Roger Federer Announces Retirement: Facts About The Swiss Tennis Maestro

Tennis superstar Roger Federer, 41, is retiring from professional tennis after a series of knee surgeries, ending a career in which he won 20 Grand Slam titles, finished five seasons ranked No. 1, and helped create a golden era in men's tennis.

"As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries," Federer said Thursday in a social media post on his account. "I've worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body's capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.

"I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career."

Rafael Nadal has paid a moving tribute to him in a tweet. "Dear Roger, my friend and rival. I wish this day would have never come. It's a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world. It's been a pleasure but also an honor and privilege to share all these years with you, living so many amazing moments on and off the court."

Facts About Roger Federer

• Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland, on 8 August 1981.
• In 1992 and 1993, he served as a ball boy at the Swiss Indoors, a tournament held in his hometown of Basel.
• In 1996, Federer played in his first junior match at the age of 14 at a grade 2 tournament in Switzerland. At Wimbledon in 1998, Federer won both the boys' singles finals.
• During 1998, he finished as the world's No. 1 junior and was named ITF junior world champion.
• In September 1999, Federer became the first male player to enter the top 100 ranking.
• Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in 2003, beating Andy Roddick in the semifinals and Mark Philippoussis in the final.
• In 2004, Federer became the first person since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three Grand Slam singles titles in a single season.
• After Wimbledon 2021, Federer did not play, and he dropped out of the top 50 on 13 June 2022, becoming unranked for the first time in his professional career.
• Federer has won the third most Grand Slam tournament titles (20), behind Novak Djokovic (21) and Rafael Nadal (22).

• It is a legal requirement for all Swiss citizens to serve in the Swiss Armed Forces. Federer, however, was deemed "unsuitable" in 2003 and was subsequently relieved of his duty.
• Roger Federer established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to assist disadvantaged children and to promote their access to sports and education.
• In 2017, Federer founded the Laver Cup, which pits Europe against the rest of the world. The tournament is named after Rod Laver, and the inaugural edition took place in 2017.
• Federer became the first living person to be recognized on Swiss coins in December 2019.
• In the world of sport, Federer is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with many players and analysts considering him the greatest player of all time between 2009 and 2018.
• Until 2020, no other male tennis player had won 20 major singles titles (the record has since been broken by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic).

• For the 17th consecutive year, Federer has been the world's highest-paid tennis player, earning an estimated $90 million before taxes and agents' fees over the last 12 months despite playing no matches.
• According to the Swiss maestro, he would have loved to become a DJ, describing his love of music and his desire to create "good vibes." "I love music. I get up with it and go to sleep with it."