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'Good time to start training for Wimbledon': US tennis great's cheeky tweet after Roger Federer announces retirement
Roger Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis on Thursday, confirming that the Laver Cup 2022 will be his last competitive appearance.
Swiss tennis great Roger Federer on Thursday announced his retirement from competitive tennis, confirming that his appearance in this month's Laver Cup will be his final outing. Federer drew curtains on a 24-year-long career, having turned pro in 1998. Regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in the history of the game, Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles including eight at the Wimbledon Championships.
During his professional career, Federer had a number of key rivalries with fellow tennis greats like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, but there was another US tennis star with whom Federer shared a strong competition – Andy Roddick. The duo faced each other on 24 occasions in singles across ATP tournaments and Majors, and even as Federer prevailed with an overwhelming 21-3 head-to-head record, the engaging rallies and down-to-the-wire made up for a fascinating viewing for the fans.
Also read: Roger Federer retires: Full text and audio of Swiss great's statement
Federer beat Roddick twice in successive Wimbledon finals in 2004 and 2005, and as the Swiss tennis star announced his retirement, Roddick made a tongue-in-cheek comment. “Also, seems like a good time to start training for Wimby :)” Roddick wrote cheekily.
“Cheers Roger. Thanks for the shared memories my friend. It was an honor to share time/experiences on the most hallowed grounds in our sport. Don’t be a stranger,” Roddick wrote in another tweet as he paid a tribute to Federer.
Federer had not competed since Wimbledon in July 2021 — he has had a series of knee operations — and so in that sense, the news was not surprising. But he had appeared at an event marking the 100-year anniversary of Centre Court at the All England Club this July and said he hoped to come back to play there "one more time."
He had also had said he would return to tournament action at the Swiss Indoors in October.
Federer's last match anywhere came on July 7, 2021, when he lost at Centre Court in the Wimbledon quarterfinals to Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
