Emotional tributes are persevering with to flood in after Roger Federer introduced his retirement from tennis on Thursday.
The 20-time main champion, one of many sport’s all-time greats, will play his final ATP Tour occasion on the Laver Cup, going down at The O2 in London subsequent week.
Federer, 41, an eight-time Wimbledon winner, has not performed competitively since final 12 months’s Championships and missed SW19 for the primary time since 1998 this summer time as he continued restoration from a 3rd knee surgical procedure.
He dropped out of the world prime 50 in June for the primary time in 22 years and has fallen behind Novak Djokovic within the race for many main titles, with the Serbian registering his twenty first Grand Slam win at this 12 months’s Wimbledon to maneuver one behind Rafael Nadal.
The Swiss famous person will undoubtedly go down as one of many sport’s best gamers and he joins one other tennis legend – Serena Williams – in confirming his retirement this 12 months after the American nice determined to name time on her profession after this 12 months’s US Open.
‘I LOVE YOU, Roger,’ Juan Martin del Potro mentioned, an Argentine former world No.3 who gained Flushing Meadows in 2009.
‘Thanks for all the things you’ve performed in tennis and with myself. Tennis world won't ever be the identical with out you.’
Wimbledon tweeted: ‘Roger, The place do we start? It’s been a privilege to witness your journey and see you turn out to be a champion in each sense of the phrase.
‘We'll so miss the sight of you gracing our courts, however all we are able to say for now's thanks, for the recollections and pleasure you've gotten given to so many.’
Former world No.1 Andy Roddick mentioned: ‘Cheers Roger. Thanks for the shared recollections my buddy.
‘It was an honour to share time/experiences on probably the most hallowed grounds in our sport. Don’t be a stranger.’
Milos Raonic, who misplaced the 2016 Wimbledon closing to Andy Murray and has been ranked as excessive as world No.3, mentioned: ‘Thanks for doing extra for tennis than any single particular person.
‘Because of you opponents and followers the world over get to expertise and luxuriate in it everywhere in the world.
‘Congratulations in your achievements and the individuals you proceed to impression in and away from tennis.’
Denis Shapovalov, a Wimbledon semi-finalist final 12 months, mentioned: ‘A job mannequin for me and so many others!! Thanks for all the things Roger. It’s been a privilege to share the court docket with you!!’
This 12 months’s US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, Nice Britain’s Katie Boulter and Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka additionally paid tribute to Federer together with the likes of Genie Bouchard, Garbine Muguruza and Sebastian Korda.
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