WATCH: Clip of Roger Federer working as a ball-boy at the Swiss Indoors as a pre-teen goes viral after his retirement
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Roger Federer
Former World No. 1 Roger Federer has decided to finally call it quits on his glorious career as the Swiss maestro announced his retirement on Thursday. Federer posted a long message on social media that the 2022 Laver Cup in London, from September 23 to 25 will be his final fling.
Federer turned Pro back in 1998 and won his first Grand Slam title in 2003 at Wimbledon. He went on to dominate the ATP Tour for the next decade and laid the foundation of the Big-3 as he raced away to become the first man to cross 300 weeks as World No. 1 and win 20 Grand Slam titles.
“At heart, I am always going to be a ball-boy,”: Roger Federer
Federer is often credited for having brought fans back to the sport as he replaced the old guard — Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras’. With his on-court mannerisms, textbook shots with modern-day innovations, work ethic and unmatched success, Federer became the heart-throb of millions who tuned in to tennis only because of him.
With Federer announcing his retirement and going down as one of the greatest ever to wield the tennis racquet, his beginnings were humble. The video he posted on Thursday has gone viral on internet and offers more than a peep into his life at large.
Federer watched the likes of Boris Becker in 1992 and Michael Stich in 1993 win the Swiss Indoors title. While the whole world saw them win the tournament, Federer saw it up and close as a ball-boy in Basel, where he grew up.
Even in his retirement post, Federer did not forget to mention the ball-boy experience and it once again showed his humility. Having his feet on the ground despite being one of the biggest tennis players, Federer wrote, “At heart, I am always going to be a ball boy.”
As Federer steps away from the game, it’s fairly certain that the Laver Cup next week will pay a worthy tribute to not only one of the tournament’s founders but also to possibly the greatest player of all time who strode the the tennis like a colossus for more than two decades.
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Sarthak Shitole
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