Following the announcement of Serena Williams’ retirement, it was the news of Roger Federer’s retirement that shook the tennis world. Federer’s retirement from professional tennis sparked a series of reactions around the world, although it was not entirely a surprise.
The Swiss champion had not played an official match since Wimbledon 2021, and the last two and a half years have been difficult for him because of his knee, which has been operated on 3 times.
The problem in his right knee is what prevented Roger from finishing his career successfully, so many expected him to retire at any moment.
The 41-year-old Basel native said goodbye to professional tennis at the Laver Cup, held at London’s O2 Arena from September 23-25. He was one of the stars of the event, with Team Europe, along with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal who was only present on Friday.
Through a video posted on Instagram, Patrick Mouratoglou paid a vibrant tribute to Federer.
Mouratoglou on Federer
“I think Roger Federer is the best tennis ambassador,” Mouratoglou said.
“He plays tennis the way everybody would like to play tennis, and no one can play tennis the way he does, and probably no one will ever play tennis the way he did. When you see Roger play, the first thing you notice is It’s amazing talent and fluidity.
But, over the years, we have also seen others who played with incredible fluency and skill. These guys have never won a Grand Slam. He won 20.
Why ? Because he is also an amazing fighter, he always thought about (winning) every point of every match and he is a real fighter”, he added. Patrick Mouratoglou also praised the fighting spirit that Federer showed in the two historic finals at Wimbledon, lost to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“The first thing I remember is the trophy ceremony at the 2006 Australian Open when he completely broke down and cried.
He was a superhero and then he became a human. He is the first one who has really done that”, recalled the French coach. “The second (I remember) are the two epic matches, at Wimbledon, that he lost (the first) against Novak, with a match ball, and (the second) that of Rafael Nadal that ended at night. These two matches were historic,” he added.