Well i guess it was getting more and more likely that this will happen in the last few months as it seemed that Roger Federer just could not seem to get fit and healthy anymore in the last year or so and there were always new issues coming up. The last news i heard from a few weeks ago was that they have found water in his knee. This could have been the last straw that made him announce his retirement.
Federer is old by sporting standard(41years), even without any health and fitness challenges, it is a ripe age for any successful sportsman or woman to retire from competitive sport. He has nothing else to prove and I as well as many others wish him well in any path he decides to take.
That is very sad news for the whole world of tennis as he was the best of all time for many fans and experts...
I love Federer, and I am happy to have witnessed the best of a legend like him.
What I like about his decision is that he did it without participating in Wimbledon or another big tournament. The reason is that this is really his character. He doesn't want to take away the stage from others for no reason. What if he participates in Wimbledon once more, gets beaten in the 3rd round and the whole tournament is about his goodbye instead of the players who actually should get the attention for their achievements during that tournament?
That is why I think it is a brilliant decision to say goodbye at the Laver Cup. Roger Federer is one of the hosts, there are no points for the ATP list and it is the perfect setup to allow for fans to celebrate his goodbye with him. Even if Roger loses early during the cup, it doesn't matter that much. Chapeau for that decision and to not just keep going and going to then use Wimbledon as final stage.
Thats an interesting thought but IDK, if he was fit I think he would play, thats the competitive
angle top guys work on but I think he is more of a realist, he isnt going to win any notable
tournaments anymore, he has done very well for himself and its time to retire at a tournament
where he will be part of a team, potentially play a match and gets to share with players he has
competed against for so long.
Compared to lets say Andy, whom I have great respect for. Andy keeps playing, I think he knows he
wont win any more GS' he plays purely for the sport and to test his competitiveness.
And then Serena, different again, she was not a realist, she thought she could win another GS.
All very good points that you mentioned and I also do have a lot of respect for Andy, but in all honesty, what Andy is doing doesn't make sense. Given that he has already a titanium hip joint, also considering that he doesn't need any money anymore whatsoever, where is the point in testing your competitiveness? I am not judging him negatively here, it is his choice of course, but I really can't come up with a single reasonable reason for the man to keep playing except for the possibility that he doesn't have the mental strength to call it a day. Which is kind of absurd talking about Andy lacking mental strength for something, but after all he is a human being with emotions and I believe that is something Roger might have much more control over. Roger did the right thing and that deserves a lot of respect. He made sure that people will remember him at his best, they will also remember the few comebacks he had like winning the Australian Open. Now if Andy keeps playing for three more years, I am not so sure that the picture people have in their heads about him will be as solid and admirable as the one they have about Roger.