Tennis icon Roger Federer has revealed his decision to retire was welcomed by wife Mirka as she no longer enjoyed watching him compete amid the Swiss star’s injury troubles.
Universally considered one of the greatest players in the sport’s history, Federer will retire from tennis after the Laver Cup in London this month. The 41-year-old, who won his first Wimbledon title back in 2003, will play his final match in the doubles where he could line up alongside great rival Rafael Nadal.
Federer - who has not played since Wimbledon 2021 - has struggled with a knee problem for the past three years that has restricted him to only three of the 11 Grand Slams staged since the start of 2020. His announcement is therefore not a great surprise, but the 20-time Grand Slam champion inspired a generation of players and fans alike.
Ahead of the monumental moment, the eight-time Wimbledon champion revealed wife Mirka has struggled to watch him in recent years. Mirka retired from tennis in 2002 due to a persistent foot injury but was often seen supporting her husband in the stands.
“The last few years have been tough for me, but I think it was even tougher for her,” Federer told Blick. “With all her injuries, she didn't enjoy watching me anymore. I felt sorry for her too.
“It's a great relief for her now that it's over.’
Usually calm and composed, Federer admitted he was forced to rush into his decision to retire after he became aware his retirement was to be leaked and broadcast prematurely. The Swiss star announced his decision on social media after desperately conjuring up a statement.
“You try to keep those moments private and hope there are no leaks,” Federer told BBC Sport. “But apparently there were leaks in the morning of the announcement so we scrambled to announce it earlier than it was supposed to be.
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“It's been an emotional few weeks to go through those words to try to get them right, that they reflect how I'm feeling and thanking all the people who have helped along the way.
“I always pushed my retirement thoughts away. I said, the more I think about it, the more I'm already halfway retired and this is not the way to go to work, you know, for me as a tennis player, so we'll deal with it when it comes. And it did. And I dealt with it.”
The Swiss icon spent 310 weeks as world number one - including a record 237-week consecutive stint - and won 103 ATP singles titles. Federer has picked the annual Laver Cup event as his last appearance in professional tennis before he calls time on his illustrious career.
The 2022 edition of the Laver Cup will pit some of tennis’ greatest players alongside one another for Team Europe against Team World. Djokovic, Murray and Nadal are scheduled to work together as Europe attempt to retain the silverware.
Matteo Berrettini - the 2021 Wimbledon finalist - has been drafted in as an on-site reserve for Team Europe, who will play Team World in the three-day event, which starts on Friday. Team World will be made up of Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Diego Schwartzman, Frances Tiafoe, Alex de Minaur and Jack Sock.
