In January, 2016, while running a bath for his daughters in Melbourne, Australia, Roger Federer felt a click in his knee when changing directions and soon underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. He returned in the spring to the tour but after losing at Wimbledon, he ended his season and spent six months further strengthening the knee.
He returned in 2017 for what turned out to be a renaissance. He won the Australian Open, beating Nadal in a five-set final, then won Wimbledon for the eighth time and rode that wave to another title at the 2018 Australian Open.
But Federer’s knee problems continued to mar the final stages of his long career. He missed more than a year of action during the 2020 and 2021 seasons before returning to play five tournaments.
Federer’s last match anywhere came on July 7, 2021, when he lost at Centre Court in the Wimbledon quarter-finals to Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
Soon after, Federer had surgery to repair damage to his meniscus and cartilage in his right knee – his third operation on that knee in a span of 1½ years.
“As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries. I’ve worked hard to return to full competitive form,” Federer, who is home in Switzerland, said in Thursday’s announcement. “But I also know my body’s capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.”
And with that, the 41-year-old called it a career.