Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Federer to retire after Laver Cup

Roger Federer announced Thursday that he is retiring from professional tennis at age 41 after winning 20 Grand Slam titles.

This decision comes just days after the end of the U.S. Open, which is expected to be the last tournament of 23-time major champion Serena Williams’ career, and signals the real end of an era in tennis.

Federer has not competed since Wimbledon in July 2021 — he has had a series of knee operations — and so in that sense, the news is not surprising.

But he had appeared at an event marking the 100-year anniversary of Centre Court at the All England Club this July and said he hoped to come back to play there "one more time." He also had said he would return to tournament action at the Swiss Indoors in October.

Federer posted his news on Twitter, saying his farewell event will be the Laver Cup in London next week. That is a team event run by his management company.

To my tennis family and beyond, With Love, Roger pic.twitter.com/1UISwK1NIN

Federer, who turned 41 last month, won a record eight Wimbledon titles during his career, displaying dominance on the grass surface. He won the Australian Open six times, the US Open five times and won the French Open in 2009 to complete his career Grand Slam.

Over his career, Federer won a total of 103 ATP singles titles, second most of all time behind Jimmy Connors, and won Olympic silver at London 2012.

Federer dropped out of the ATP rankings entirely for the first time in a quarter-century in July. He had appeared in the singles rankings every week since he made his debut at age 16 in September 1997, tied for 803rd, and held the record for most time at No. 1 until Djokovic broke it.

.@rogerfederer thank you for doing more for tennis than any single individual.