Roger Federer retired from the sport about a year ago, and it's been a relieving experience for him, something he didn't expect.
Roger Federer is the most recognizable face in tennis, a player that probably took the sport to the stage where it's today. No player was ever that popular, and it's highly unlikely that we'll see it in the near future, either.
The retirement was a tough pill to swallow but saying goodbye in London, a city which saw some of his best tennis ever played, was fitting. It also happened at an event that was basically his own idea, with all his biggest rivals from the ATP Tour there as well.
The absence from the tennis court was hard, but it wasn't as hard as some might think. Yes, he had to adjust to a new schedule, but the pandemic and his injuries in recent years kind of made the transition quite seamless. By the time he retired, he was basically retired in all but name.
I always feel like I’ve reached a high point, and then it keeps going. Life without the game, and life without the fans, and life without the schedule that has dominated my life for 25 years has definitely been something I didn’t know how I would take.
But the good/bad thing about Covid, and with my knee surgery, is that everything started to slow down in the past three years, so it wasn’t like I came from playing 100 matches and then boom, it’s over.
In a recent interview with the New York Times Federer admitted that retirement came as a relief because, in the end, he was happy to retire. He did all he wanted to do in tennis, eclipsing it easily and by the time the event came around he was at peace with his decision. There were new challenges to chase and new things to do.
At the end I was relieved, I think, and happy to retire. It ended in the most perfect way at the Laver Cup. I was surrounded by my biggest rivals, and my family was there and my friends. For me it felt like, OK, I’m good now. I don’t need to chase that itch anymore.
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