Â
Nearing a year has passed since Roger Federer officially announced his retirement, giving his loved ones and supporters time to adjust. He is no longer a professional tennis player. The idea that it has been an iconic and significant component of the ATP for more than 20 years is still challenging to accept.
Ivan Ljubicic, a former world number three who coached Roger Federer in the final stages of his career, spoke candidly about the challenges Federer and others around him are facing as a result of his retirement. The Swiss held off on saying goodbye until the Laver Cup in 2022, playing his final singles match in the Wimbledon 2021 quarterfinals.
Ljubicic described how Federer told him about his choice, which was motivated by advancing age and the fact that his body was starting to tax him more and more. "I received a call. But it didn't appear out of thin air. We were unsure whether he would ever return for a very long time.
A run to the Wimbledon finals in 2019 and semifinal participation in Melbourne 2020 would have suggested that Federer still had some time to give to the tour after winning his final grand slam at the Australian Open in 2018. However, that 2020 AO run was incredibly laborious and challenging, necessitating knee surgery.
It was a hard pill for Ljubicic to chew despite Federer's impending retirement at age 40 and his struggles with mobility on and off the court. "There was nothing. Sincerely, I didn't know what to say. It's tough... I felt his suffering.
The Croatian turned professional in 1998, the same year Federer did, and retired in 2012 at the age of 33 after reaching his career high of number three in 2006. Ljubicic, who has previously worked with Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych as a coach, admitted that he did everything he could to make Federer's decision to end his long and fruitful career as easy as possible.
Ljubicic also discussed his partnership with Federer, who served as his coach. Prior to Wimbledon in 2016, where Federer had lost the previous two finals against Novak Djokovic, they teamed up. It got off to a rocky start when Federer tore his meniscus before the competition and had knee problems while losing to Milos Raonic, Ljubicic's former protege, in the semifinals.
