Roger Federer has explained in a recent interview why he is relieved to be officially retired from tennis.
Although tennis is currently in a great place, there is no doubt that the Swiss legend is very missed. His style was uniquely pleasing to watch and will likely never be replicated again.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion remains interested in tennis after his retirement. For example, Federer gave Stefanos Tsitsipas some advice about taking himself to the next level, which will certainly not have gone unnoticed by the Greek player.
Another way of understanding the 42-year-old's impact on the sport is how much his tennis items are sold for at auctions. A racket from Federer's 2006 season being sold at a record price demonstrates this.
Despite Federer's absence being clearly felt in tennis, he has described why retiring from the sport was actually a relief for him in an interview he did with GQ.
" I'm really relieved.... I mean, the last few years have been tough with my knee. You could feel the end coming closer. So when it’s all said and done and you’re over the line and you’re retired officially, you take a deep breath and you’re like, “Wow, okay, that was good.”
Although Federer said being retired officially was a relief, he did not deny that he was very emotional the night of his retirement and that adjusting to it immediately was never going to be completely easy.
"Yeah, it’s super highly emotional. Something that has always been with you is gone and will be forever gone, and you cannot have it back as much as you want it back. The train has left the station. And that’s okay, and I want it to be that way, but of course you cannot just go from one day to the next and say like, “Okay, no problem, that’s easy.”
Federer also mentioned that retiring in a team environment at the Laver Cup was something he wanted, rather than being alone dealing with the emotion of retirement.
" I was just always afraid that I was going to be standing alone down on court. Everything I’ve always hoped for is to be in a team environment and surrounded by my closest ones where I could tell the world, “Okay, this is going to be the day.”
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