September 15 will be remembered by all tennis and sports lovers as the day that Roger Federer announced his retirement from professional activity after a glorious career that included 20 Grand Slam titles and a game that captivated everyone in every corner of the world where the Swiss took his racket.
In an extensive letter, which he also turned into a video, Federer confirmed that his farewell will be at the Laver Cup, which will be played in London from September 23, but hinted that he will continue to be linked to the discipline that made him one of the the greatest athletes in history. “I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but not at Grand Slams or on tour,” he said.
In the last few hours, the one who spoke of the Swiss’s retirement was his historic coach, Severin Luthi. In dialogue with the journalist Simon Graf, sports editor of the media Tagesanzeiger, from Switzerland, gave details of how the decision was experienced in private. “Roger has made it easy for all of us. Of course, It has been a very emotional decision for him. Otherwise, I would never have been able to achieve so much at this level,” he confessed.
There is a lot of passion behind everything, but he has always been very positive. It would have been more difficult for me if he had seen him devastated, but the way he has processed everything has helped me too. Roger has called me two or three times to ask how I’m doing. He always thinks of others. Besides, he is with his family. He is fine, ”he added in relation to the days after the retreat.
When asked about the reason for the dismissal, Luthi was blunt and focused on the knee injury that has been tormenting Roger for several years. “Simply, I wasn’t making enough progress with my knee.. He is 41 years old and has been on tour for a long time, playing more than 1,500 games. His withdrawal is a combination of those factors,” he analyzed.
The Laver Cup will be played at the famous stadium O2 from London and will be attended by the famous Big Three. In other words, there will be Federer himself, Rafael Nadal Y Novak Djokovic. What’s more, the British will join Andy Murrayas well as current great tennis players and legends such as Bjorn Borgwho will be the coach of the team with the historical ones.
How will we see the Swiss on the pitch? “He’s going to try to play either singles or doubles, we’ll see. He wants to be in the team and try to play. What is certain is that they do not want to put themselves above the Laver Cup, but I think that the reaction of the public will be overwhelming. There will be goosebumps moments,” Luthi explained about what for him will be an emotionally charged moment in the relationship between Roger and his fans.
Having to choose the best moments of Federer’s career, his lifelong coach selected several to highlight. “Spontaneously, I would say the last title at Wimbledon (2017), his comeback in Australia (2017), when nobody expected him to win, the Davis Cup victory in Lille (2014), the Olympic doubles with Stan in 2008 and Paris (2009)”, he said about the most resounding victories of the racket that remained for 237 weeks at the head of the ATP world ranking (absolute record) and won 103 titles in his career.
Finally, Luthi spoke about the legacy left by the career of Your Majesty. “Many will remember him above all as a good person. That I think is more important than one more title or two. The kindness of him and how he behaved with other players. He has contributed to the point that the players treat each other with more respect. He talks to everyone in the locker room. It doesn’t matter who it is. His successes will soon be forgotten for sure, but I think the human aspect is even more important. What I also find very positive is that he will not turn his back on tennis”, he concluded.
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The historical table of titles of the greatest Grand Slam winners after the retirement of Roger Federer and all the numbers of his career
Source-www.infobae.com