“He won’t turn his back on tennis,” Severin Luthi gives insights on Roger Federer’s retirement decision and plans for the future
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Severin Luthi and Roger Federer
It’s not been more than 24 hours since Roger Federer announced his decision to retire from tennis and fans are already eager to know his next step. The 41-year-old confirmed that the upcoming 2022 Laver Cup will be his final tournament drawing the curtain on his successful 24-year-long career.
There’s no doubt in Roger going down as one of the greatest ever to grace the courts of tennis. The 20-time Grand Slam champion continues to hold many records to his name and it will be a real challenge for the new generation of players to try their luck in displacing the Swiss maestro from his pedestal.
“Roger Federer just did not make enough progress,”: Severin Luthi on the retirement announcement
Federer had been inactive on the Tour since the 2020 Australian Open post which he had to undergo a knee surgery that kept him out till March 2021. His return wasn’t successful as he played only 4 events with the best result coming at the 2021 Wimbledon where he reached the quarter-finals.
At Wimbledon, he injured his knee yet again and was ruled out of the season which eventually became a complete year. With the Laver Cup announcement made way back, fans were happy to see him return but to everyone’s misfortune, it’s not a return, it’s a goodbye.
Speaking about Federer’s retirement and the factors that led to it, his long-time coach and compatriot Severin Luthi spoke to journalist Simon Graf and gave some valuable insights into the former World No. 1’s decision to step away from the game after picking up the tennis racket at age 12, 29 years ago.
“He just did not make enough progress. He’s 41, been on the tour for so long, he’s played over 1500 matches. His retirement is a combination of these factors. Roger makes it easy for us. Of course, it was an emotional decision for him. Otherwise, he would never have been able to achieve so much at this level.
“There’s a lot of passion behind it. But he is always so positive about everything. It would be harder for me if he was totally devastated. How he processes the whole thing helps me, too. Roger has called me two or three times today to ask how I’m doing. He’s always thinking about the others, too. He’s fine, he’s with his family.
“I think we should now focus not only on the end of his career but above all on everything he achieved. All these beautiful successes. People should not only be sad but also happy about all the things they could experience with Roger. I think many will remember him primarily as a nice person.
“That’s more important than if you won one title more or less. His kindness, how he behaved towards the other players. Roger has contributed to the fact that players treat each other with more respect. He talks to everyone in the dressing room. It doesn’t matter who it is. He’s all about the person.
“Sure, his successes won’t be forgotten soon. But I think the human aspect is even more important. What I also find very positive: knowing he won’t turn his back on tennis,” said Severin going further ahead and talking about Federer’s plan for his year’s Laver Cup and his best wins.
“He will try to play. Whether that’s in singles or doubles, we’ll see. He wants to be on the team and try to play. Roger doesn’t want to put himself above the Laver Cup. But I think the reactions will be overwhelming. There will be chicken skin moments.
“Spontaneously, I would say the last Wimbledon title (2017), his comeback in Australia (2017) when nobody expected him to win, the Davis Cup victory in Lille (2014), and Olympic gold in doubles with Stan Wawrinka (2008 in Beijing). And Paris (2009),” added Luthi.
The upcoming Laver Cup will surely be a grand spectacle not only for the star-studded lineup that it boasts of but also for Federer who will step on the court for one last time hoping to please the crowd yet again as he did so eloquently for the past two and a half decades.
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Sarthak Shitole
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