Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis star, lost his last professional tennis match on Saturday, September 24. Teamed up with arch-rival Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup 2022, Federer lost to Frances Tiafoe-Jack Sock. 

Last week, the 20-time Grand Slam winner, announced his retirement from professional tennis on social media. 

“The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in grand slams or tours,” he wrote in the note. 

Who is Roger Federer? 

Roger Federer was born on August 8, 1981 in Switzerland’s Basel. Roger Federer’s father Robert Federer is from Berneck in the Canton of St. Gallen. His mother Lynette Federer, an Afrikaner, is from Kenton Park, Guateng, in South Africa. 

Because Roger Federer’s mother is South African, the tennis star has both Swiss and South African citizenship. 

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Roger Federer played his first junior tennis match in 1996 at the age of 14. As a junior player, Federer went to Wimbledon and won the boys’ singles final over Irakli Labadze. 

Federer debuted in ATP in 1998 Swiss Open Gstaad in Switzerland. 

Roger Federer entered the top 100 ranking for the first time on September 20, 1999. Federer’s first single win was at the 2001 Milan Indoor tournament, where he defeated Julien Boutter in the final. 

It was in 2003 when Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, beating Andy Roddick in the semi finals and Mark Phillippoussis.

Federer’ career-best performance came in 2006. Federer won 12 singles titles. This was Federer and Nadal’s first meeting in a Grand Slam final. He was the first man to reach all four finals in a calendar year. 

In 2008, Roger Federer won an Olympic gold along with Stan Wawrinka. He ended the year ranked No. 2. 

He battled several injuries, including knee surgery, back pain and other issues that led to a waning of his form. 

Roger Federer decided to retire from official competition at the age of 41. “The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in grand slams or on the tour,” Federer wrote in a post. 

After his final match, an emotional Roger Federer said: “It’s been a perfect journey, I would do it all over again.”