Roger Federer to Retire From Tennis: ‘He Made the Game Look So Easy’
He returned in 2017 for what turned out to be a renaissance. He won the Australian Open, beating Nadal in the final, then won Wimbledon for the eighth time and rode that wave to another title at the 2018 Australian Open. The next month, he became the oldest No. 1 in ATP rankings’ history at 36.
That last major win set the men’s record at 20 Grand Slam singles titles, but Federer would not hold it for long. He did, however, have one more excellent opportunity to add to his total: with two match points on his own serve against Djokovic in the fifth set of the 2019 Wimbledon final.
But Djokovic won instead, and with Federer about to retire, Nadal holds the record with 22 Grand Slam singles titles and Djokovic is right behind with 21.
Federer will remain third on that list, perhaps for many years to come. He also has a losing record against both men: 16-24 versus Nadal and 23-27 versus Djokovic.
Still, Federer certainly had his long runs on top and touched tennis fans worldwide for more than 20 years with his shotmaking and class on and off the court.