Just recently, Serena Williams, 42 years old, also chose her own ending point…

And the “Express Train” named after Federer is also about to stop rolling. On Thursday (September 15), Federer brought sadness to the sports world. He announced his retirement. The upcoming Laver Cup (from September 23 to 25) will be the last time Federer stands on a professional court.

But even that is not certain, when the updated information said that his knee had fluid and inflammation. If he tries to be present, most likely, his matches will only be for show purposes…

Greatest of all time

Talking about performance, recalling all the moves on every surface over the years, it can be said that Federer’s finish was pure poetry. He stepped out the way he had come, played, enjoyed for 24 years, with grace, class and serenity.

People often attach numbers to the race of outstanding individuals, but for many people, never mind that 20 will forever be the number of Grand Slams that Federer has won – less than Rafael Nadal (22) and Novak Djokovic (21). . Because Roger is the GOAT (best of all time) for his entire journey, as a tennis player and a person. He is perfect in both aspects.

“Immediately impressed” and “mesmerized” are the ways many people use to describe when they saw Federer play for the first time. In the end, they understood that the admiration for the Swiss tennis player in particular, and for tennis in general, had not been betrayed.

Federer glides around the court with the elegance of an Olympic figure skater, hitting groundstrokes with precision and touch that make it look like he’s just taking a swing. But those are shots that can be “deadly” to the opponent.

Federer has the most remarkable skills and the ability to make some shots that no one else in the sport has ever done.

Another beauty about Federer is his humility. As Nadal and Djokovic emerged as threats to his throne, defeating him in Grand Slam finals, Federer attacked his own weaknesses, and made himself better.

He left the game with 103 ATP singles titles, setting a record of 8 men’s singles titles at Wimbledon and a record of 5 titles at the US Open out of a total of 20 Grand Slam titles.

Farewell words

It’s no coincidence that Tiger Woods, the most dominant golfer in the history of golf, quickly took a liking to Federer. As they say, greatness recognizes greatness.

On and off the field, you’d be hard-pressed to find an athlete more admired by everyone (even his fiercest opponents) for the way he carries himself and treats others – in victory. and fail.

Federer’s quiet farewell is in stark contrast to Serena Williams’s noise after her loss at the US Open, the tournament in which she gained attention before being eliminated.

If we’re selfish, we’d like to see Federer say goodbye after some major final next year, to have a chance to say a proper “goodbye.” But that’s not Federer’s style.

Actually, instead of talking about himself, Federer talks about everyone. The 845-word goodbye letter that Federer posted on social media is filled with appreciation for his wife, Mirka, and four children for their support, for his parents and sister, and for Swiss tennis for gave him the opportunity to become great because of seeing it in him, in his team of coaches, managers, physique,… to his sponsors and even his competitors for motivating me.

Federer also sent a “special thank you” to his fans, saying, “you will never know how much strength and belief you gave me.” The final thank you is for tennis: “I love you and will never leave.”

In true tennis language: “Game, set, match… Federer has finished his match.”