World of sport reacts to Roger Federer’s retirement
LONDON (Reuters) – Wimbledon champion Roger Federer announced his retirement on Twitter on Tuesday, four days after the Swiss player was diagnosed with cancer and six weeks after his stunning British Open victory.
With his world ranking at 36, the 27-year-old Swiss star was the last of the top-ranked athletes to announce his retirement, with six-time men’s singles winner Rafael Nadal said to be considering his options.
“I cannot hide from my mistakes,” Federer, who won Wimbledon seven times and the US Open five times, said in a tweet announcing his decision.
“I want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has inspired me. Please keep your spirits up.”
Nadal is the only other top-ranked male tennis player still active, and he is preparing to defend his French Open title late next week at Roland Garros.
Federer was the first male tennis player to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time in 2010, also winning his first ATP World Tour title in November that year at the US Open at the age of 19.
“Roger Federer has been at the top of tennis all his life and his results on the court cannot be questioned,” said British Olympic Association chief executive Martin Foyle.
“From his early childhood until his prime, he has never been anything but exemplary and his achievements as a player were as important as his successes both on and off the court.”
But in Federer’s next Grand Slam, the US Open, the Swiss star has the burden of a lifetime of history on his shoulders. The four-time US Open champion had won just one match at the major tournament when he was 20 years old, and hadn’t won a title until he was 24.
“In the last year I have decided to leave this great competition in order to devote more time to my family and to my friends,” Federer, who has three young children, wrote in his statement on Tuesday.
He added: “I wish them the best of luck on a successful future.”
“I am extremely sad to see that someone so special has