Roger Federer Announces Next Week in London will be his Final Competitive Matches

[jimlosaltos]

Fed's Leaving Us

His audio clip online:
Update: That link mysteriously broke so try this:

https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/1570401710685945856?s=20&t=r2Ls8uhGDS7DPgB-_9lzYg

NYT: "Federer, who won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, said injuries and surgeries had taken their toll on his body. His final competitive matches will be next week in London.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/s...smid=url-share


"Federer, the winner of 20 Grand Slam singles titles, said his appearance at next week’s Laver Cup in London would be his final competitive matches. He said he would continue to play tennis in the future, but that he would no longer compete on the ATP Tour or in Grand Slam tournaments like Wimbledon and the U.S. Open that he once dominated.

“I would like to especially thank my amazing wife Mirka who has lived through every minute with me,” Federer said in his retirement announcement on Thursday. “She has warmed me up before finals, watched countless matches even while over 8 months pregnant and has endured my goofy side on the road with my team for over 20 years.”

[dimbleby69]

Got there just before me Jim. Anyone know if I can delete the thread I just started?

Rob

[jimlosaltos]

Got there just before me Jim. Anyone know if I can delete the thread I just started?

Rob

Oh, sorry to step on your toes ! <g>

[arturohernandez]

A sad day indeed. We knew it was coming and being gone so long made it less painful. But times are changing and after thinking about how any of the big 3 could manage to get through multiple rounds with the latest next gen, I realized that the time has probably come for all 3.

Nadal looked much less than himself at the US Open. Djokovic is missing long periods. Fed will retire next week.

Any predictions on when Nadal and Djokovic will follow suit.

[stroke]

I never would have guessed, after Roger beat Nadal at 2017 AO, and had the Major lead he did at the time, he would have ended up in 3rd place of the 3.

[glacierguy]

Article in Bloomberg:

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-09-17/roger-federer-serena-williams-were-the-best-tennis-players-ever-or-maybe-not

[stotty]

I still think Borg's the greatest...

[arturohernandez]

I still think Borg's the greatest...

Borg was incredible in his time, winning both Wimbledon and RG back to back. Such different surfaces. The only problem is that he was unable to get a US Open. I think if he had won one or two US Opens he might be in the mix for greatest.

But, hey, I would take Borg's accomplishments and feel happy about myself any day.

[jimlosaltos]

Borg was incredible in his time, winning both Wimbledon and RG back to back. Such different surfaces. The only problem is that he was unable to get a US Open. I think if he had won one or two US Opens he might be in the mix for greatest.

But, hey, I would take Borg's accomplishments and feel happy about myself any day.

Winning the "Channel Slam" is an under-recognized achievement.

The "Chunnel Slam" is nothing comparable

[jimlosaltos]

Article in Bloomberg:
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/ar...r-or-maybe-not

Good article. Thanks for sharing.

ELO ratings & Recency Bias, so often in conflict <g>

Then we have historic greats:

“	Gonzales was my toughest opponent , a notch above Lew Hoad, but Lew is the greatest when he is on.	”
— Ken Rosewall, comparing his rivals Pancho Gonzales and Lew Hoad.

Couldn't find a source, so from memory.

Pancho Gonzales, "My best vs his best, Lew Hoad is the only player that can beat me."

~~~~~
This is off topic, but I stumbled on this while searching for another Gonzo quote and this is too good not to share.

Pancho Gonzalez: “This is the toughest sport of all. Even in pro basketball they don’t play every night. Besides, when they’re tired, they get a substitute. We don’t. We play even when we’re hurt. I’ve played with a sprained ankle. Lew (Hoad) finished a match one night after colliding with a wall and being knocked unconscious.”

[jimlosaltos]

From interview with Fed's Uber-coach and long-time friend Ivan Ljubicic in La Gazzetta hello Sport

https://www.gazzetta.it/

▸ By the way, how did you know from Roger Federer that he was ready to say enough?

Ljubicic: Obviously it was a shared, elaborate decision. A choice that Roger arrived at with great serenity when he realized that the recovery was not going in the right direction

We used to talk, we traveled... They were always talking about tennis and watching tennis. From juniors, to wheelchair, to legends, always... Then of course I had to be ready in moments of difficulty. Like that final lost at Wimbledon 2019...


Yes, but it wasn't the worst time. There we were sad and sorry because Roger had played better for all 5 sets, but in the end we toasted the umpteenth final played at Wimbledon. Of course, we didn't know it would be the last...

At Halle 2021, when he lost to Aliassime. He was in pain, he was dejected. He knew he was going to Wimbledon with no chance to win, and it was a great pain for him. We hoped for a physical miracle, but it didn't come.


~~~~~
Same cover, but from Fed's agent

Tony Godsick: "There will be no one like Roger. There will be someone who will win more tournaments or have more Slams. There will always be a new No. 1. There will always be someone holding a trophy, but none will have the impact that Federer has had"

[stroke]

Tennis World USA: 'Novak Djokovic loss still hurts Roger Federer,' Ivan Ljubicic says.

https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Roger_Federer/120811/-novak-djokovic-loss-still-hurts-roger-federer-ivan-ljubicic-says/

[stotty]

~~~~~
Same cover, but from Fed's agent

Tony Godsick: "There will be no one like Roger. There will be someone who will win more tournaments or have more Slams. There will always be a new No. 1. There will always be someone holding a trophy, but none will have the impact that Federer has had"

Tend to agree.

Different era but Borg had similar popularity back in his pomp. He was adored over here. He didn't have anything like Roger's repertoire but there was an enigma about him which people loved...a mythical viking.

Roger is everything that Nastase and McEnroe should have been.

[stotty]

Tennis World USA: 'Novak Djokovic loss still hurts Roger Federer,' Ivan Ljubicic says.
https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tenni...ljubicic-says/

Yes that will always hurt. It was on his racket and he choked those match points. Novak was awesome thereafter...never looked back.

[stroke]

Yes that will always hurt. It was on his racket and he choked those match points. Novak was awesome thereafter...never looked back.

It was Novak's most impressive win ever to me. The mental fortitude he showed with the crowd completely against him at a level I have never seen, was gold standard.