It has been a great journey, for that, I am grateful – Roger Federer

Roger Federer gave his gratitude while reminiscing his glorious career in the press conference ahead of the Laver Cup. Federer said he is grateful for the wonderful career he has had as he ticked almost all the right boxes.

The Swiss great announced his retirement from the professional sport last Thursday and since then wishes have been pouring in for him in the tennis fraternity.

Federer said you always want to play forever but it’s a bitter truth that everybody has to retire one day.

“You always want to play forever. I love being out on court, I love playing against the guys and I love travelling. I never really felt like it was that hard for me to do, of winning, learn from losing, it was all perfect,” Federer said in his press conference. 

“I love my career from every angle. That’s the bitter part [of retiring]. The sweet part was that I know everybody has to do it at one point. Everybody has to leave the game. It’s been a great, great journey. For that, I’m really grateful.”

Federer won a total of 20 Grand Slam titles as he is regarded as one of the most flamboyant player on the court. The Swiss Maestro lifted a total of 103 titles in his career as he dominated the sport for almost two decades.

Federer recalled when he won his 15th Slam at Wimbledon and equaled Pete Sampras’ record.

“I’m definitely very proud and very happy where I sit,” Federer said when analyzing his place in the history books. “One of my big moments of course was winning my 15th Slam at Wimbledon when Pete [Sampras] was sitting there. Anything after that was a bonus. That was the record and then of course it was other records along the way… I’m very happy that I was able to win another five Slams from 15 on. For me it was incredible. Then I [won] over 100 titles and all that stuff has been fantastic.”

The 41-year-old is also delighted by the longevity of his career as he made his professional debut back in 1998 in Basel and had a great career of 24 years.

“I was famous for being quite erratic at the beginning of my career. If you remember, I was famous for being not so consistent. To then become one of the most consistent players ever is quite a shock to me, as well,” Federer said. “That has been a great accomplishment for me personally. People can judge if they think that’s the case too, but for me, that is something I have really enjoyed and that I have been able to stay at the top for so long and compete for any tournament I would enter and really go out there and say, ‘I hope I can win the tournament’, for 15-plus years.

“I think looking back that has a special meaning to me because I always looked to the Michael Schumachers, Tiger Woods, all the other guys that stayed for so long at the top that I didn’t understand how they did it. Next thing you know, you’re part of that group, and it’s been a great feeling.